Policy Handbook

PATHS Policy Handbook

Guiding Principles*

*Members of PATHS accept responsibility to abide by the published guidelines.

I accept that I am on property owned by and operated by Green Lakes Baptist Church and that I must conduct myself accordingly. I accept that my instructors are people of faith and are using primarily Christian materials and I agree that I will respect all people and materials associated with PATHS.

Respectful Dialogue is expected to maintain an atmosphere of civility and must include respect for diversity of opinions. Personal or malicious attacks, along with attacks directed towards race, ethnicity, lifestyle, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc., will not be tolerated. Failing to be respectful of other students or their personal beliefs may ultimately lead to one’s temporary or permanent removal from PATHS.

A founding principle of PATHS is the importance of Christian mentorship. PATHS administrators believe that concerns about an individual's conduct should be met with guidance. Administration will make every effort to partner with involved parties in resolving the issues of improper or questionable conduct. If the issue cannot be resolved or becomes a threat to the physical, mental/emotional, or spiritual wellbeing of others, PATHS reserves the right to terminate services with the individual(s).

Admissions Policy

PATHS accepts students who are 17 or less as of the first Tuesday in September. Students who turn 18 prior to admission to PATHS may be admitted on a case-by-case basis after sufficient entrance testing and consideration of what courses are desired. PATHS reserves the right to deny entrance to any student.

Code of Conduct

To be a member of the PATHS community is to be expected to conduct oneself at the highest level of personal integrity. Students are at PATHS to fulfill their obligations in academics, personal growth, and community engagement.

All members of the PATHS community must: demonstrate honesty and integrity; respect differences in people, their ideas, and their opinions; treat one another with dignity and respect at all times.

Most importantly students must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with being at PATHS to learn.

Some examples of classroom misconduct that will not be tolerated include, but are not limited to, the following:

Lying, stealing, cheating or committing any dishonorable act.
Conduct that disrupts activities
Leave the property or any PATHS event without specific permission of a responsible adult
Verbal abuse or any level of disrespect including sexual harassment
Interference with the educational opportunity of other students
Attending class under the influence of alcohol or other drugs
Public displays of affection between students
Assault or bullying, to include cyberbullying, or violent behavior

Bullying is specifically defined as: behavior that constitutes or is interpreted as intentionally or recklessly endangers, threatens, or causes physical or emotional harm to any person, or that intentionally or recklessly causes reasonable apprehension of such harm.

Further, students and adults shall:

Treat the buildings, grounds, and furnishings of Green Lakes Baptist and PATHS with respect.
Comply with directions of PATHS staff.
Respect the rights and property of all members of PATHS.
Accept responsibility for, and the consequences of, their actions, and encourage responsible conduct in others.
Respect the prohibition of possession, consumption, distribution, and provision of alcohol on campus, and the illegal possession, use, distribution, and provision of controlled substances.
Refrain from tampering with fire safety or security equipment
Have no firearms, weapons, items designed to inflict harm or damage.
Comply with the dress code.
Not display, bring, or discuss on campus any symbol of hate or discrimination.

Parents and adults shall:

Abide by all of the above including respectful dialog while at PATHS.
Pay all fees associated with PATHS on time and recognize that failure to pay fees in a timely manner means that students will be unable to attend classes until all outstanding fees are paid. Two months of delayed months is grounds for dismissal or loss or reregistration ability.
Obey parking lot attendants; drive cautiously & slowly at all times while on site.
Work with PATHS staff to resolve any student issues in a collaborative manner.

Consequences of violations of the Code of Conduct:

All violators will be met with grace where possible. PATHS administration maintains the absolute right to remove student(s) from the classroom when deemed necessary. Further, administration maintains the right to remove a student or family from the program when deemed necessary for the safety and/or integrity of the program.

First violation, depending upon the severity of the violation will be a verbal warning, and documentation of the offense.

More serious violations, such as bullying, stealing, vandalism, or leaving the property or an event without permission will receive written reprimand, parents/or responsible parties will be notified, and possible suspension, or in extreme cases expulsion are all options.

Second violations will receive written notice to the parent or responsible party, possible in-school suspension or other discipline as deemed appropriate. On-site parent consultation may be required to remain enrolled in class or in PATHS.

Suspensions can be levied for up to 2 weeks based on the offense.

Repeat offenders, regardless of the violation, may be expelled from PATHS.

Procedures

Pickup/Dropoff Procedure

Use the drop off lane to drop off and pick up your child. Do not get out of your vehicle while in the drop off lane. If you need to go inside, please park in the designated spaces.
- Click here to see the traffic flow map
Doors open at 8:40 AM. Students are asked to wait in the activity hall until 5 minutes before their class begins, at which time they will be dismissed to class. On Tuesdays, students will be sent to the sanctuary around 8:45 AM for the morning meeting; when the meeting is over, they will be dismissed to their classes.
Children will be dismissed by a staff member to families in the pickup line. If you have a Kindergarten age student, please come wait by the front door for pickup. If your student will be driving, the office must have a driving permission slip on file.
- Click here to fill out the driving permissions form.
If you’re more than 10 minutes late picking up, your child will be sent to the activity hall and you will be charged for the hour; if it’s the end of the school day and you’re late, you’ll be charged $15 every 15 minutes you are late.

