JCS Community Newsletter (July)

August 1 - District Opening In-Service

August 5 - Students' First Day

Calendars

• Click here to view Printable Calendars for 2024-2025
• Click here to view the Staff Holiday Schedule for the 2024-2025 School Year.
  

This information can be found at www.jcschools.org/backtoschool

We are excited to welcome students back for our first day on Monday, August 5. It will be a full day.

START TIMES

Elementary Schools - 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Middle Schools - 7:40 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.

Science Hill High School - 7:40 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Johnson City Schools is very pleased to inform our families that beginning immediately all enrolled students at the following schools will have access to free breakfast and free lunch each school day.

These schools are:

Cherokee Elementary

Fairmont Elementary

Mountain View Elementary

North Side Elementary

South Side Elementary

Town Acers Elementary

Woodland Elementary*

Lake Ridge Elementary*

*Students in the paid pre-k program at Woodland and Lake Ridge are not eligible for this benefit as they are not officially enrolled students in the PowerSchool SIS.

This program is made possible through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allowing these students access to free meals. This Program will operate for the 2024-2025 school year. Johnson City Schools will assess the financial feasibility of continuing and/or expanding the program for future school years in the spring.

The Johnson City Schools Food Service Department is federally funded through the United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) by participation in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The department does not receive local funding and sufficiently operates eleven school kitchens generating operating funds through federal reimbursement for meals served to students. Our goal is to always offer our students and families the best possible benefits and we believe this will be a tremendous immediate financial assistance.

To see what this means for your student, please visit www.jcschools.org/CEP. If you have any questions about CEP or your student’s meal account, please contact the Johnson City Schools Food Service Office at 423-434-5228 or bakerk1@jcschools.org.

To fill out your free and reduced lunch application for Indian Trail, Liberty Bell or Science Hill, please click here.

Since students at our eight elementary schools will be receiving free lunch and breakfast, it is VERY IMPORTANT that families fill out our Household Survey. This is the way that our schools will receive funding. You will recieve this form from your school. It is VERY IMPORTANT that it is returned.

All ParentSquare questions should go to Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org.

Invitations for ParentSquare have been sent out to all parents. Please follow the instructions to activate your account. The platform syncs nightly with PowerSchool and pulls the contact information that parents have provided to connect them to their student(s). Please contact your PowerSchool administrator to update your contact information in PowerSchool.

We are working out a few kinks as we continue to sync our platforms, but we believe that ParentSquare will be a powerful tool for improving our communication across our district. Parents will only need to learn this platform to communicate with teachers, coaches and other school staff.

Parent Training Resources

For Parents & Guardians

• Parents & Guardians Training Video (14:23)
• Parents & Guardians Spanish Training Video (13:42)

The middle schools and high school will also use StudentSquare, here is an introductory video and resources for students.

For Students

• StudentSquare Overview Video
• Let’s Learn StudentSquare Video

This school year, Johnson City Schools will implement new security measures intended to improve response times to emergencies and to better screen visitors to schools. CENTEGIX CrisisAlert and Visitor Management systems were installed over the summer and are now live at all district facilities.

The new CrisisAlert system allows any staff member to signal an emergency from wherever they are on school grounds by activating alert badges always kept with them. Pressing the button on the badge triggers two types of alerts, either a localized staff alert for medical emergencies and minor disruptions or a campus-wide lockdown for serious threats to safety.

Paired with the crisis alert system, CENTEGIX’s visitor management system replaces the Raptor software previously used to screen visitors for sexual offenses, custody issues and to see if they are banned from campus. Everyone visiting a school must present their driver’s license to front desk staff upon each visit and, once cleared, will receive a printed visitor label to wear while they’re at the facility.

"Ensuring the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority," said Dr. Steve Barnett, Superintendent of Johnson City Schools. "We are excited to introduce this new technology, which helps to provide immediate assistance at the push of a button."

When a staff alert is activated, designated staff at the school receive information about who triggered it and their location, allowing them to quickly respond to provide help. When a more serious threat is signaled, the campus goes into lockdown, staff devices receive alerts, new beacons installed in the schools light up red, an automated announcement with instructions plays on the intercom system and emergency responders are notified.

School teachers and administrators will receive training for using the alert badges during in-service days, and annual drills will be scheduled during the school year to familiarize students with the new procedures.

The Johnson City Schools Board of Education updated their policy on "Use of Personal Communication Devices" during their special called meeting on 7/29/24. The policy can be viewed below.

All Board Policies can be found on the board website at www.jcschools.org/board

Parents will receive a printed copy of this that will be sent home with their student in the coming weeks.

Except on occasions such as school programs, athletic events, open house, and similar public events as determined by the principal/designee, all visitors will report to the school office when entering the school and will sign-in. Authorization to visit elsewhere in the building or on the school campus will be determined by the principal/designee.

All bags are subject to inspection upon entering school property.

Parents, community members, and any other visitors to school property or during school programs/activities MUST NOT:

1. Act in a threatening manner toward another or others.
2. Injure or threaten another or others.
3. Damage school property, or the personal property of another or others.
4. Disrupt classes, school programs or other school activities in any way.
5. Communicate with another or others in an abusive, harassing, or threatening manner.
6. Audio or video record where there is an expectation of privacy (i.e., classroom instruction, locker rooms, etc.).
7. Disrupt school transportation or confront transportation staff on a bus/vehicle, a road, a neighborhood, etc.
8. Distribute or wear materials which are vulgar, obscene, advocate illegal action, promote drugs, or are disruptive.
9. Harass or discriminate against another or others.
10. Enter school property, or certain areas of school property, when otherwise restricted from entering the same.
11. Fail to promptly leave school property upon being directed to do so by school administration or law enforcement.
12. Possess, consume, sell, distribute or exchange alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vaping products, or illegal drugs.
13. Possess or use firearms or dangerous weapons, except in the case of law enforcement officers.
14. Gamble or encourage another or others to gamble.
15. Violate any applicable federal or state statute, local ordinance, or board policy.

If you have questions about this Code of Conduct, please refer to the school system’s online Policy Manual located at https://www.jcschools.org/boardpolicy (Policy No. 1.501), and/or contact central office using the following telephone number: (423) 434-5200.

Johnson City Schools is hiring Educare assistants, custodians, and instructional assistants. Current job postings can be viewed at www.jcschools.org/jobs.

Johnson City Transit is in need of bus drivers. Please visit this page for more information about open Bus Driver positions.

The next Johnson City Board of Education meeting will be held on Monday, August 5 starting at 6 p.m. inside the Board Room at Central Office (100 E. Maple Street). Board meetings can be viewed on the Johnson City Schools' YouTube channel.

Johnson City Schools loves celebrating the accomplishments of our students, staff, and community. If you know of any events, awards, programs, or other compelling stories involving the Johnson City Schools' community, please fill out this form or reach out to Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org