Student Handbook

Attendance at school is important to a child’s achievement and success. We encourage regular attendance of your child at school. All efforts should be made to have children in school the entire day.

The homeroom teacher is primarily responsible for the classroom attendance record keeping and teachers will record all absences.  When your child is absent from school, please call the school at 919- 496-7377 by 9:00 AM to let us know why your child is absent. Additionally, we require a written note from a parent and/or doctor within 3 days of the student’s return to school in order to excuse the absence. 

An administrator may require a physician’s validation of illness for a student who misses an excessive number of days because of illness. All makeup work should be turned in to the teacher within three school days. 

According to Board Policy, the absence must be for one of the following reasons:

 1.  Illness or Injury

2.  Quarantine

3.  Death in the immediate family

4.  Medical or dental appointments

5.  Court or administrative proceedings

6.  Religious observances

7.  "Educational Opportunity"/Students must obtain prior approval from the principal.                      

All other absences will be considered unexcused. Students who are frequently absent will be referred to the Student Support Team (school nurse, social worker, administrator, counselor) so that we may intervene and assist parents with issues affecting student attendance.  For more information, please review the Board of Education policy on attendance.

3 Unexcused Absences:  A letter will be sent home with attendance data attached.

6 Unexcused Absences: A letter will be mailed home with attendance data attached.

10 Unexcused Absences:   A letter will be mailed home with attendance data attached.  The Student Support Team will review the information to determine if further interventions are necessary..  If the principal determines that parents have not made a good faith effort to comply with the law, the principal must notify the district attorney of a violation of North Carolina’s attendance law.

20 or more Absences: Students that accrue 20 or more absences during a school year are in danger of retention. Parent(s)/Guardian(s)  must meet with the Principal and the Student Support Team before a decision is made regarding promotion or retention.

Excessive tardies will be reported to the administration as attendance violations. Tardy Students arriving by car MUST BE SIGNED IN BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN at the main office. 

When tardiness becomes excessive, the principal will notify the student’s parent or guardian. If tardiness continues after parent notification, the issue will be referred to the Student Support Team for intervention. Tardiness and early dismissals may be excused for the reasons listed above for excused absences per Franklin County Schools policy.

School is dismissed at 2:30 pm. For early checkout sign your child out at the front office and we will call your child to the office for dismissal. If you plan to have someone other than yourself pick up your child, please send a note. If you need to check out your child early, please do so before 2:15 pm. For security reasons, we will check the identification of all individuals checking out students. 

All students who are bus riders are to ride to and from school on the bus that the transportation department has assigned to them. Students shall board and leave the bus only at the designated bus stops. The principal or assistant principal must approve any changes in bus assignments. Each student transported in a school vehicle must be considerate of the safety and well-being of fellow passengers. Misconduct on the bus can distract the driver’s attention from his/her primary responsibility, which is to transport all students to and from school in a safe, orderly manner.

If a student must ride a bus other than the bus he/she assigned, the student must bring a note from home requesting that change. The student will be given a note from the office to present to the bus driver. Ant requests for changes to transportation should NOT be made by telephone for the safety of your child. A note from a parent or guardian is required for all transportation changes. 

Effective July 1, 2023, drivers must discharge Pre-K through third-grade students only when an older sibling, parent/guardian/designee is present.

 Drop-off times in the afternoon can vary. If no one is present, the child will be returned to the school.

For the safety of all riders, students are required to do the following:

1. Show respect for the driver at all times.

2. Enter and leave the bus in an orderly fashion.

3. Be seated at all times while the bus is in motion.

4. Talk quietly- no yelling or screaming.

5. Keep the bus clean and free of litter.

6. No consumption of food or beverages on the bus.

7. Remain in your seat.

8. No fighting.

The following procedures are to be followed in order to establish safe conditions for students and an orderly procedure for traffic.

• Any person(s) picking up your children from carpool MUST have a number tag. These tags can be purchased in the front office. The first set of tags will be free of charge. Additional sets will be $5.00.

• Students will be in the cafeteria until they are signaled that they may be dismissed.

• As parents enter the carpool lane, a staff member will call the carpool number out in the main lobby.

• Students will report outside to wait for parent(s)/guardian(s) to pull up.

• Please help your child memorize their carpool number.

• Parents are not permitted to park and walk into the building to pick- up their children during carpool. 

• All students are to be picked up in a timely manner.

Students are to be picked up only at the main entrance. If for some reason your child or children are delayed inside the building, you may be directed to pull forward and wait so the carpool line can continue to move. SAFETY is our number one priority, therefore, no students will be allowed to walk to the parking lot without being escorted by an adult. 

In an effort to protect instructional time in the classroom and ensure dismissal is safe for students and staff, parents must utilize the carpool procedures for student pick-up. After 2:00 all students will be dismissed during normal dismissal times.  Carpool students should be picked up no later than 3:00 pm. For the safety of students, these policies will be strictly enforced. 

The Superintendent is responsible for developing and administering procedures for the temporary closing of a school or schools for inclement weather or any other unforeseen events that present a threat to the safety of students, staff, or property. The Superintendent is responsible for ensuring that all who are interested, including parents, bus drivers, and the news media, are notified as soon as possible. (Policy #5050)  Television and radio announcements may be made early in the morning for inclement weather. Announcements will be made on the following stations, WRAL TV 5, WTVD 11, WNCN 17, and News 14 Carolina.  It will also be posted on the School District Webpage no later than 6:00 a.m.  The district also has a texting service that parents can sign up for as well as a Facebook page. RES will communicate through our Facebook page and our Twitter account as well.

