Student Resources

Parent/Student Handbook

The San José Unified Parent/Student Handbook is designed to help students and families understand the board policies, California laws, and school district procedures that ensure students have every opportunity to succeed in a safe learning environment.

The handbook contains a wealth of information that should be used as a guide to help you throughout the school year. You’ll find resources like the instructional calendar, a list of school organizations and committees to consider joining, expectations for attendance, behavior guidelines, and graduation requirements.

Click here to download SJUSD Parent/Student Handbook

Please refer to Board Policy 6020 and Administrative Regulation 6020, revised March 1, 2018, to see our policies and regulations for Parent Involvement.

COVID Health and Safety

San José Unified’s top priority continues to be the health and safety of our students, families, employees, and community.  The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) continues to monitor the situation and update guidance on safety protocols for schools. Our mitigation strategies are consistent with CDPH guidance, and we will continue to use a layered approach to minimize COVID transmission at school. Highlights include:

• High-quality and well-fitting masks are strongly recommended while indoors with others
• Masks are available for students and employees who want to wear a mask and forget to bring one
• COVID positives should be reported at go.sjusd.org/COVIDtracker
• Antigen tests for at-home use are available for students and staff at all schools/work locations

San José Unified COVID Health and Safety

Dress Code & Uniforms

San José Unified believes that students and their parents or guardians are primarily responsible for students’ attire and grooming. Appropriate attire and grooming contribute to a productive learning environment. We expect our students to give the appropriate attention to personal cleanliness and to wear clothes that are suitable for the school activities in which they participate.

School-directed changes to a student’s attire or grooming should be the least restrictive and disruptive to the student’s school day. Any school dress code enforcement actions should minimize the potential loss of educational time. The administration and enforcement of the dress code will be gender neutral and consistent.

Schools may not enact policies with more restrictive or less restrictive dress and grooming codes except in cases where schools require uniforms.

Minimum Safe Attire

Student attire and grooming must permit the student to participate in learning without posing a risk to the health or safety of any student or school district personnel.

• Students must wear clothing including both a shirt with pants or skirt, or the equivalent (for example dresses, leggings, or shorts) and shoes.
• Hats and other head coverings are not permitted on school grounds except when worn as sun-protective clothing as prescribed by the student’s physician, as an expression of religious beliefs, or when the principal determines that extreme cold weather warrants it. (See below)
• Clothing must cover the chest, torso, and lower extremities.
• Clothing must cover undergarments.
• Clothing must not be see-through.
• Professional sports attire may not be worn except for special occasions determined by the principal.
• Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities, including physical education, science labs, shop classes, and other activities where unique hazards or specialized attire or safety gear is required.

Students and parents/guardians will be informed about dress and grooming standards at the beginning of the school year through the Student Handbook and whenever these standards are revised. A student who violates these standards shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

Uniforms

To promote a positive school climate, the principal, staff, and parents/guardians at a school may establish a reasonable policy requiring students to wear uniforms. Such a policy may be included as part of the school safety plan and must be presented to the Governing Board for approval. The Board shall approve the plan upon determining that it is necessary to protect the health and safety of the school’s students. The superintendent or designee shall ensure that resources are identified to assist economically disadvantaged students in obtaining uniforms.

Opt-Out Policy

Parents/guardians may choose to have their children exempted from the school uniform policy. Students who opt out will not be penalized academically or otherwise discriminated against. Parents should contact their student’s school to ask about their opt-out policy.

Gang-Related Apparel

Attire or grooming depicting or advocating violence, criminal activity, gang-related activity (including professional sports wear and/or colors identified by the Santa Clara County Sheriff or San José Police Department as gang-affiliated), use of alcohol or drugs, pornography, or hate speech are prohibited.

Physical Education (PE) Clothing

A change of clothing is required for physical education classes. Students will dress in shorts and tops, gym shoes, and/or sweats, as appropriate. Physical Education teachers may make judgments concerning the appropriateness of clothing with regard to student safety.

Sun-Protective Clothing

District students will be allowed to wear sun-protective clothing and hats. Sun-protective hats may be worn for outdoor use only. Students will be required to wear a hat for sun-protection that has a brim large enough to protect the face and/or back of neck and/or ears. A parent/guardian or doctor’s authorization will be required for a student to wear a sun-protective hat and that note shall include the type and extent of the coverage required. A student who violates these standards shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. Please refer to Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 5132, revised June 15, 2017.

Graduation Requirements

Please refer to the Student Handbook. for the credits required to graduate from San José Unified high schools. We’re pleased to offer different “paths” you can take to your diploma.

State Requirements

• Students must pass a designated course of study in each of the following areas: Physical Education, Health, and Safety & First Aid.
• All students, including those in alternative programs who receive a high school diploma, must pass an Algebra I course or equivalent with a total of 10 credits.

District Requirements

San José Unified students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community service. (See below.)

Transcripts

Please submit requests for transcripts using the online form: go.sjusd.org/transcripts.

Current students and parents/legal guardians of current students can access the unofficial transcript through the Student and Parent Portals, respectively. Refer to the instruction manual for the four simple steps to obtaining a copy of your unofficial transcript.

Official transcripts are $5 per transcript. Payment is required to process the transcript request and may be brought in-person to the office or mailed directly to the school. If you are mailing in payment, please include a note with your name, date of birth, and phone number, or a copy of the transcript request.

Accepted forms of payment include cash, checks, and money orders. Please make checks and money orders payable to the school. For cash payments, exact amounts are appreciated.

Diplomas

San José Unified does not issue duplicate or replacement diplomas.

In certain circumstances, schools may keep diplomas for a limited time for students who were unable to pick up at the time of graduation. If this situation applies to you, please try contacting the school to see if they can assist. Duplicate diplomas will not be issued.

