Welcome!
The Liberty School Handbook is
a guide to the "Liberty
experience" for both students and adults. All parents and students are
expected to read this handbook.
Mission
Liberty School’s mission is to create
a democratic learning community that
empowers people to become life-long learners who are respectful, courageous,
compassionate and spirited citizens of the world.
– as
approved by the Liberty
School community at
Vision Quest 2001
History
Liberty School was
founded to meet the need of a more open approach to educating. The school opened in September 1997 with 37
students and became approved by the Maine Department of Education to receive
tuition from towns without a high school.
That year there were 6 graduates.
1998/99: 50
students, 10 graduates
1999/00: 56
students, 10 graduates
2000/01: 65 students, 13 graduates.
2001/02: 65 students, 14 graduates. First year of Classical Music Program.
2002/03: 64 students, 11 graduates
2003/04: 60 students, 15 graduates
Liberty School's Future
In school year 2004/05, we will continue implementing the Great Maine
School’s grant
components. We finished a strategic
planning process last year. Watch for
exciting development in our math, media lab, laptop technology, and theater
curricula.
Everyday
stuff you need to know
Schedule
Classes are held 8:15
a.m. to 2:25 p.m. (refer to the course schedule and school year calendar). Five classes on M-W-F; three longer classes
on T-Th. Lunch is scheduled midday. Some courses take place after school. There is staff at the school generally from
7:30 AM 5:00 PM.
Transportation to School
Buses serve our school from local areas (check with your
town or the office for routes and schedules).
Those from outside the immediate area may choose to carpool. The office
can provide you with a parent and student list so that you can contact families
in your area about carpooling.
Liberty School’s
health
The
health of our school – educational, financial, and organizational -- depends on
the actions of each member of the community.
You can help by honoring the following guidelines:
¨ Be
generous with your contribution of time, money, and/or items. Remember it’s for the students!
¨ Promote
Liberty School to your friends, family, and
community. Let them know the ways in
which you are being well served. Please
call the office to have an informational packet sent to anyone interested in
the school.
¨ Pay
tuition and fees on time.
Tuition
Payment and Refund Policy
Purpose:
To establish guidelines for acquiring and refunding
tuition.
Guidelines:
Private tuition:
·
is charged according to the local residency policy
·
is based on state tuition rates
·
is charged by trimester
·
must be paid in full before the start of each
trimester or before newly enrolled students begin classes
As the state does not set yearly tuition rates until
January each year, tuition rates may change at that time.
Liberty School may award scholarships
to full-time students to cover a portion of their private tuition costs.
Any period of delinquency may be reviewed and course
credit will not be awarded until tuition is paid.
In the event that a student withdraws, receives a leave
of absence, or is expelled before the end of a term, tuition will be refunded
based on the number of days that the student was enrolled. The date used to determine refundable tuition
is the date that a letter of withdrawal is received, a leave of absence is
granted, or expulsion is determined.
Adopted
05/01/03
Facilities
The school has four (4)
buildings:
1.
Administration building: Director’s office,
administration, one classroom, kitchen, unisex bathroom, storage (basement),
media lab, dark room for photography.
2.
Main classroom building: five classrooms,
including the computer and science labs, study room, boys’ and girls’
bathrooms, cubbies, and basement.
3.
Carriage house: art studio.
4.
Commons Building: hosts the music
program, all-school meetings, exhibitions, and other community events.
Library
Liberty School
connects students to online resources in our computer lab. We recommend that students also use the Blue
Hill Library, which is excellent and provides access to an inter-library loan
system. Any student can obtain a library
card.
Absences
Please notify the school as soon as possible of any
absences. The teachers check with Nancy when a student is
missing from their class, and your call makes the difference whether the
absence is considered an Excused Absence or an Unexcused Absence (there may be
consequences for an Unexcused Absence).
In the case of a planned absence, we need to know well in advance the dates involved. Students are generally held responsible for
material covered during absences.
Medication
policy
Purpose:
The school is legally responsible for all medication on
school grounds.
Guidelines:
The office needs to have a list of any prescription
medications that students take on a regular basis (there is a section on the
Registration Form for this information).
Students hold onto and administer their own prescription
medications and in addition are responsible for providing the office with the
following details:
·
Name and purpose of the medication
·
Duration of the prescription
·
Doctor’s name and phone number
All medication brought to school must be in its original
container with the label on it.
Adopted
05/01/03
Pet
policy
Pets are not permitted at school.
Field
trip policy
Purpose:
The school is responsible for students during school
events.
Guidelines:
No permission slips are needed for field trips that
begin and end within a normal school day.
