ECRHS Student Handbook

We believe all students have potential, are worthwhile individuals, and are unique in their personalities. We respect their individuality, encourage creative thinking, and strive to provide a safe and distraction free learning environment.

El Camino Real High School Credits

At El Camino Real, students have the opportunity to earn credits during each three week marking period.
Failing grades are not issued, instead, if a student is not passing, a grade of No Mark (NM) will be issued.
Attendance is essential in order for students to pass classes and earn credits.
While students must earn 230 credits to graduate from a comprehensive high school, El Camino Real requires 210 credits.
Counselors regularly monitor student progress and communicate with students and families if any concerns arise.

El Camino Real High School Graduation Requirements

Subject	Credits Required	Subject	Credits Required
Language Arts 1	10	Mathematics	20
Language Arts II	10	Physical Science	10
Language Arts III	10	Life Science	10
Language Arts IV	10	Art/World Lang/CTE	10
World History	10	Physical Education	20
US History	10	Health	5
US Government	5	Careers	5
Economics	5	Electives	60
Total Credits Required: 210

Attendance

Student attendance plays a crucial role in earning credits and progressing toward earning a high school diploma. The PYLUSD attendance policies and processes are followed at El Camino. Students are expected to be here, on time, each day. A partnership between school and home is important in order to support the academic success of students. Students who struggle to maintain acceptable attendance will participate in a compliance review process.

What To Do Following an Absence:

When parents know a student will be absent, they should call (714)986-7060 ext.12032 in advance to notify the Attendance Office. Absences must be cleared by phone or a doctor's note within 48 hours. If a student is absent from one or more periods, parents will be contacted via our automated attendance system.

Tardies:

It is important that students be on time to class. Recurring tardiness will be reported to the office and PYLUSD progressive attendance policies will be followed.

Additional Credit Earning Opportunities

All students are eligible and welcome to enroll in our CareerLink Pathway also known as RAPID. (for more information click here)
Students wishing to enroll in our CareerLink Pathway, earn more credits and/or those wanting to try a community college course while still enrolled at El Camino Real High School may ask to take Career Technical Education (CTE) courses at El Camino, through North Orange County ROP or Dual Enrollment courses through Fullerton College.
ROP offers courses at all PYLUSD high schools after school. All courses are designed with clear course-to-career pathways. Students may take ROP courses in neighboring school districts as well. For a list of all offerings in a given school year, students should speak with their counselor.
For more specific information about El Camino’s CareerLink pathway, ROP, or College Link courses, please see Mrs. Gonzalez in the office.

CTE Annual Public Notification

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability, or any other basis protected by law or regulation in its program or activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups.

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District offers classes in many career and technical education program areas under its open admissions policy. For more information about CTE course offerings and admissions criteria, contact the CTE Director: Will Gray, Ed.D., Executive Director of College & Career Readiness, 1301 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870, 714-985-8756, [email protected].

Lack of English language proficiency will not be a barrier to admission and participation in career and technical education programs. The following people have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies.

If you, or your student, have been subjected to discrimination, you should contact your school site principal and/or:

Title IX and any other discrimination complaints - Dr. Baldwin Pedraza, Director, Student Services (714) 985-8670, [email protected].
Title II Coordinator / 504 Coordinator / Americans with Disabilities Act complaints - Dr. Baldwin Pedraza, Director, Student Services (714) 985-8670.
Bullying, intimidation complaints - Tonya Gordillo, Administrator, Student Services (714) 985-8671.

The mailing address for all compliance officers is 1301 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870.

Bell Schedule

Regular Bell Schedule (M, T, Th, F)				Wednesday Late Start: PLC Time 8:00 - 9:00 am
Period	Start	End	Minutes	Period	Start	End	Minutes
1	8:30	9:20	50	1	9:10	9:55	45
2	9:23	10:13	50	2	9:58	10:43	45
Break	10:13	10:28	15	Break	10:43	10:58	15
3	10:31	11:21	50	3	11:01	11:46	45
EDGE	11:24	12:06	42	EDGE	11:49	12:21	32
4	12:09	12:59	50	4	12:24	1:09	45
Lunch	12:59	1:34	35	Lunch	1:09	1:44	35
5	1:37	2:27	50	5	1:47	2:32	45
6	2:30	3:20	50	6	2:35	3:20	45

Minimum Day Schedule
Period	Start	End	Minutes
1	8:30	9:00	30
2	9:03	9:33	30
3	9:36	10:06	30
Break	10:06	10:21	15
EDGE	10:24	10:51	27
4	10:54	11:24	30
5	11:27	11:57	30
6	12:00	12:30	30

Homework Policy

Homework is not assigned at El Camino. Instead, students are expected to actively participate and be productive in class each day.