You are welcome to submit a transcript request form. The transcript includes graduation date, school name, grade point average, and more. The form can be accessed at go.sjusd.org/transcripts.

Community Service

We encourage all of our students to give back to their community by volunteering with local nonprofit organizations in a variety of service areas. That’s why we ask them to complete 40 hours of community service – or 10 hours per year of enrollment – in order to graduate.

Schools may enforce their own guidelines as long as they do not conflict with the guidelines listed below and are approved by San José Unified.

Click here to download a timesheet

Community Service Guidelines

• All community service will be completed outside of school hours.
• Service hours completed during the school year at Science Camps will be limited to a total of 20 hours. This includes service completed during recesses.
• Service hours will not be granted for club meetings.
• Paid work will not be considered for community service hours.
• Service credit will not be granted for recruitment, membership building, or teaching about an organization or its beliefs, philosophy or mission. For example, Community Service credit will be granted for volunteer work performed at a church providing childcare, directing recreational activities, helping to feed or clothe those in need, and providing other community services, but credit will not be granted for teaching about religious beliefs or for organizing or participating in religious ceremonies.

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

The San José Unified Network promotes family and community involvement at all levels of implementation. Our mission is to build the skills and capacity of leadership teams at the district and school levels through training, coaching, and technical assistance.

We are focused on assisting school leaders in developing structures for teaching expected behaviors and social skills, creating student behavioral and academic support systems, and applying data-based decision-making to discipline, academics, and social/emotional learning at the school, district, regional and state levels.

PBIS Network

The San José Unified Network promotes family and community involvement at all levels of implementation. Our mission is to build the skills and capacity of leadership teams at the district and school levels through training, coaching, and technical assistance.

We are focused on assisting school leaders in developing structures for teaching expected behaviors and social skills, creating student behavioral and academic support systems, and applying data-based decision-making to discipline, academics, and social/emotional learning at the school, district, regional and state levels.

PBIS Schools

Our ultimate goal is to expand PBIS programs to all of our schools.

• Allen at Steinbeck
• Anne Darling Elementary
• Bachrodt Elementary
• Booksin Elementary
• Bret Harte Middle
• Burnett Middle
• Canoas Elementary
• Castillero Middle
• Empire Gardens Elementary
• Galarza Elementary
• Gardner Elementary
• Grant Elementary
• Graystone Elementary
• Gunderson High
• Hammer Elementary
• Hoover Middle
• Horace Mann Elementary
• John Muir Middle
• Los Alamitos Elementary
• Olinder Elementary
• Reed Elementary
• River Glen K-8
• Schallenberger Elementary
• Simonds Elementary
• Terrell Elementary
• Trace Elementary
• Willow Glen Middle

Guidance

Our Guidance Department supports prevention programs such as After School Education & Safety and Planting Positive Seeds. We also support intervention programs such as the Student Success Team process, Coordination of Services Teams, YWCA In-School Counseling Interns, Section 504, and the Attendance Improvement Program.

After School Education & Safety Program (ASES)

ASES funds the establishment of local after school education and enrichment programs. These programs are created through partnerships between schools and the community to provide literacy, academic enrichment and safe constructive alternatives for students.

• After school programs provide an equivalent of 90 additional days of school, helping students strengthen social and academic skills to become more confident learners during the school day.
• After school programs help significantly increase language acquisition rates for English learners through smaller class sizes, individual and collaborative learning opportunities, and greater peer-to-peer interaction.
• After school programs report fewer high school dropouts, higher graduation rates, and strong CAHSEE passage rates among student attendees.

Attendance Improvement Program

The focus of the Attendance Improvement Program is two-fold: to inform families about truancy and truancy laws and to support families who are involved at any point in the truancy process. Attendance Liaisons work directly with students and families with truancy issues. Liaisons are assigned to work at various schools from 2-5 days each week, and are there to support families who are involved in the truancy process.

For information regarding truancy, please contact the Attendance Liaison at your school.

LGBTQ+ Resources

San José Unified is committed to creating a safe and supportive learning environment for every SJUSD student. In an effort to better support all of our students, SJUSD has joined OUT for Safe Schools, a national program that seeks to identify safe spaces and adult allies for LGBTQ+ students. Participating SJUSD staff members can be easily identified by displaying the OUT for Safe Schools badge they are wearing.
LGBTQ+ resources
email:.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Discipline

San José Unified provides school-wide systems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments. Instead of using a piecemeal approach of individual behavioral management plans, a continuum of positive behavior support for all students within a school is implemented in areas including non-classroom settings (such as hallways, buses, and restrooms).

When repeated interventions have failed and/or a student’s actions have created an unsafe environment for other students or staff on a campus, the District Disciplinary Review Committee may recommend that a student be transferred to another comprehensive or alternative school within San José Unified.

Discipline Hearing

The Discipline Hearing will include notice to the student and parents of the charges against the student and/or the reasons for the proposed action, an opportunity for the student and parents to rebut or respond to the charges, and review of the student’s record. The student will have the opportunity to oppose the transfer at the informal hearing.

The hearing may include the student, parents, site administrators, and district personnel. The Student Services Department will notify the student and parents of the District’s final decision. Disciplinary action may result in a recommendation to return to the present school, or for the student to be administratively placed at another school, or placed in an alternative program and/or other educational intervention.

Questions & Concerns

If you have any questions or concerns about student discipline, please call (408) 535-6545 ext. 13225 and let us know.

Contact

Student Services Department
San José Unified School District
855 Lenzen Ave.
San José, CA 95126

Darbi O’Connell, Student Services Director
(408) 535-6195
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)