Permission slips are required for all other field trips and must include
the following information:
·
Destination
·
Departure time
·
Expected time of arrival
·
Contact information of field trip chaperones
Chaperones are responsible for students according to
school guidelines for the duration of the field trip. They must contact the school if the field
trip duration changes or other unexpected events occur.
Students are accountable to all applicable school
policies while on field trips.
Students who are over the age of 18 or are emancipated
do not need permission slips. Students
who do not live with their parents, who are under the age of 18, and are not
emancipated, may get permission to go on field trips via phone contact.
Adopted
05/01/03
Snow days
Liberty School closes due to weather conditions when the
School Union 96/Blue Hill schools and George Stevens
Academy close. TV channels 2, 5 and 7 and radio stations
WERU (89.9) and KISS (94.5), among others, announce school closings.
Housing/Host Family Policy
Purpose:
To establish guidelines for Liberty School’s
involvement in student housing.
Guidelines:
Liberty School is not responsible for
providing housing or host families for students. It is the responsibility of each family to
find accommodations for their student.
See the local residency policy
to determine tuition costs if the student is not living with his/her family.
Adopted
05/01/03
Local Residency Policy
Purpose:
To establish guidelines for claiming tuition payments
from municipalities or families.
Guidelines:
In order to claim tuition
from a town, you must be a resident of that town. This means that the place where you sleep
must be in that town.* The legal
residence of all minors is the same as their parents’ residence. A student who is 18 years old or older, or
has attained emancipated status, may be able to claim tuition from a town where
his/her parents do not reside, but only if the student does reside in that
town.
If the Superintendent
of Schools determines that a student does not meet the residency requirements,
the student’s family will be billed for the tuition that is due.
·
The policy in Blue Hill, Brooksville, Castine,
and Penobscot state in part: “‘Residence’ shall be considered the place where
important family activities takes place – the place where the family eats,
sleeps, relaxes, and plays. It is a
place that can be called ‘home.’ While
it is possible for an individual to maintain property and pay taxes in more
than one location or community, for the purposes of student eligibility for
school attendance, ‘residence’ shall mean where the parent maintains a home.”
Adopted 05/22/03
Student status
Purpose:
To establish the academic status of individuals.
Guidelines:
Full-time status is determined by:
·
Acceptance to Liberty School
by the Admissions Committee according to the admissions policy
·
Continuous receipt of credit as described by the academic probation policy
·
Compliance with the school’s philosophy and
policies
·
Continual payment of tuition
Full-time status requires full tuition payment either by
the student’s family or by their town of residence as described in the local residency policy.
Part-time status is determined by:
·
Acceptance by the Admissions Committee according
to the admissions policy
·
Compliance with the school’s philosophy and
policies
·
Involvement in an educational program for credit
not associated with Liberty
School
·
Continual payment of tuition
Half-time status requires half tuition payment by the
student’s family (not town-reimbursable)
Leave of absence status may be granted to full-time students
if:
·
Extraordinary circumstances prohibit the student
from completing full-time status requirements
·
A timeframe is arranged between the Director, the
student, and the student’s parents for the leave of absence
No tuition is charged during a leave of absence and the
student, while still enrolled, is not expected to receive credit.
Withdrawing or transferring students must notify the
director in writing of their intentions.
Expelled students will be notified in writing of the expulsion
decision. No tuition will be charged
once a student has withdrawn, transferred or has been expelled.
Adopted
05/01/03
Students
Liberty
School is probably unlike
any school you’ve attended. We offer
more freedom and choice. With these
rights come more responsibility – to manage your own time, meet obligations,
and advocate for your needs with staff and other students. You may experience a period of
adjustment. Please contact your advisor
or the guidance counselor if you have questions or problems, need help, or are
simply confused.
BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1.
The right
to have your body, space, beliefs and property respected and the responsibility to respect other peoples’
body, space and property.
2.
The right
to a good learning environment and the responsibility
to help provide a good learning environment for others.
3.
The right
to learn what you want and the responsibility
to learn in a way that does not prevent others from learning what they want.
4.
The right
to work where you want and the responsibility
to respect the space and to not disrupt others.
5.
The right
to speak freely and the responsibility
to speak respectfully.
6.
The right
to be listened to and the responsibility
to listen to others.
7.
The right
to feel safe and the responsibility to
help others feel safe.
8.
The right to
Independent Study and the responsibility to pursue your interests and passions
in ways that do not disturb others.
9.
The right
to use community items and the responsibility
to share community items with others and to not abuse them.
10. The right to listen to music and the responsibility not to disturb others
with your music.
11. The right to Open Campus and the
responsibility to represent Liberty School in a positive way.
Violations of the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
could result in charges being made and a judicial hearing.
