Under Washington State Law, all children between the ages of 8 and 18 must attend school. A student who is 16 years old, regularly employed, and has parent permission/is emancipated may be granted an exception.
Regular school attendance is necessary for mastery of the educational program provided to students in Bremerton. Having your child at school on time every day can go a long way toward helping them reach the state’s high academic standards for student achievement and graduation. Any period of time when a student is not in class is considered an absence. State law requires schools to notify the court when a student has five or more unexcused absences during a month or ten during the current school year. Students are tardy if they are not in their seats, ready to learn, when the bell rings for classes to begin. Please help your child learn to be at school, on time.
The beginning of the school year is a great time to sit down together and review school rules that are provided in school handbooks and planners; building administrators are available to answer any questions. In general, students are expected to:
Complete sets of district policies and procedures are maintained by every building administrator and in each school’s library. Families are welcome to review them at any time.
Harassment, intimidation, bullying, and retaliation are prohibited and will not be tolerated by students, volunteers or employees of the Bremerton School District. “Harassment, intimidation, or bullying” means any intentional written, verbal or physical act, including but not limited to one shown to be motivated by race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or mental or physical disability or other distinguishing characteristics (whether the affected person actually has the motivating characteristics or not), when the intentional written, verbal, or physical act:
False reports about retaliation from harassment, intimidation, or bullying complaints also constitute a violation of the district’s bullying policy. No school employee, student, or volunteer may engage in reprisal, retaliation, or false accusation against a victim, witness, or one with reliable information about an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Such behavior may result in disciplinary action.
Bremerton School District also prohibits sexual harassment of any student, staff member, or volunteer. Procedures for filing a complaint are posted in every building and are available on the District’s website under Board Policies. Board Policy 3207 provides guidance on intimidation, bullying, and retaliation while Board Policy 6590 is specific to sexual harassment. We encourage you to review this information with your child. If you need additional information, please contact the District’s Title IX/ADA Compliance Officer, Denise Zaske at 360.473.1026 or email at denise.zaske@bsd.wednet.edu.We encourage you to review this information with your child.
The Bremerton School District complies with all federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color national origin, gender or disability. This holds true for all students who are interested in education programs and/or extracurricular school activities. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the District’s Title IX/RCW 28.A640 Officer and ADA Coordinator Denise Zaske, at (360) 473-1026 or the Section 504 Coordinator, Michael Sellers at (360) 473-4100. Their address is 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, Washington 98312-3542.
Weapons, or anything that looks like a weapon, are not allowed at school, on any District property, or at any event sponsored by any school or by the School District. If a student brings a weapon to school, the police will be called and the student will be immediately expelled. Depending on circumstances, the students could be expelled from all Washington state public schools for up to 180 days.
Bremerton School District has converted to Skyward, a student data management system used throughout the State of Washington. Information is uploaded every month to the state, and revenues and reports are generated from this system.
Please note that there is a field to declare you child’s ethnicity. When you register your child, you will be asked to complete that field. The Skyward system is set up so that should you choose not to declare your child’s ethnicity, it will default to the majority ethnic group; in the case of the Bremerton School District, that would be Caucasian.
Parents of secondary students can review the information on the system for their child by using Family Access; please contact your school or the Personnel office (360.473.1026) to find out more about using this secure program. We encourage all families to stay involved in their child’s education.
Every student who accesses the internet is assigned an account and is responsible for all parts of the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). If parents choose not to allow their student to have access to the internet on District equipment, they must complete the required forms (available in the school office).
All use of ht system must be in support of the education and research. The district reserves the right to review system use; all users waive any right to privacy which they might not otherwise have. Any violation of the AUP may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion of the student.
Parents of each student may request information on the professional qualifications of their child’s teacher at any time. General teacher information is provided in each school’s Annual Performance Report on the District website. For individual teacher qualifications please contact the Personnel Office at 360.473.1021.
Bremerton School District likes to celebrate our students’ achievements. We routinely include pictures of children in publications, broadcasts, and on the web page. If you do not want your child’s picture taken, please complete an Opt Out Form at your neighborhood school.
If your child must be given any type of medication at school, the following conditions must be met:
All medication, including over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, cough syrup, cough drops, etc., must be authorized by a physician. Before school staff can allow your child to take any type of medication at school, a Medication Authorization Form signed by a parent/guardian and a physician must be on file in the school office. These forms are available from the school’s office staff.
The medication must be brought to school by a parent in the original bottle with: (1) the student’s name, (2) the name of the medication, and (3) the directions for administering the medication.
All prescription and over-the-counter medications will be kept in a locked cabinet in the school’s office. Students may not carry any medications (prescription or over-the-counter) on their person or in their backpacks. School staff are not allowed to administer ear drops, eye drops, or medications by injections. Students found with either prescription or over-the-counter medications will be disciplined. The discipline may lead to a suspension from school. Any student distributing any medication at school, prescription or over-the-counter, shall be immediately suspended or expelled. If you have any questions, please contact your school’s office for further assistance.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”
Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
Schools may disclose, without consent, “directory” information such as a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA.
In accordance with the FEDERAL PRIVACY ACT, unless the parent/guardian requests the District, in writing, to withhold such information, the following student information may be released to appropriate agencies (e.g., universities, military recruiters, etc.)
Decisions about whether to hold school are made daily by 5:30 am. Local television and radio stations will broadcast school closures and delays. You can also find this information by calling the District Information Line at 360.473.1002 or by visiting www.bremertonschoools.org or www.psecs.wednet.edu.
Generally, if school is delayed, there will be no morning preschool and no half-day kindergarten and after school and evening activities may be canceled. If your child rides a bus, they may have to use an alternative bus stop. Detailed information will be sent home with every bus rider early in the school year.
If there is a storm or if snow begins to fall during the regular school day, we believe the safest place for children is in our schools. It is the best way to ensure their safety. Parents are welcome to take their children home during inclement weather conditions after they check-in with the school’s office.