Parent Information

Attendance Policy

Skyward Family Access offers the ability for parents to submit an absence for their child online. East Grand Rapids Public Schools is asking parents to use this online reporting feature instead of calling your child's building to report an absence. Parents submit an absence in advance of the date of an appointment or on the day of a child's absence. Please click here to find detailed instructions for submitting an absence for your child. Please note that even if you submit an absence for an appointment which requires you to pick up your child at any point throughout the day, you need to come into the office to have your child called down and signed out.

Regular attendance contributes not only to the academic growth, but also consistent performance that continues into your child’s adult lives. Although missing school affects children differently, research shows that children who miss more than 10% of school are more likely to struggle both academically and socially. EGRPS Board Policy requires each school to communicate with families regarding documented attendance once a predetermined number of absences have accumulated. For more information regarding the district’s Board Policies for attendance, please visit the district website at www.egrps.org and review Board Policies 8020, 8020-R, and 8025. The EGRPS buildings’ policy is if a child has 10 or more absences or tardies, the school sends a letter to families. This letter is intended to assist parents in monitoring the number of days their child has missed instruction, and/or in the event that absences begin to impact academic performance.

Checking In & Out

All parents and/or visitors need to sign-in/out on the daily sheet in the school office and wear their name badge while they are in the building. For safety reasons, it is important that we know who is in the building at all times. In order to keep classroom interruptions to a minimum, the office delivers forgotten lunches or other articles to your child's classroom or locker.

Release of Student from School

In the event a child is released from school for an appointment, the following procedure is used: 

• Parent enters the absence due to appointment into Skyward indicating the reason and time for leaving. 
• Parent calls the office to notify the secretarial staff what time they would like their child to be ready in the office.
• Parent reports to the office to sign out the child. 

School-Wide Behavioral Expectations

Please review Board Policy 8300 regarding Student Code of Conduct. 

Each school building has a set of behavioral expectations that are explicitly taught and reviewed with students throughout the school year.

Children have a responsibility not only to make a maximum effort toward academic achievement, but also must make an effort to behave properly in any school situation. A primary objective of the East Grand Rapids School District is to assist all children in developing into responsible, self-disciplined individuals who exercise full freedom of decision making within their rights of citizenship. The school's responsibility is to support children through this process recognizing that some children learn more rapidly than others will.

Children who operate outside of their legal rights and responsibilities, or who violate Board policy and/or school rules may be subject to disciplinary action under the Procedures for Discipline as outlined in Board Policy #8383, after consideration of Mitigating Factors. In addition, children who violate local, state or federal laws will be referred to the East Grand Rapids Public Safety Department.

Student Discipline

East Grand Rapids Public Schools has adopted Restorative Practices to build healthy school communities, repair harm, and restore relationships. This approach to discipline focuses on helping children learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness.  

When there is a behavioral concern, each situation is reviewed case-by-case and the developmentally appropriate or expected behavior response is taught to the student. In some cases, consequences outside of restorative practice are necessary and are determined by the classroom teacher and/or building principal. 

Student Appearance

According to Board Policy #8310, children's dress and grooming must not disrupt the educational process; interfere with the maintenance of a positive teaching/learning climate, or compromise reasonable school and/or community standards of health, safety and decency. It is incumbent upon school personnel as well as parent(s)/guardian(s) to so instruct children in this respect.

Please review Board Policy 8330-R regarding Discrimination and Harassment.

District Compliance Officers are listed below.

The District encourages anyone who believes a Title IX violation may have occurred to report their concerns to a District employee or a District/Building Title IX Coordinator who are identified below.

District Title IX Coordinators:

Ms. Carlye Allen and Mr. Jason Hoogenstyn
Directors of Teaching and Learning
2915 Hall Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
callen@egrps.org and jhoogenstyn@egrps.org
(616) 235-3535

Building Title IX Coordinator(s):   

Dr. Alex Schukow
Principal, East Grand Rapids High School
2211 Lake Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
aschukow@egrps.org
(616) 235-7555    

Mr. Jeffrey Dykhouse
Principal, East Grand Rapids Middle School
2425 Lake Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
jdykhous@egrps.org
(616) 235-7551    

Ms. Katie McIntosh
Principal, Breton Downs Elementary
2211 Lake Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
kmcintos@egrps.org
(616) 235-7552

Ms. Jennafer Slanger
Principal, Lakeside Elementary
2325 Hall Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
jslangar@egrps.org
(616) 235-7553

Ms. Stephanie Olson
Principal, Wealthy Elementary
1961 Lake Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
solson@egrps.org
(616) 235-7550

