July 31, 2025

Student Attendance and Visitors Procedures

Personal Electronics Protocol

STAR Assessment

Parent Info Session

Quick Links

Students did a great job following our new routines this morning. To support faster entry, please note the following changes to our procedures tomorrow and beyond:

• We will deploy rope lines outside the front doors on N. McDonough so that students can line up before they get to the doors.

• Students will pass Chromebooks, three-ring binders, and umbrellas around the system. Notebooks that zip up will have to go through the system.

• Students will take band instruments through the system. If those instruments alert, cases will be checked at secondary screening.

We’re looking forward to another great year at Decatur High School. The most important decision students and their families can make about school is the choice to show up ready to learn every day! That said, we understand that illnesses and emergencies can occur, and we’re here to support students when they need to miss school. Click below for complete details.

Please see our Personal Electronics Protocol (cell phone protocol). This protocol remains largely unchanged from the 24-25 school year, though we have added clarity around tablets and personal computers. Implementation of this protocol will begin on the first day of school.

We are using STAR as our universal screener once again this year in ELA and math. More information about the purpose and uses will be in the weekly newsletter. However, we would like to draw special attention to the best way for you to obtain your child's reports. Before August 4th (the first day of STAR), please follow the directions here. It is important that this happens before your child takes the screeners. This report will be sent to you immediately after they take the screener. The other way we will inform you of the results is by posting their scores and percentile ranks in Infinite Campus under assessments after the screening window is closed. However, the report sent to you gives much more detailed information, so we strongly recommend everyone sign up to receive it. If you signed up last year, then you do not need to follow the steps again.

Parents/Guardians are invited to the DHS Parent/Guardian Info Session on Saturday, August 2, from 9:00-noon in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). The program begins promptly at 9, so we encourage you to arrive around 8:45 for a sweet treat and coffee.

Agenda:

• Welcome & Opening Remarks
• Growing Up is Hard to Do: Supporting My Soon-To-Be-An-Adult
• Academic & Support Services
• Key Rules/Contacts - Teaming with Admin, Faculty, and Staff
• Student Performance and Student Paths
• Getting Involved & Making Connections
• Q&A Panel with current DHS Students
• Wrap up

The intended audience is any Decatur Parent/Guardian who wants more information on Decatur HS. While the audience may be mostly 9th-grade parents/guardians, all parents/guardians are welcome. Note: students will not be turned away, but the format is not geared toward teenage learners.

CSD is pleased to continue offering credit card payments as a convenient payment method for school-related fees. In line with standard industry practices, CSD imposes a transaction fee to cover the processing costs charged by credit card companies for accepting these payments. During the 2024-25 school year, CSD capitalized on the increase in electronic check transactions ($0.35 per transaction) to reduce the Infinite Campus credit card processing fee from a flat rate of $4.00 to $2.50 per transaction.

However, credit card companies impose a fee of 3.5% or more on the total transaction amount for credit card payments rather than a flat fee. The difference has created a gap between the fees charged by CSD and the actual credit card processing costs incurred by the district, leaving the district to cover the additional expenses for each credit card transaction.

Effective July 1, CSD will shift to a retail merchant model for credit card processing. This change will involve moving from a $2.50 flat fee to a 3.5% percentage-based fee for all CSD credit card transactions. The transition means there will be a charge of $3.50 for every $100 credit card transaction. We encourage electronic checks, as these fees will remain $0.35.

The transition to a percentage-based fee supports the district's financial sustainability and aligns the fee structure with actual processing costs. It also allows CSD to maintain credit card payment options without diverting funds from other educational priorities.

1. Decatur High School
2. Decatur High School PTSA
3. Bell Schedule
4. Personal Electronics Protocol (Updated)
5. School Bus Registration
6. Annual Update

Click here to view this week's edition of the CSD Weekly.