Highland Highlights - July 2026

With less than three weeks until the start of school, I would like to share some important information as you prepare for the first day. Make sure you read until the end of the newsletter for some fun pictures and good news!

As a reminder, the first day of school is Thursday, August 13!

Registration will open in RDS Parent Access on August 1, 2026.

You may register your students online using RDS Parent Access on/after August 1. If your child has already attended a school in the School Town of Highland, please complete all steps in RDS.

For new student registration, please contact the appropriate school to begin the registration process.

If you experience any technical difficulties during registration or have any questions, please try again later or contact your school's main office starting Monday, August 3.

You can find more registration information on this webpage.

The School Town of Highland will implement a bell-to-bell ban on wireless communication devices for the 2026-27 school year in accordance with Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 78. This is a new state-wide law that all public school districts in Indiana are required to follow.

Students at Highland High School and Highland Middle School must power-off and store their communication devices in their assigned locker during the school day. Students at HHS that did not previously use a locker will be issued one.

Elementary students must power-off their devices and keep them in their backpacks during the day. Please note that the policies for our elementary and middle schools regarding these devices are the same as they were in previous years.

Personal communication devices include, but are not limited to: cell phones, smartwatches, smartglasses, headphones (unless being used for class), gaming devices, personal tablets, and more.

Certain exceptions apply, including medical reasons (such as monitoring blood sugar levels for diabetes), emergencies, or administrator-approved accommodation purposes.

If parents wish to contact their student during the school day, please call your school’s main office and our staff will be happy to help. Contact information for each school can be found here.

Thank you for your assistance as we implement this new policy.

Applications for Free and Reduced Meals for the 2026-27 school year are available to complete on MealTime - https://mealtimeapps.com/

We encourage all families to complete the free and reduced meal application. The number of families enrolled in the free and reduced meal program directly affects the potential Title 1 funding that the School Town of Highland may receive. If you have any questions about eligibility for free/reduced meals, or if you would like guidance on completing the applications, please see these help documents.

Additionally, if you were eligible for free/reduced meals in the 2025-26 school year, the eligibility grace period ends on September 24, 2026. Please make sure you fill out a new application before then.

Meal prices have not changed for the 2026-27 school year, and you can view the prices at the bottom of this website.

If you have any questions, please contact the Food Services Department.

We would like to remind all community members that we utilize Vector Alert to offer students the chance to report safety concerns to district administration. Students can easily report tips on bullying, harassment, drugs, vandalism, or any other safety issue in one of the following ways:

1. Web: http://1834.alert1.us
2. Phone: (219) 333-4305
3. Text: Text your tip to (219) 333-4305
4. Email: 1834@alert1.us

Tips can be reported anonymously. Please remind your students that if they see something, they should say something.

Additionally, at the bottom of each STOH webpage, you will see the image attached to this section. Students can click on it at any time and find more information about Vector Alert and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

We encourage all families to make sure their students know this information. Thank you for your help in making the School Town of Highland a safe place to learn.

The School Town of Highland is partnering with Franciscan Health to offer an Immunization Clinic on August 5, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. in the Highland High School LGI (enter Door B).

Here's some important information:

• All school-aged vaccines will be available.
• This is a walk-in clinic.
• Please bring a copy of your insurance card and photo ID. If you do not have insurance, the immunizations will cost $10 each.

For questions about insurance or coverage, please call Franciscan Health Immunization Services at (317) 528-6374.

For all other questions, please contact the STOH Nurse Coordinator, Mrs. Andrea Warner, RN, at awarner@highland.k12.in.us.

There's no way I could let a Highland Highlights go by without including some good news!

Many of our students, parents, and staff marched together in the Twilight Parade down Kennedy Avenue on the Fourth of July! This was organized by our wonderful PTOs and PTCs, and it was great to see everyone wearing Highland gear and celebrating our district. Check out some pictures here:

Get ready for a smooth driving experience - the Highland Middle School and Southridge parking lots are being repaved! The crews have been making great progress to get our parking lots ready for the school year.