Handbook

APS Student Handbook Links

Handbook Essentials

Knight Code

Del Norte High School provides a safe and healthy environment conducive to learning. All teachers maintain classroom management plans and consequences and have expectations for student behavior. It is expected that the behavior consequences within the classroom are communicated to students/parents. Interventions will begin at the classroom level and administration referrals will follow when appropriate. The following infractions and subsequent consequences are in effect at Del Norte High School. In addition, all provisions of the APS Student Behavior Handbook will be in force. All consequences for inappropriate behavior are at the discretion of the administrator. All out-of-school suspension will require a parent conference. All In School Suspensions (ISS) will require parent contact.

Download the Del Norte Student Handbook to read more about the Knight Code.

Attendance Policy

The parent/guardian must notify the school each day that the student will be absent, in accordance with the notification procedure established by the school. Del Norte requests that a parent note must be sent to the office excusing the student. The note must include:

the student’s full, legal name
student ID number
parent name and phone number
parent signature

Medical or professional appointments should be scheduled outside of the school day whenever possible. Should such an appointment need to be made during school hours, care should be taken to see that recurring appointments do not occur during the same class period.

Parents are encouraged to contact the student’s Counselor in the event of any extended or long term absence (3 or more days). NOTE: Suspension, In School Suspensions (ISS), and KNIGHT Absences are not counted as absences!

Excessive absences may result in the student being suspended from extra-curricular activities.

APS Attendance Guidelines

Regular attendance is a key to school success. Albuquerque Public Schools students can learn only if they are on time and present in all classes daily. The Federal No Child Left Behind Act requires that states, school districts and schools be held accountable for ensuring that all students meet high academic standards. On time and daily attendance is a critical component of this educational process. New Mexico law dictates that:

Students between the ages of 5 and 18 years of age are mandated to attend public school, private school, home school or a state institution.
Schools will provide intervention strategies that focus on keeping students in school.
Habitual truants are reported to appropriate authorities such as the APS Attendance Office, CYFD staff, Juvenile Probation & Parole, District Attorney, Truancy Court, and the State of New Mexico.
Consequences in New Mexico law include: license revocation, fines, and loss of New Mexico Works Program monetary assistance.
Students receiving financial assistance from the New Mexico Works program must comply with school attendance requirements, or the student’s financial assistance may be removed.

It is understood that sometimes families may need support to help their child be successful. School staff can assist with locatingpossible resources within the school community.

A parent/guardian must notify the school that the student will be absent in accordance with the notification procedure established by the school.
A parent/guardian must notify the school each day that a student is signing out before the end of the instructional day in accordance with the notification procedure established by the school.
Teachers will take attendance by class period for each instructional day.
Absences may be excused for the following reasons with appropriate documentation:
- Illness (including chronic illness documented on a health plan, IEP or 504 plan)
- Limited family emergencies; family deaths
- Medical, health or legal appointments
- Suspensions
- Religious commitment
- College visit
- Limited extenuating circumstances as approved in advance by the school principal
All absences for other reasons are unexcused including:
- Non-school sponsored activities or trips
- Family vacations outside of the normally scheduled school breaks
In APS, a student is considered “a student in need of early intervention” (truant) at five (5) unexcused absences and a habitual truant at ten (10) unexcused absences in a year.
School staff will make an attempt to contact the parent/guardian if the school has not received notification of absences by a parent for three (3) consecutive days.
Principals may request additional documentation for excessive excused absences.

Excessive Absences

Schools will identify and provide intervention strategies for students with unexcused absences.
School-related activities taking students out of school are not included when evaluating excessive absences. A student is not allowed more than ten (10) school-related absences per class per semester.
State law requires schools to withdraw a student after ten (10) consecutive days of absence, but only after the school has exhausted its efforts to keep the student in an educational setting through a variety of interventions.
Schools may not use out of school suspension or expulsion as punishment for truancy.

Tardy Policy

Del Norte High School expects all students to be on time for all classes. Promptness is an important life-skill that will generalize to post-secondary and employment endeavors. It is all our expectation that students plan accordingly, arrive promptly and prepared. Our goal is to improve overall attendance, grades and graduation rates by creating consequences that do not interfere with instructional time. Alternative consequences should occur for students during “their” time and may include lunch detention, after school detention, Saturday detention all while improving parent communication and accountability from all stakeholders in service of on time behavior.

