Parent Handbook

At the start of each school year, students receive a printed copy of the Parent Handbook and Standards for Student Conduct to bring home. This webpage includes that same parent handbook information along with additional helpful resources.

The Standards for Student Conduct

Overview

Helpful information

Chesterfield County Public Schools is committed to providing a safe, supportive and nurturing learning environment. This parent handbook offers helpful information for families and includes standards for student conduct and attendance. However, this publication is not exhaustive; Additional resources and complete School Board policies are available at oneccps.org. Parents should sign and return to their child’s school the acknowledgement form printed in this handbook or acknowledge receipt via ParentVUE.

  • Chesterfield County Public Schools is the largest school system in central Virginia, with more than 64,000 students attending 68 schools.
  • The school system’s vision is to create a better tomorrow.
  • The mission is to ignite passion in all through captivating and authentic experiences.
  • Core values are integrity, equity, teamwork and ingenuity.

General information

School attendance is vital to academic achievement. Every day counts! Good attendance boosts academic success and prepares students for future employment. Absences add up, and excessive absences may affect receiving credit for classes or promotion to the next grade.

Students are expected to attend school daily on time. Send your children to school every day unless they are sick. This creates good habits and shows that school is important to your family.

Avoid arriving late and leaving early.

Create morning and night routines for school days and stick to them.

Set out clothes and backpack at night.

Have a regular bedtime and wake-up time.

Please notify the school if your student will need to be absent. If you are having difficulty sending your child to school for any reason, please contact your school’s social worker or counselor. School Board policy 4020, which covers attendance, is included in the standards for student conduct and attendance section of this publication.

All students who attend any public school in Chesterfield County are expected to dress appropriately for a K-12 educational environment. Any clothing that interferes with or disrupts the educational environment is prohibited and may result in disciplinary consequences. The dress code policy (School Board policy 4009) is included in the standards for student conduct section of this publication.

 

If it becomes necessary to close schools or delay opening because of bad weather or for any other reason, such as a power failure, announcements will be communicated via phone, text and email and posted on oneccps.org and social media. Parents should make emergency closing child-care arrangements at the beginning of the school year so that students know what to do and where to go if there is an early dismissal.

 

Parents are asked each year to fill out emergency information cards for every student. The importance of these cards cannot be overemphasized. They let school officials know about student health issues and provide contact information that is used to reach parents if an emergency arises. Please complete, sign and quickly return your student’s card. Also, be sure to update your child’s information whenever there is a change in

  • Your child’s health
  • Your address, email address, cellphone, home phone, work phone or workplace
  • The people authorized to pick up your child if you cannot be reached during an emergency

Up-to-date contact information is vital to the school division’s ability to communicate effectively with parents. Parents can update certain contact information through ParentVUE; details are available at oneccps.org/parentvue-studentvue. A parent who does not have access to ParentVUE should contact their child’s school to get login information.

The school system actively monitors and addresses environmental issues. For more information, call 804-717-6466.

  • Chesterfield County Public Schools proactively addresses indoor air quality concerns by conducting periodic inspections and placing work orders for building repairs when necessary. Air filters are changed and air-handling units are inspected quarterly.
  • The school system’s program calls for testing for radon on every occupied ground floor room, including classrooms and offices. If an area is found to have a radon concentration of concern, the radon will be mitigated.
  • The school system cleans HVAC cooling towers semiannually and tests for Legionella. If any trace is found, the tower is cleaned and retested. Cooling towers also undergo monthly third-party inspections and weekly in-house inspections to ensure biocide systems are operating properly.
  • The school system flushes various water systems monthly to ensure drinking water standards are met.
  • Drinking water outlets are tested tri-annually. If an outlet tests outside of acceptable limits of lead and copper, it is taken out of service, action is taken to bring it to an acceptable level, then a detailed letter is shared with the community.
  • An asbestos management plan is available for review in school offices.
  • When it becomes necessary to control a pest problem, the school will use the least toxic products possible and will post notices 24 hours before applying pesticides. Parents who want to be notified in advance of pesticide use may ask the school to place their name on a registry. Exemptions to this notification include cleaners and disinfectants, baits and gels.
  • To help keep Virginia waterways clean, school system employees and contractors do not put pollutants or other substances into outside drains and do not leave litter on the ground that could get washed into drains. Students and parents are asked to help protect waterways too.