Parent/Teacher Communication Steps 

When problem solving, please use the following steps outlined in Board Policy #5201:

1. Contact the Teacher
   • Call the school and leave a message or email the teacher.
   • In your message let the teacher know why you are calling so he/she is prepared when returning your call. This can save time and the need for additional communications.
   • Please be patient as it may take some time for the teacher to respond. Staff have limited free time during the day to make calls or respond to emails. 
   • It is most helpful to plan a meeting rather than to stop in. This allows the teacher to give the matter the attention it deserves and limits disruption to the instructional day. 
   • Please keep matters confidential.
2. Contact the Principal
   • If the matter is not resolved after working with the teacher, please contact the Principal.
3. Contact the Superintendent
   • If the matter is not resolved after working with the Principal, please contact the Superintendent. 
4. Contact the Board of Education
   • If the matter is not resolved after working with the Superintendent, please contact the Board of Education. 

Appointments with Teachers

Interruptions in the classroom during class hours do disrupt the instructional program. We suggest that parents plan to confer with teachers when they do not have children. A call or an email to arrange a meeting is always appreciated.

Please visit the District's Teaching and Learning page for information about curriculum. 

To facilitate our efforts in providing your child(ren) with educational opportunities outside of the classroom, please review the following field trip procedures. For the full Board Policy on Field Trips, please review Board Policy #4350-R.  

All volunteers must have a completed and approved Volunteer Consent Form on file prior to attending the field trip. For the full Board Policy on School Volunteers, please review Board Policy #9230.

All children being transported in a parent volunteer car will be required to sit in the backseat and use a seatbelt or proper car booster seat. Children are NOT allowed to ride in the front seat.

Only an adult (non-high school student) licensed driver shall be allowed to drive the vehicle.

The vehicle shall be generally in good condition, particularly as it pertains to safety equipment such as brakes, horn, tires, lights, etc.

Birthday Celebrations 

We recognize that food has had an important role in celebrating accomplishments and milestones in our lives. However, to promote good nutritional practices and provide the safest environment for all children, we developed the following guidelines around birthday treats and food in the classroom. These guidelines are included in Back to School communications and events, as well as instruction to your child in the classroom.

When celebrating a child’s birthday, please provide only non-food based celebrations/treats, such as pencils, stickers, note pads, or a game or book donated to the classroom or school in your child’s name. Food-based birthday treats are not permitted in the classroom.

Snacks 

Children are welcome to bring a daily snack to school. If there is a child in the classroom with a severe or life-threatening food allergy, the classroom teacher communicates with all parents in that classroom at the beginning of the school year to outline specifically which ingredients may not enter the classroom. For children in grades 3-5 the whole grade level follows the same policy, as all children rotate between classrooms within the grade level. If a child brings a non-approved snack for that classroom, he/she is provided with an alternative that is safe for all children. 

Each year our classrooms host parties or events. Food is permitted at these events, but are required to follow the snack guidelines for each classroom. Party food is encouraged to be healthy, such as a vegetable or fruit tray. If a party food item is brought in and is not safe for all children in the classroom to partake, it is not permitted in the classroom.

Instructional Kitchen 

Some K-1 classrooms participate in activities using our Instructional Kitchen. These learning opportunities focus around teaching young children mathematics and basic cooking skills. Prior to parent volunteers cooking with children, the recipe and ingredients are shared with and approved by the classroom teacher to ensure that it is safe for all children in the classroom. Instructional Kitchens are equipped with cooking utensils, so no items from home are brought into school to avoid cross-contamination. Instructional Kitchens are thoroughly cleaned after each use by building custodians. 

Food Allergies 

Parents are responsible for informing the school office if their child has a severe food allergy. Once notified, the building administrator will complete this checklist with the family prior to the start of the school year. 

In the event of an allergic reaction, each elementary building has Epi Pens located around the school building in locked boxes. To access Epi Pens during an emergency, the glass on these boxes must be broken. 

For information on Food Service, including lunch menus and payment options, please visit the District's Food Service page.  

General Health Information

1. Children enrolling in any Michigan public school for the first time (i.e., incoming Kindergartners and new students) are required to be examined by a physician before the opening of school and also provide proof of vision screening.
    
2. State law requires that certain immunizations are provided and that school records show they are met. Exclusion from school is the alternative mandated by the state. As our local intent and desire is to keep children in school, parental attention to this matter is a necessity.
    
3. Hearing Screening of children in grades Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th and Vision Screening for children in grades 1st, 3rd and 5th are made available during the school year. Children at other grade levels, as observed by teachers or parents, may be referred for screening. Children who show definite problems in these areas are referred for correction through parents.
    