Backpacks

All school supplies are provided to students. Backpacks are not allowed on campus, however if a student needs to bring a backpack to school, it can be checked in to the front office.

Community Service

Community service is a graduation requirement (40 hours). Students can earn five elective credits by completing the required 40 hours of community service. An additional five elective credits may be earned by doing 40 more hours of community service. Volunteer work must be done with a non-profit organization. Please see your counselor for more information.

Work Permits

If you are under 18, and have a job, you need a work permit. Applications are available in the office. It is important you work with your employer in order to prioritize your school schedule. If your school attendance suffers, you may lose your work permit.

Other School Campuses

All PYLUSD schools have closed campuses. El Camino students are unable to be on any school campus during the school day. It is expected that all school personnel, regardless of the school, are treated with respect. Violating these policies will subject you to disciplinary action.

Parking

Parking is available in the school parking lot other than in spaces that are marked as reserved for staff, visitors, etc. Please drive slowly and carefully when entering or exiting the parking lot. Reckless driving, leaving campus during class time, or providing a ride for other students who should be in class is reason for disciplinary action. Cars are subject to search if there is reasonable suspicion. (CA Ed. Code 48900).

Lunch Passes

Leaving campus for lunch is a privilege reserved for SENIORS ONLY. Any student leaving campus without an office-issued lunch pass will be subject to disciplinary action. Any senior encouraging an underclassman to leave for lunch may have their lunch pass revoked. Lunch pass forms must be signed by parent/guardian and are available in the office.

18 Year Old Students

Students who are 18 or older are still required to have absences excused by parent/guardian. As long as you meet behavior, attendance, and academic standards, 18 year old students may continue to be enrolled at El Camino. However, if you are unable to maintain the expected standards, you may be dropped from El Camino and referred to adult education.

Returning to Your Home School

If returning to your home school is your goal, the following applies:

You must notify your counselor upon enrolling at El Camino or as soon as you determine that is your goal. It is essential that your schedule be created in order to ensure you are able to complete enough credits to return.
Schedule an appointment with your counselor to obtain the paperwork necessary to return to your home school.

Dress Code

All students are required to present themselves in a respectful manner. Items that are considered disruptive or may impact the safety of students are prohibited. This includes drugs, alcohol or gang related items. Students will be required to change or wear attire provided by the school and parent/guardian will be contacted. Repeat violators will receive consequences according to school policies.

Cell Phones

The school does not encourage student possession or use of electronic devices on campus and does not assume liability if such devices are damaged, lost, or stolen. All electronic devices shall remain turned off during class time unless teacher approval is given. If the privilege of having these devices at school is abused and the possession or use of an electronic device violates this policy, the school has the right to revoke the privilege.

Assertive Discipline Policies

The following behaviors at school, school events or on the way to or from school are unacceptable and will result in disciplinary action including but not limited to: parent contact, loss of privileges,Intervention Classroom or suspension.

Defiance or disrespect
Profanity
Inappropriate use of electronic devices
Smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco
Drug or tobacco paraphernalia
Defacing school property

Violations Leading to Suspension

The State of California, in order to ensure a safe school environment for everyone, lists the following offenses as cause for suspension and possible expulsion (Education Code 48900 a-r, .2,.3,.4,.7 & 48915):

(a) (1) Physical injury to another person

(2) Willfully caused physical injury by force or violence upon another person

(b) Possession of weapons, explosives, or dangerous objects

(d) Offered, arranged, or negotiated to sell a substance represented to be a controlled substance

(e) Committed robbery or extortion

(f) Vandalism to school property or private property

(g) Theft

(h) Possession of tobacco or nicotine delivery devices

(i) Excessive use of profanity or repeated vulgarity

(j) Possession of drug paraphernalia

(k) Defiance or disruption of school activities

(l) Possession of stolen property

(m) Possession of an imitation firearm

(n) Commit or attempt to commit sexual assault or sexual battery

(o) Harass, threaten, or intimidate a student witness

(p) Selling Soma

(q) Hazing

(r) Bullying/Cyber

.2 Sexual harassment

.3 Hate violence

.4 Intentional harassment, threats, or intimidation

.7 Intentional terrorist harassment, threats, or intimidation against school staff or property

California Education Code section 48915 requires immediate suspension and mandatory expulsion of students who:

Possess, sell, or otherwise furnish a firearm
Brandish a knife at another person
Sell a controlled substance
Commit or attempt to commit a sexual assault or sexual battery
Possess an explosive

Additional Disciplinary Guidelines and Policies

You may not leave campus without permission.
You may not be in off-limits areas on campus. These include:

The school parking lot
The drainage ditch and areas behind the school
Entrances to the District Office

Visitors are not permitted on campus without prior permission from the office (this includes the parking lot). Violators are subject to arrest per 653(G) of the penal code.
Backpacks: Since we do not issue books, there is no need for backpacks. On the rare occasion that it may be necessary to bring a backpack, students must check them into the office during the school day.
Any drawing, paraphernalia, or clothing that relates to drugs, obscenity, sexual harassment, racial or religious prejudice or weapons will be treated as disruptive of the educational process and may lead to disciplinary action.

