Reading school handbook not a priority for Bradley students

by Eric Sese, Staff Writer

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

The Hilliard City Schools High School Handbook for the 2021-2022 contains everything a student should know to have a great school year. Photo by Eric Sese.

The Hilliard City School Student Handbooks are some of the most important documents which outline the conduct of students across the district. The district provides handbooks detailing student conduct and academics, athletics, and iPad use; almost everything a student will need during their time in Hilliard Schools. Before every school year, parents or guardians must confirm that they have read the student handbook on behalf of their students. Unfortunately, just like terms of service that many people accept but don’t read, it is no secret that many students have not read the handbook.

The electronic PDF version of the High school Student Handbook consists of only 69 pages, of which the first ten pages is contact information. Despite being less than 70 pages, a very large majority of students have not read it. Moreover, Taylor Hopkins (10) states that she has not read it because “teachers do not tell us to read it.” While it is not necessarily a teacher's responsibility to encourage reading the handbook it is ultimately the duty of the teachers to enforce it. Similarly, Ben Haskins (9) has only read through “the first few pages of the handbook” at the instruction of his teacher. Many teachers refer to the handbooks for information on the school’s grading system at the beginning of the year.

While it is the popular opinion of many that students have not read the handbook, there are a very few who have. Kais Melhem (11) has read some of the handbook as it is “our duty as students at Bradley” to read it. He believes we must “respect the rules” that the district has put in place to “keep us safe.” In the end, we are ultimately contributing to the good of the school community.

Overall, reading the handbook is very important. School Resource Officer, Officer Lupi, encourages students to read the “very informative” Student Code of Conduct. He describes it as a “rule package for the school.” The Conduct Code outlines “types of misconduct” that could result in the “suspension, removal, expulsion or denial of privileges” of a student. The Student Code of Conduct for Hilliard High Schools can be located on page 28.

The district revises the handbook annually, so before the next school year begins, take the time to read it. Hilliard City Schools provides resources for students to ultimately enjoy their experience in the district. In their high school mission statement, Hilliard City Schools tells students that their four years of high school should be some of the “happiest and active years of [their] life,” and this can all begin with a little bit of reading.