4. We ask that each child have on file in the school office a parent Consent for Emergency Care document, which enables a designated local hospital to provide emergency care in the event we cannot reach the parent. Please be sure you have completed this portion of the Enrollment Form for each child.
    
5. An accident report is made out at school for each child involved in a mishap. This report is filed in the principal's office the day of the accident. Parents are notified as soon as possible if the injury is in need of medical attention.

Medication

The full school Board Policy regarding the administration of medication by school personnel is found in policy #8100R. "Medication," includes prescription, non-prescription and herbal medications including epinephrine injectors, inhalers, chapstick, cough drops, sunscreen, etc.

Prescription medication to be given at school must be delivered by the parent/guardian in a container with a pharmacist’s printed label, specifying:

• The child’s full name
• The name of the medication and the dosage
• The time of day medication should be administered
• The name of the physician

A permission form must be on file with the school office, containing the above information and must be signed by the parent/guardian. The medication must be delivered to the school office by the parent/guardian in the original container, labeled with the child’s name. Click here for the medication form.

Return to School

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (2018) recommends that a child should be fever-free without the aid of fever-reducing medication for 24 hours before returning to school.

Elementary children are assigned homework when it is developmentally appropriate. Homework will have a correlation to classroom learning and can include a wide variety of activities in all areas of the curriculum. Typical examples of homework expectations could include math study, independent reading, science observations or collections, or content-related projects.

If adverse weather conditions and other emergency situations make it necessary to cancel school, delay the beginning of school, or send children home early, the following information details the East Grand Rapids Public Schools procedures. 

Weather related data for closings or delays is collected by 5:00 a.m. from district staff members. Based on the data collected, the Superintendent then makes a decision regarding school closures or delays. East Grand Rapids Public Schools’ District Office Administrators call Dean Transportation to inform them of a closing or delay and the decisions are posted as soon as possible on the East Grand Rapids website, www.egrps.org. Announcements are made on many local TV and radio stations as well as through Skylert. 

Skylert is a system of reporting and alerts for parents. This system functions to specify which numbers you would like the district to use for emergency and attendance messages. Skylert is used to broadcast emergency alerts and attendance notifications via phone call, e-mail, and/or SMS (text message). Parents can log into Skyward and customize their Skylert settings by visiting www.egrps.org/skyward. All parents and guardians have a Skyward Family Access login. If you do not remember how to access your account or do not know your account information, go to the Skyward Login and click the “Forgot your Login/Password?” prompt.

Parents are encouraged to make individual decisions regarding children’s school attendance on days with inclement weather. 

In the event of a Two Hour Delay

All classes will start two hours later than the building start time. The decision whether to hold A.M. ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) at the later start time is decided on the day in question and is posted on the media outlets described above.

In the Event of School Closings

Day care and preschool schedules follow the same closure as the District. A decision is made early in the afternoon regarding cancellation of sporting events, evening programs, and practices.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

All students are dismissed at the regular time unless severe weather conditions exist.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

All students may be detained if severe weather conditions exist.

Tornado Watch

All students are kept at school if the watch is issued during the school day. Children are dismissed at the regular time unless severe weather conditions exist.

If a tornado watch occurs outside of school hours, the school district does not begin any school activities (i.e., sports, PTO, etc.). If a tornado watch is issued while the activities are in progress, the children, participants, audience, and attendees are dismissed and the activities stop immediately. After school activities may be held if such activities are scheduled to begin one hour after a tornado watch has been lifted.

Tornado Warning

All children are kept at school if the warning is issued during the school day and are instructed to take shelter within the building until the ALL CLEAR is signaled. Children are not sent home.

If a tornado warning occurs outside of school hours, the school district does not begin any school activities (i.e., sports, PTO, etc.). If a tornado warning is issued while the activities are in progress, the children, participants, audience, and attendees seek shelter within the building immediately. After school activities may be held if such activities are scheduled to begin one hour after a tornado warning has been lifted.

Recess is an important time for children to engage in play and physical activity. During the morning and afternoon recesses, teachers are assigned to supervise children. At the lunchtime recess, paraeducators are assigned to different sections of the playground for supervision.

Policy for Staying Indoors

If the temperature or wind chill is at or below 0 degrees, children have indoor recess. At times, portions or the full playground is closed due to conditions (i.e. ice, water, mud).

Students may stay in the office for recess with a doctor’s note only.