TEXT A TIP – (714) 340-5804

You can text reports of: abuse, bullying, depression, drug sales, drug use, fights/pre-fights, safety concerns, thefts, threats to campus, vandalism, etc. Texts are confidential but not anonymous.

Non Discrimination Statement

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying in all district activities, programs, and employment based upon actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, color, religion, ancestry, nationality, national origin, ethnic group identification, immigration status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, pregnancy, age, physical or mental disability, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups or any other basis protected by law or regulation, in its educational program(s) or employment.

In accordance with AB-1078, this applies to all acts of the governing board and the superintendent of the school district in enacting policies and procedures that govern the local educational agency.

The following employees have been designated to handle questions or complaints of alleged discrimination: Employee complaint- Dr. Issaic Gates, Deputy Superintendent, Human Resources (714) 985-8408. Title IX and any other discrimination complaints - Dr. Baldwin Pedraza, Director, Student Services (714) 985-8670, [email protected]. Title II Coordinator / 504 Coordinator / Americans with Disabilities Act complaints - Dr. Baldwin Pedraza, Director, Student Services (714) 985-8670. Bullying, intimidation complaints - Tonya Gordillo, Administrator, Student Services (714) 985-8671. The mailing address for all compliance officers is 1301 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870.

Procedure for Complaints. Uniform Complaint Policy Form 1312.3. Williams Uniform Complaint Procedures Form 1312.4.

Employee/Student Non-Fraternization Policy: BP 4101

Grievance Procedure

Any student who feels that he/she is being or has been discriminated against for any reason (including but not limited to harassment/bullying, Title IX, Title II, 504, etc) shall immediately contact a school employee. A school employee to whom a complaint is made shall report it to the principal or designee. Any school employee who observes any incident of harassment/bullying on any student shall immediately report his/her observation to the principal or designee, whether or not the victim makes a complaint. [EC 48900 (r), 220; PC 422.55; BP 5145.3, AR 5145.3]

For complaints regarding harassment /bullying, site-level grievance:

The principal or designee shall investigate complaints of harassment/bullying. In so doing, he/she shall talk individually with:
The student who is complaining
The person accused of harassment/bullying
Anyone who saw the harassment/bullying take place
Anyone mentioned as having related information
The student who is complaining shall have an opportunity to describe the incident, present witnesses, other evidence of the harassment, and put a complaint in writing.
The principal or designee shall discuss the complaint only with the people described above. When necessary to carry out his/her investigation or for other good reasons that apply to the particular situation, the principal or designee also may discuss the complaint with the following persons:
The Superintendent or designee
The parent/guardian of the pupil who complained
The parent/guardian of the person accused of harassing/bullying someone
A teacher or staff member whose knowledge of the pupils involved may help in determining who is telling the truth
Child protective agencies responsible for investigating child abuse reports Legal counsel for the District

Sexual Harassment (48900.2)

Any student who engages in sexual harassment of anyone at school or at a school-sponsored or school-related activity is in violation of this policy and shall be subject to disciplinary action. Disciplinary action may include suspension and/or expulsion.

Any student who feels that he/she is being or has been subjected to sexual harassment shall immediately contact a school employee. A school employee to whom a complaint is made shall immediately report it to the principal or designee. Any school employee who observes any incident of sexual harassment on any student shall similarly report his/her observation to the principal or designee, whether or not the victim makes a complaint. [EC 48980 (h), 231.5, 212.5; BP 5145.7, AR 5145.7, 5CCR 4917]

The district designates the following individual(s) as the responsible employee(s) to coordinate its efforts to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and California Education Code 234.1, as well as to investigate and resolve sexual harassment complaints under AR 1312.3 - Uniform Complaint Procedures. The coordinator/compliance officer(s) may be contacted at:

Dr. Baldwin Pedraza, Director of Student Services

1301 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Placentia CA. 92870

714-985-8670

Prohibited sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, visual or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

Submission to the conduct is explicitly or implicitly made a term or condition of an individual’s academic status or progress.
Submission to or rejection of the conduct by an individual is used as the basis for academic decisions affecting the individual.
The conduct has the purpose or effect of a negative impact on the pupil’s academic performance, creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment.
Submission to or rejection of the conduct by an individual is used as the basis for any decision affecting the individual regarding benefits and services, honors, programs, or activities available at or through the school.