Students are expected to take good care of school property and to use supplies appropriately.  Library books, textbooks, and technology are on loan to students.  Fines can be charged for lost or damaged property.  Please see our district technology policy.

Students are directed NOT to bring toys, cell phones, and/or other personal electronic devices to school. These items cause distractions and will be confiscated. In accordance with Board Policy, confiscated items may not be returned to students. Parents may be required to pick up items from a school administrator. Items not picked up will be discarded at the end of the school year. School officials will not be held responsible for lost or stolen items.

Classroom parties for special occasions other than birthdays are permitted at the discretion of the classroom teacher and administration. In the interest of preserving instructional time, birthday parties are not permitted.

Snacks may be brought in to be shared with the class. These snacks must be eaten during the regular lunch period. Snacks will be dropped off in the main office during regular drop-off time. Instructional time will not be interrupted to deliver snacks to the classroom.  All food items brought in from outside of the school must be store-bought. 

Parents and legal guardians are responsible for notifying the school of custody issues and court orders.  If there are special custody agreements for a child, parents should notify the child’s teacher and principal by providing court documentation.  Otherwise, the school considers both parents to have equal access to children. We will not release your child to anyone other than a parent or legal guardian without your written permission. Legal orders regarding custody and visitation will be kept on file in the office. 

Students are expected to follow the behavior expectations outlined in our Behavior Matrix  showing High Expectations Orderly and Safe Environment  Noble Organized and prepared Represent Royal Well (HONOR). 

A student will maintain personal attire and grooming standards that promote safety, health, and acceptable standards of social conduct. Student dress that disrupts the school environment or clothing that indicates gang identification or reflects gang symbols is not acceptable. 

The following are not permitted:

• Clothing that is provocative, too revealing or obscene. Students should be covered from mid-chest to mid-thigh. No shorts higher than mid-thigh; no skirts and dresses more than three inches above the top of the knee; no shirts and blouses that expose the waist, midriff, or cleavage.

• Clothing that promotes alcohol, tobacco, the use of controlled substances, or depicts violence or sex.

• Excessively baggy clothing or visible underwear

• Hats, sunglasses, sweatbands, or bandanas

• Wearing hoods in the building

• Tank tops, spaghetti straps, or sleepwear

• Chains on clothing

The principal or assistant principal may require a student to change his or her appearance if it threatens the health and safety of others, distracts other students from their work, or otherwise violates the dress code. 

**Tennis shoes must be worn at PE and recess.**

Early release days are dedicated to staff development. Royal Elementary School will dismiss at 11:45 pm on early release days.

If your child becomes seriously ill or hurt at school we will make contact immediately. If we cannot reach a parent, we will use the emergency contact information you have provided. Please notify the school of any changes to addresses or telephone numbers. You may also be asked periodically throughout the year to update this info if we struggle to contact you.  Please ensure that your child has several working emergency contact numbers on file in the front office. 

Students who are not feeling well should stay at home. Please refer to our district policies regarding exclusion for sickness here:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I5we_uglJ3sTeTvHaf3Bre4eGTU1ieQCYLXMdCNNdvY/edit?usp=sharing

Parents will be notified about all field trips in advance. Students must have written permission to go on these trips. We will use bus transportation for field trips. Parents are not permitted to ride activity buses. The school often must pay in advance for tickets, transportation, etc.; therefore, field trip fees are non-refundable.

Every year schools across the nation can expect to have their fair share of students with head lice. The discovery of head lice can cause concern for children and parents. The good news is that lice infestations are easily treated once detected.

“It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that the management of pediculosis (infestation by head lice) should not disrupt the education process. No disease is associated with head lice and in-school transmission is considered to be rare.”

It is important that parents know the signs of infestations and the steps to be taken. The chief symptom of head lice is itching. Scratch marks at the base of the neck and behind the ears may also be visible. There may be no symptoms at all. The only visible sign of head lice is the presence of lice and nits (lice eggs). Nits appear as tiny silvery ovals located near the base of the hair shaft, especially at the back of the head and the area behind the ears. Nits, unlike dandruff, are difficult to remove from the hair shaft.

Suggestions to parents for the detection and control of head lice:

• Teach your child how to avoid head lice. Lice are passed through head-to-head contact so children should not share combs or hats.

• Watch to see if your child is scratching his/her head persistently. If noted, examine your child’s hair for lice and/or nits.

• If lice/nits are found, parents should contact their pharmacist or healthcare provider for treatment recommendations.

Medicine will not be administered at Royal Elementary School without the proper forms being filled out by the parent and physician. This includes over-the-counter medication (cough drops, topical ointments, etc). No medication should be transported by students, or kept in book bags.

Our PTO provides an opportunity for parents and teachers to combine forces for the improvement of our school through fundraising efforts, fun school events, and regular collaboration.  Don’t hesitate to volunteer and become a part of our newly reconstituted PTO this year.

The Franklin County School System is on a nine-week reporting period for student grades.  Parents should conference with their child’s teacher to be sure what level the student is working on.  If a student owes book fees, cafeteria charges, and/or picture money at the end of the school year, parents will need to come to the school and pay the fee to receive the final report card in June.

For the safety of our students, any individual visiting the school, for any reason, must first report to the office.  Our office staff will assist with the purpose of your visit after you have signed in. 

Teacher or classroom visits must be pre-arranged either by directly contacting teachers or requesting appointments through the Principal's office.

Anyone interested in volunteering with us should complete the online volunteer application (https://appgarden6.app-garden.com/VolTrackNC350.nsf) by selecting “new application” and entering information for consideration.  Also, contact the school to let us know that you want to volunteer and we can provide assistance.