Adopted winter 04
Student
Code of Conduct Contract
1.
As a member of
the Liberty School democratic learning community, I
agree to honor the school’s policies regarding smoking, weapons, and drugs.
2.
I agree not to engage in anti-social behavior
such as stealing, fighting, harassment, destruction of property, or the
physical and emotional endangerment of others.
3. I
agree to respect the needs of all members of the school community.
4. I
agree to participate in and contribute to the democratic process by serving on
committees and attending all-school meetings.
5. I
agree to attend advisory and share my advisory’s clean-up duties.
6. I
understand that the Open-Campus policy is a privilege based on trust, that I
will represent the school to the community at large, that the school’s policies
and expectations are to be honored while off campus during school hours or
while on school sponsored activities.
7. I agree to do all in my power to facilitate my
own education and the well being of the entire school community.
8. I
understand that it is my responsibility to help keep the school drug and
tobacco free and that by not doing so, I am jeopardizing the school community.
Student Signature:__________________________
Printed Name:_____________________________
Date:____________________________________
ACADEMIC PROBATION POLICY
1.
Any student who earns fewer than three (3)
academic credits in a term (trimester) will be put on academic probation.
2.
When academic probation begins, the student and
his/her advisor and parent(s) will meet to compose an individualized learning
contract which stipulates what steps will be taken to effect significant
improvement in the student’s academic performance, including earning enough
credits to average three (3) credits per term.
(So, if two (2) credits were earned Fall term, the student must earn a
minimum of four (4) credits Winter term in order to get off academic
probation.) This contract will include
consequences for not following its stipulations.
3.
The faculty will meet to evaluate improvement at
the end of the student’s probationary trimester. If the terms of the contract have not been
met, the consequences listed in the contract will be carried out. Consequences may include expulsion.
Adopted 2002/03
COMMUNITY
CONDUCT POLICY
To
ensure the highest possible standards of learning as well as the safety, health
and well-being of its students and staff, the school acknowledges the need of a
community conduct policy for guidance.
Since trust in each community member's sense of responsibility is
central to the school's philosophy, the school also believes in having as few
rules and regulations as possible.
It is
expected that all members of the school community and school guests will honor
the laws of the State of Maine
as well as the school's policies. The
terms and scope of these requirements are in effect throughout school hours and
extend to all school sponsored events, including off-campus activities.
The
Judiciary Committee will review violations case by case and recommend
appropriate action, including involvement of law enforcement agencies when
necessary. Recommendations require the
approval of the Community Council to become binding.
Judiciary
hearings involving a student may require the attendance of parents and/or
advisor, and such meetings will be open sessions except when the committee
exercises its right to close a hearing because of sensitive or confidential
matters.
Anti-social
acts deemed detrimental to the community will generally require compensation in
the form of constructive activity.
Behavior that physically or emotionally endangers another individual
will not be tolerated and an offender will be prohibited from school grounds
until appropriate action can be taken.
Refer to specific conduct
policies on:
Weapons, Harassment/hazing,
Substance abuse, Procedures
Adopted 10/26/98
Judiciary Amendment: If charges are brought against a teacher, the
Judicial Committee would be made up of two students and two teachers.
Adopted Spring 2004
STUDENT
(ILLEGAL) SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY
The
school endorses a policy that which aims to prevent students from using
tobacco, alcohol, or drugs. Compliance
with the school’s standards of conduct related to substance abuse is mandatory.
Recognizing
that education is a critically essential component in the prevention of
substance abuse, information, and activities focused on preventing student use
of tobacco, alcohol and drugs will routinely be provided.
At
Liberty School or during any school sponsored activity/event, violations of
this policy include, but are not limited to: possession or use of tobacco, and
possession, sale, use or otherwise being under the influence of alcohol, other
drugs (including counterfeit drugs and inhalants) or any controlled substance
listed under Title 17-A, Section 1101.
If
found to be in violation of any of the terms of this policy throughout a
student’s enrollment at Liberty
School:
1st
offence - Parents/guardians will be contacted immediately to take the student
home. Family conference with student's
advisor and school director will be scheduled to explain the consequences of
another violation. Any suspected illegal substance may be turned over to the
appropriate law enforcement agency and could result in criminal
prosecution. Student also faces
additional consequences imposed by the school judiciary committee.
2nd offense - Suspension from school (3 days) followed by
an expulsion hearing.
Adopted 12/14/98
POLICY TO ASSURE INTERPERSONAL SAFETY AND
PREVENT HARRASSMENT
Liberty
School emphatically
supports the right of every member of the school to be physically and
emotionally safe at the school or when involved in any school activity on or
off campus. No