Types of conduct which are prohibited in the district and which may constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:

Unwelcome sexual flirtations or propositions
Sexual slurs, leering, epithets, threats, verbal abuse, derogatory comments or sexually degrading descriptions
Graphic verbal comments about an individual’s body, or overly personal conversation
Sexual jokes, notes, stories, drawings, pictures or gestures
Spreading sexual rumors
Teasing or sexual remarks about pupils enrolled in a predominantly single-sex class
Touching an individual’s body or clothes in a sexual way
Purposefully cornering or blocking normal movements
Limiting a pupil’s access to educational tools
Displaying sexually suggestive objects

For complaints regarding sexual harassment site-level grievance procedures are:

Any student who believes that he/she has been subjected to sexual harassment by another student, an employee, or a third party on school grounds or at a school related activity off campus, or who has witnessed sexual harassment is strongly encouraged to report the incident to his/her teacher, the principal, or any other available school employee. Within one school day of receiving such a report, the school employee shall forward the report to the principal or the district's compliance officer identified in AR 1312.3. In addition, any school employee who observes an incident of sexual harassment involving a student shall, within one school day, report his/her observation to the principal or a district compliance officer. The employee shall take these actions, whether or not the alleged victim files a complaint.

When a report or complaint of sexual harassment involves off-campus conduct that did not occur in the context of a school related activity, the principal shall assess whether the conduct may create or contribute to the creation of a hostile school environment.

If he/she determines that a hostile environment may be created, the complaint shall be investigated and resolved in the same manner as if the prohibited conduct occurred at school. When a verbal or informal report of sexual harassment is submitted, the principal or compliance officer shall inform the student or parent/guardian of the right to file a formal written complaint in accordance with the district's uniform complaint procedures. Regardless of whether a formal complaint is filed, the principal or compliance officer shall take steps to investigate the allegations and, if sexual harassment is found, shall take prompt action to stop it, prevent recurrence, and address any continuing effects.

If a complaint of sexual harassment is initially submitted to the principal, he/she shall, within two school days, forward the report to the compliance officer to initiate investigation of the complaint. The compliance officer and his/her designee shall contact the complainant and investigate and resolve the complaint in accordance with law and district procedures specified in AR 1312.3.

Any complainant who is dissatisfied with the district's final written decision may file an appeal in writing with the CDE within 15 calendar days of receiving the district's decision. In investigating a sexual harassment complaint, evidence of past sexual relationships of the victim shall not be considered, except to the extent that such evidence may relate to the victim's prior relationship with the respondent.

In any case of sexual harassment involving the principal, compliance officer, or any other person to whom the incident would ordinarily be reported or filed, the report may instead be submitted to the Superintendent or designee who shall determine who will investigate the complaint.

Confidentiality

All complaints and allegations of sexual harassment shall be kept confidential except as necessary to carry out the investigation or take other subsequent necessary action. However, when a complainant or victim of sexual harassment notifies the district of the harassment but requests confidentiality, the compliance officer shall inform him/her that the request may limit the district's ability to investigate the harassment or take other necessary action. When honoring a request for confidentiality, the district will nevertheless take all reasonable steps to investigate and respond to the complaint consistent with the request.

When a complainant or victim of sexual harassment notifies the district of the harassment but requests that the district not pursue an investigation, the district will determine whether or not it can honor such a request while still providing a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students.

Response Pending Investigation

When an incident of sexual harassment is reported, the principal or designee, in consultation with the compliance officer, shall determine whether interim measures are necessary pending the results of the investigation. The principal/designee or compliance officer shall take immediate measures necessary to stop the harassment and protect students and/or ensure their access to the educational program. To the extent possible, such interim measures shall not disadvantage the complainant or victim of the alleged harassment. Interim measures may include placing the individuals involved in separate classes or transferring a student to a class taught by a different teacher, in accordance with law and Board policy. The school should notify the individual who was harassed of his/her options to avoid contact with the alleged harasser and allow the complainant to change academic and extracurricular arrangements as appropriate. The school should also ensure that the complainant is aware of the resources and assistance, such as counseling, that are available to him/her. As appropriate, such actions shall be considered even when a student chooses to not file a formal complaint or the sexual harassment occurs off school grounds or outside school-sponsored or school-related programs or activities. In addition to those procedures, for complaints of sexual harassment, the following steps will also be included:

Complainant requests to remain anonymous will be honored but the district will inform the complainant that this request may result in a limited investigation and/or actions the district can take. When honoring a request for confidentiality, the district will nevertheless take all reasonable steps to investigate and respond to the complaint consistent with the request.