For all grades, there are two scheduled parent-teacher conferences during the school year. Additional conferences are encouraged as needs become apparent and may be initiated by either the parents or the teacher. Report cards are issued for all children in January and June. Duplicates of these reports are on file in the main office.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety  

Children in East Grand Rapids are asked to ride bicycles on the sidewalk at all times. All cyclists must wear safety helmets as required by Title X, Chapter 105, of the Code of the City of East Grand Rapids. We require all bicycles ridden to school to be licensed through the East Grand Rapids Department of Public Safety.

Bikes and scooters must be walked/carried when entering school property. While at school, all bikes must be locked in the rack provided outside of school. Roller blades, roller skates, skateboards and rip sticks must also be carried when on school property and locked up at the bike rack or placed in the child’s locker.

East Grand Rapids Public Safety and East Grand Rapids Public Schools worked in collaboration to create videos that promote safety practices in our community. These videos are available below. 

Video 1: Bike Safety

Video 2: Pedestrian Safety

Pets on School Property 

We all love our pets, but they do not belong at school. Too many young children are either allergic or frightened by them. When dropping off or picking up your child(ren), please do not bring your dog on school property including into the school or on the playground from 7:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. 

Drill Information 

The State of Michigan enacted School Safety Legislation – Public Act 12 regarding how public schools report safety drills to the public.  Schools are now required to run:

Fire Drills

A minimum of 5 fire drills are required each school year. Three (3) of the drills are held before December 1 and two (2) during the remainder of the school year.

Tornado/Severe Weather Drills

A minimum of two (2) tornado safety drills are required for each school year with one (1) conducted during March.

Lockdown Drills

A minimum of three (3) drills in which occupants are restricted to the interior of the building and the building is secure. One (1) of these drills is conducted prior to December 1 and one (1) conducted after January 1. 

At least one (1) drill is scheduled during lunch, recess or at another time when a significant number of the students are gathered not in a classroom.

In addition to the safety drills listed, buildings in East Grand Rapids Public Schools conduct an off-site evacuation drill every other school year.  

We are fortunate that many of our 4th and 5th grade students volunteer to serve as Safeties on a few of our street crossings. We urge you to talk to your children about the responsibility and importance of this job, and we ask that your child respect the Safeties and follow their directions when crossing. Please feel free to call the school about any safety problems that you feel needs attention. Safeties are not on duty during severe weather conditions.

School Hours are listed below:  

Class Begins: 8:20 a.m.

Dismissal: 3:19 p.m.

Arrival and Departure

Due to the fact that there is no supervision on the playgrounds before school, children should not arrive before 8:10 a.m. EGR Public Safety school crossing guards are on duty at some main intersections for a period of time each morning and afternoon.

When weather permits, children remain outside until the entry bell rings at 8:15 a.m. During rainy weather or when the temperature or wind chill is below zero, children enter the building when they arrive after 8:10 a.m. 

When the bell rings at 3:19 p.m., students are to go directly home. If a student wants to play on the playground, he/she needs to go home and check-in with a parent first, before returning to the playground.

All children arriving after 8:20 a.m. in the morning must enter through the main office and be signed in by a parent or guardian. 

According to Board Policy #7355, the use of technology by East Grand Rapids Public Schools is an opportunity to extend and enhance learning, productivity, and information processing to all students, faculty, and staff. The computer hardware and software of the East Grand Rapids Public Schools is used solely for educational purposes specified by the Board of Education and staff of the East Grand Rapids Public Schools. The use of computer and related equipment and software for the purpose of sending or receiving information or images of a prurient nature is expressly prohibited. Examples of this technology include, but are not limited to smartwatches, cell phones, and tablets.
 

For more information please also see Board Policy #8320 and #8320R

All volunteers coming to the building must enter through the office, sign in, and wear a volunteer badge. Once the volunteer completes the Volunteer Consent Form and the District approves his/her to volunteer, the volunteer can pick up his/her badge in the building office. This process typically takes at least 24 hours. Upon leaving the school, the volunteer signs out and leaves the badge in the office.

According to Board Policy #9410, the Board recognizes the central role parent(s)/guardian(s) play in the education of their children, and supports active parent(s)/guardian(s) involvement in the educational process.  Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are encouraged to maintain regular contact with their child’s teachers.  To familiarize themselves with their child’s learning environment, parent(s)/guardian(s) are also encouraged to come to planned conferences, school open houses, and visitation days. For more information, please review Board of Education Policies #9400 and #9230 regarding school volunteers.

Dropping Off Items

We understand that there may be times when parents/guardians need to drop off items at school for their children. These deliveries are made in the front office and the school staff make sure that the item(s) are given to your child in a timely manner.