Class Registration Procedures

In order to register for classes at PATHS, you must first register with our program, then pay the yearly family registration fee. After payment, it takes about 1-2 business days for class registration to unlock on your account. For a detailed walkthrough of the registration process, click here.
In order to register for the academy program, individual educational therapy, or therapeutic group classes, you must have testing.
- Click here for detailed information on the required testing.
- Click here to schedule testing.
If a student is on campus, he or she must be registered for a course for that hour. If your student is not in a class, he or she will be sent to activity hall and charged for the hour.
- The activity hall is a supervised location where students have the opportunity to work on schoolwork or participate in other activities. It is not a quiet study hour but rather a supervised “free” period for students.
If your child will be absent from a class or needs an early dismissal from a class, please notify the student’s instructor(s).
If you need to drop a class, you must notify your instructor and complete the online withdrawal form. You will be charged for this class until the form is completed and processed by the office.
Lockers are available to rent for the school year. Click here to see details and fill out our locker rental form.

Cell Phone/Smart Watch/Electronics Policy

PATHS is a Cell Phone/Smartwatch/Electronics-Free Campus. This policy will not limit communication between parents and children. Parents and students will always have 100% access to PATHS staff and office. Teachers will have access to their phones in case of emergencies, but devices must remain out of sight during class time.

We encourage students to leave phones and smart watches at home or in their vehicles. If a device is brought into the building, it will be secured under the student’s name until they are ready to leave campus. A secure cabinet will be maintained by PATHS for this purpose.

Students are not permitted to use handheld gaming devices during the school day, including in activity hall. Laptops and tablets may be permitted in activity hall or the classroom at the discretion of monitor/teacheer and may only be used for the completion of homework and classwork; while using a laptop or tablet, the screen must be visible to a supervising adult at all times.

Goals of this Policy:

Enhance student-student communication
Improve focus and retention in the classroom
Strengthen student-teacher communication
Positively impact self-image by reducing online distractions and comparisons

This policy is in effect during all PATHS functions.

Dress Code

This dress code shall always apply to students and adults onsite at PATHS or any PATHS-sponsored event.

Students are encouraged to “dress for success” as mature young adults and make clothing choices consistent with PATHS’s mission of providing a safe, less-stressed learning and social environment for all students.

We ask students to dress and groom themselves as individuals with a sense of responsibility and self-respect. It’s not a matter of what you must wear; it’s more a matter of what is appropriate in a learning situation. Specifically, clothing that becomes disruptive, when it is offensive, threatening, or provocative to others, is vulgar, displays tobacco or alcohol advertising, profanity, racial slurs, and displays images of drug use or gang-related symbols should not be worn at PATHS or PATHS sponsored events.

Students have a right to choose their dress and personal appearance if it does not interfere with the educational process or academic decorum, endanger student health and safety, or cause undue maintenance problems for the school. The following policies are provided to help parents and students choose appropriate dress choices while attending PATHS:

All private parts must be covered at all times. Students may not wear immodest clothing, which includes clothing that exposes undergarments or inappropriately exposes the body (such as bare midriffs), clothing intended as swimwear, or sleepwear. Further:

Students may not wear pants in a sagging manner (below the hips).
Refrain from clothing with political or social statements/emblems
Pants shall not be ripped nor extend below the heel of the shoe.
Students may not wear chains on wallets or belts, as these may pose a danger.
Shoes must be worn at all times. Close-toed are preferred.
Students may not wear sunglasses or headphones in class.
Students are encouraged to NOT wear hats, especially in the sanctuary.

Why PATHS has a dress code:

To further the PATHS mission–to provide a positive learning environment that prepares students for work, family, personal advancement, and fulfillment.

Clothing and appearance should not distract others from pursuing their academic goals. Dress must not encourage or endorse alcohol, tobacco, drugs and disruptive behaviors. Dress must respect all students’ and staff’s personal beliefs, religious rights, and freedoms.

Violations of the dress code will result in the following:

First violation: a verbal warning, counseling, and documentation.
Second violation: a written warning requiring a reply from the student’s parent or guardian.
Third violation: Students must return home and change into appropriate attire.
Fourth and subsequent violations: suspension, the duration to be determined by the severity of the infraction and the student’s willingness to cooperate with school officials and adhere to the standards of the dress code.

Sick Policy

Please keep your child at home if:

They have had a fever of 100.4 or higher in the last 24 hours.
- Your child must be fever free for 24 hours without medications for them to return
Pink eye or discharge from eyes
Lice
Rash of unknown origin
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Severe cough or congestion in the last 24-48 hours.
Your child is complaining of feeling unwell and it is causing them to be unable to focus or do their work

It is your responsibility as the guardian to retrieve your child or have an emergency contact lined up to retrieve them within 1 hour of being notified.

If PATHS calls and asks that a child(ren) be picked up the child MUST be picked up as soon as possible.

In the event of a health crisis or mass event, PATHS will comply with the Health Department, Virginia, and Federal guidelines.

PATHS holds the right to suspend or remove a family from the program any family that does not comply with these terms.

Notice of Audio Video Surveillance

This facility is equipped with audio and video surveillance equipment to ensure the safety and security of our members, visitors, employees, customers, and property.

The surveillance equipment is located in public and shared areas where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.

The audio recording is limited to public areas only.

The video footage may be monitored and recorded by authorized personnel for security purposes.

By entering this facility, you consent to audio and video surveillance and acknowledge that you have been informed of the presence of surveillance equipment. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the management.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Professional People of Faith Providing Academic Services

Honor and Integrity are Pathways to Success

Less Stressed Kids Can Learn Anything