TARDY *

Students who are tardy for class receive consequences according to district guidelines adopted by each school.
Consequences for being tardy will be determined by the school administrator. Examples include time in an alternative academic or community service setting (i.e. lunch, after school, Saturday School)
Secondary student who misses more than 50% of the class period are considered absent. If excused, parents must notify the school in accordance with the notification procedure established by the school.

EXPECTATIONS*

ATTENDANCE

Students are expected to attend school regularly and on time. District policy and state law require daily school attendance for those between 5 and 18, or until graduation from high school.
Get your students to school on time every day. (Punctuality and good attendance are family responsibilities.)
Keep the school informed of your current contact information by notifying the school of any change of address or numbers.

STUDENTS

Attend school every day and be on time for every class.

*Taken from APS Student Behavior Handbook

Del Norte’s Consequences for Tardiness

Tardies 1-2

Allow into class, verbal warning, record as tardy, classroom consequence

Tardies 3-4

Allow into class, verbal warning, record as tardy, classroom consequence, parent contact by teacher documented in Synergy

Tardies 5

Allow into class, verbal warning, record as tardy, classroom consequence, parent contact by teacher documented in Synergy, referral for excessive tardies to administration---parent contact by administration, student success contract, 3 days lunch detention Note: Subsequent tardies will require pass from administration staff

Tardies 6-7

Parent contact by administration or campus aides to advise of subsequent tardy, contract violation and assigned Saturday School date, pass to return to class

Tardy 8

Parent conference scheduled with administration, counseling or truancy prevention specialist to review and amend contract, assign Saturday School date, pass to return to class

Tardy 9

Parent contact by administration or campus aides to advise of subsequent tardy, contract violation and assigned Saturday School date, pass to return to class

Tardy 10

Parent contact by administration to advise parents of tenth (10) tardy and advise subsequent tardy may result in removal from course, assign Saturday School date, pass to return to class

Dress Code

Students at Del Norte observe standards of dress that are appropriate for the best possible educational experience. Students and their parents/guardians may determine personal appearance and dress except where such dress or appearance presents a health or safety hazard, a violation of city or state law, or a disruption to the educational environment.

Del Norte students’ dress is expected to be neat, clean and appropriate, both at school and at school-related activities.

Students must wear shoes at all times.
No highly distractive or altered clothing, such as, but not limited to, torn or shredded jeans or shirts; tank tops must have at least a 1 1/2” strap; halter tops, tube tops, off-the- shoulder or low-cut clothing; see-through clothing; tight or short shorts or skirts; bike shorts; bare midriffs; metal belt buckles with any initials; belts hanging longer than two inches from the fastener. Pants: cannot be sagging to the point that they allow undergarments to be visible to sight
No pajamas or slippers except on designated spirit days.
No skin showing between the bottom of a shirt/blouse and the top of pants or skirts.
All attire must be as long as an extended arm and fist when standing up straight.
No clothing/jewelry/tattoos displaying gang, drug or alcohol-related wording, pictures or insignias, or profane, vulgar, sexually suggestive or abusive/violent or otherwise in appropriate language / symbols / graphics.
No clothing in “uniform colors” or with symbolism and/or insignias which suggest illicit behavior, gang affiliation, harassment or abuse.
If the staff and administration feel that clothing identifying groups or gangs causes disruption at school, or causes personal danger to the wearer, that person or persons directly responsible will not be allowed to wear said clothing. Disrespect or bigotry toward any group is not acceptable.
No headgear of any kind, e.g., hats, caps, bandanas, sweat bands, hair nets, etc., or sunglasses in any building, with the exception of after-school, district-sponsored athletic events in the gym. Hats must be worn with bill facing forward.
No spiked jewelry, belts, bands, or chains.
No clothing bearing the names and insignias of the Insane Clown Posse (ICP) or any other team or group that is deemed gang related. No “In Memory of “ shirts.
Any clothing or accessory which is deemed inappropriate, distracting or impeding the educational process will result in a directive to immediately cover or remove clothing item or accessory.
Anything gang related as per the APS student Behavior Handbook will not be tolerated.
Consequences for violating the student dress standards are addressed in the Knight Code.

As a rule of thumb, follow the rule of the 4 B’s and a C: No bellies, no butts; no bra straps; no boxers; and no cleavage. If these are showing, you are out of dress code!

Our School