Attendance
1. A regular and punctual pattern of attendance is expected of all students enrolled in Discovery Middle School. There is a direct relationship between school attendance and grades, citizenship, and success in school. Parents may contact the attendance office at 407-384-1555 x232  
 
2. On a daily basis, student absences will be recorded as unexcused. Upon return to school, a written note stating the student’s name, the date(s) of absence, reason, phone number where parent or guardian can be reached, and parent/guardian signature must be submitted to the attendance office no later than 2 days from the return to school.Administration will determine if the absence is excused or unexcused based on criteria set by Orange County School Board.
  
 
 
3. Excused absences include:
  
 
  • Illness or injury of student
  • llness or death in the student’s immediate family
  • Medical appointments (Obtain a note from the medical provider).
  • Recognized religious holidays
  
4. Pre-arranged absences of educational value may be excused with the principal’s prior approval. Pre-arranged absence forms are available in the attendance office and must be completed by the parent or guardian prior to the absence and in sufficient time for administrative approval.  
 
5. Students without notes will receive an unexcused absence. Failure to notify the school of an absence will be considered truancy and will result in disciplinary action.  
 
6. Students with 5 unexcused absences within a calendar month or 10 unexcused absences within a 90 calendar day period will be referred to a Child Study Team. Meetings are held with parents of students who have a pattern of non-attendance.  If attendance does not improve, the School Resource Officer will schedule an Early Truancy Intervention meeting.  The SRO, Discovery personnel and school social worker, parents, and student will meet.   
 
7. Florida law provides for the school to file a truancy petition in the judicial circuit if the school determines that a student has 15 unexcused absences within a 90 calendar day period. Students with 15 or more unexcused absences may not be issued a learner’s permit or driver’s license.  
 
8. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and complete any missed assignments, including quizzes and tests. The time limit for completion of make-up work is equal to the number of days absent, plus one.  
 
9. Once a student arrives on campus he/she may not leave the campus without authorization from school personnel.   
       
Early Check-Out    
 

For the safety of all students, OCPS policy states that proper identification is required for a parent/guardian or others to check a student out of school. The student emergency form must list the names of individuals authorized to remove the student from school. See the attendance clerk if you must pick up your child before the end of the school day. Please make arrangements to check out students before 3:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays).

  

Tardies
1 Students who arrive late to school are required to sign-in through the attendance office  
2 A student who is not in his/her assigned class at the beginning of each period will be considered tardy. Teams have developed consequences for tardy students. Excessive tardiness will be referred for disciplinary action.
  
3 Periodic tardy checks will be held by the administration to encourage all students to get to class on time.
  
     
It is important that students are seated when the tardy bell rings. Students who are chronically late to class will be assigned extra time at school in the form of a detention.




Dress Code

The dress and grooming of Orange County Public School students shall contribute to the health and safety of the individual, promote a positive educational environment, and not disrupt the educational activities and processes of the school. These minimum standards of dress and grooming apply to all students (K-12) in the public schools of Orange County, unless specific exemption is granted by the principal.

1.
 Clothes shall be worn as they are designed-suspenders over the shoulders, pants secured at the waist, belts buckled, no underwear as outerwear, no underwear exposed. The wearing of pajamas is not permitted.
2.
 Clothing with holes, tears or inappropriate patches is not allowed. 
3.
 Bare midriffs and bare sides should not show even when arms are extended above the head.
4.
 Clothing normally worn when participating in a school sponsored extracurricular activity may be worn to school when approved by the sponsor, coach or principal. Examples would be athletic and band uniforms.
5.
 Clothing that is too tight or revealing is unacceptable.
6.
 Garments and/or jewelry which display or suggest sexual, vulgar, drug, alcohol or tobacco related wording/graphics or may tend to provoke violence or disruption in school shall not be worn.
7.

Gang paraphernalia, jewelry, tattoos or other insignias which display, suggest, provoke or may tend to provoke violence or disruptions are not allowed.
8.
 The following items have potential to cause disruption or threat to a safe and positive school environment and are prohibited:
a.
 Hats, caps, bandanas, sweatbands, headbands, visors, sunglasses or any other type of headgear are not permitted on campus.
b.
 Chains hanging from the neck, belt, pocket or attached to wallet
c.
 Jewelry that contains any type of sharp object
d.
 Visible body piercing other than ears
e.
 Unnatural hair coloring
9.
 Hemlines of dresses, skirts and shorts shall be no shorter than 2 inches above the knee.  
10.
 Clothing without sleeves is not permitted. All shirts/blouses must cover the shoulders.
11.
 Clothing must have a modest neckline.
12. Shoes shall be worn. Shoes with cleats, house slippers, backless shoes, shoes with wheels and those that attach by lacing around feet and leg are not acceptable.
 
13.
 Clothing which is fashionable but not acceptable includes:
a.
 halter top
b.
 Tarzan-type shirts (one shoulder strap)
c.
 strapless clothing
d.
 spaghetti-strap clothing
e.
 half shirts or short shirts
f.
 see-through or mesh tops
g.
 underwear shirts
h.
 shirts with long arm holes
i.
 ripped, cutout, or torn clothing
j.
 clothing held together with laces, safety pins, etc.
   
14.
 Students are encouraged to wear school uniform style clothing.

The wearing of an open jacket, sweater, or shirt/blouse (unbuttoned or unzipped) does not meet the requirement of dress code.

   
 

All students are expected to follow the student dress code while on campus, attending, or participating in school sponsored extracurricular activities.  Any item relating to grooming which causes a distraction of the learning process or poses a safety hazard to the student is unacceptable. Students not dressed appropriately will be asked to change clothing or given the opportunity to call home for another article of clothing to be brought to them while they wait in an alternative classroom.

Appropriate consequences will follow for repeat offenders according to school policies.

Cafeteria Code of Conduct
1. Walk in the cafeteria and keep the cafeteria lines orderly (single file).
2. Follow the limit of students (6) allowed into the serving area.
3. Only 8 students are permitted to sit at a blue table; 6 students are permitted to sit at a brown table.
4. Keep tables, chairs and floors clean.
5. All food must be eaten at the table.
6. Use normal voices to talk with students at your table.
7. Students are not allowed to leave the cafeteria without permission.
8. Students must remain in their seats until dismissal.
9. Students will have assigned seats in the cafeteria. Students have an opportunity during the first week of each semester to pick which table they wish to be assigned.
  • Push chairs in at dismissal.
  • Place all trash in the proper containers. Remember to recycle.
  • Food or drink will not be allowed out of the cafeteria. For safety reasons, glass containers are not allowed on campus.
10. Students will be dismissed by tables; students are to quietly clean up their tables and the floor beneath the table while waiting to be dismissed.
11. Have I. D. card to purchase.
12. Students are not to leave the cafeteria during the lunch period without permission.
After reasonable requests are made by an OCPS employee to the student regarding cafeteria behavior, students will:
1st Infraction - Assigned special seating for one or more days (Lunch Detention).
2nd Infraction - Assigned morning detention (8:55-9:25 AM).
3rd Infraction - Assigned afternoon detention (3-5 PM).
4th Infraction - An office referral will be written for the student.
Students may also be reassigned to a new table for repeated violations.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up

For the safety of the students, parents are requested to use the Woodbury Road entrance to drop off and pick-up students. Please maintain a single file line when picking up students. No double parking is allowed. Students are not permitted to walk across the parking lot without a parent/guardian escorting them.


Bicycles

Bicycle racks are located near the flagpole and handball courts. For security, students should lock their bicycles with their own lock (no sharing please) and keep a copy of the serial number.
- All bicycles will be registered with the School Resource Officer.
- DMS is not responsible for any bicycle loss.
- Florida Law requires helmets to be worn at all times when riding a bicycle. Failure to wear a helmet could result in a fine.

Bicycle Registration (Download PDF here)

Leave it Home

Gum and candy are not permitted at DMS anytime! Walkman radios/headphones, beepers, tapes, skateboards, electronic games, music CDs, software, other games and cards of any kind should be left at home. This is not an exhaustive list. Anything your child uses as a toy or weapon or to disrupt a learning environment may be included (i.e., paperclips, rubberbands, etc.). These items will be confiscated and held in the office for a parent to pick up.

Are Your Shots Up to Date?

Every student entering the 7th and 8th grade must have the following inoculations:

Shot information must be recorded on an HRS 680 form which you can receive from any doctor or Health Department office. The form must be on file with the Guidance Office or your child will not be allowed to attend classes on the first day of school.

Student Identification Cards

All DMS students will be issued a Discovery Identification Card at the beginning of the school year. The student is expected to bring the ID card with him/her every day. The ID card will be used in the lunchroom, in the Media Center, any time a student uses a DMS computer, and to identify students in the hallways or classroom. Parents, we need your help in making sure the card is brought to school each day. If a student loses or destroys the ID card, a replacement can be purchased for $5.

Acceptable Use Policy

The School Board has approved a Student Internet Use Policy. Students must provide a signed copy of the appropriate policy on a yearly basis to the school in order to utilize the computers at Discovery Middle School..