Public Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES


Non-Discrimination Policy
Horizon Honors Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the School’s non-discrimination policies:

Betsy Fera
Executive Director
Horizon Honors Schools
480-659-3000
[email protected]
16233 South 48th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85048

Sexual Harassment/ Title IX Policy
Any person who believes they have been subjected to sexual harassment by a student, staff member, or third party may file a grievance with the Title IX Coordinator. To file Title IX complaints, contact:

Kara Lashar
Finance Director/Title IX Coordinator
Horizon Honors Schools
[email protected]
480-659-3000
16233 South 48th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85048

Equal Educational Opportunities Policy
The right of a student to participate fully in classroom instruction shall not be abridged or impaired because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, and disability, or any other reason not related to the student's individual capabilities. The right of students to participate in extracurricular activities shall be dependent only upon their maintaining the minimum academic and behavioral standards established by the Governing Body, and their individual ability in the extracurricular activity.

Complaint Policy
Horizon Honors is committed to investigating each complaint and to taking appropriate action on all confirmed violations of policy. The Executive Director shall investigate and document complaints filed as soon as reasonable. In investigating the complaint, the Executive Director will maintain confidentiality to the extent reasonably possible. If after the initial investigation the Executive Director has reason to believe that a violation of policy has occurred, the Executive Director shall determine whether or not to hold a hearing. If the person alleged to have violated policy is a teacher or an administrator, the due process provisions of the School's Policy GCQF shall apply, except that the supervising administrator may be assigned to conduct the hearing.

The Executive Director also may recommend a suspension without pay, recommend dismissal, or impose other appropriate discipline. If the person alleged to have violated policy is a student, the Executive Director may impose discipline in accordance with policies JK, JKD and JKE. If the Executive Director's investigation reveals no reasonable cause to believe policy has been violated, the Executive Director shall so inform the complaining party in writing.

The complaint must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days after the complaining party knew or should have known that there were grounds for a complaint/grievance. Once the written complaint has been filed using the forms provided by Horizon Honors, the Executive Director shall require the immediate supervisor or site administrator to investigate and respond in writing to the complaining party within five (5) working days. If the immediate supervisor or site administrator does not respond, the Executive Director will have ten (10) additional working days to respond in writing to the complaining party. If the Executive Director does not respond within the established time, then the complaining party may request in writing that the issue be brought before the Governing Body. The Governing Body will then review the record of the investigation and have thirty (30) days to respond to the complaining party in writing.

FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that is administered by the Family Policy Compliance Office in the U.S. Department of Education, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99. FERPA affords parents and students over 18 years of age certain rights in respect to their education records.

If a parent or eligible student believes that Horizon Honors is violating FERPA, that person has the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The address is:

The Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Telephone number: (202) 260-3887

Student Surveys
Student surveys will be prepared, administered, retained, and communicated to parents and students in a manner consistent with state and federal laws. The requirements of the Arizona Revised Statues shall be as specified in the relevant statutes and subsequent regulations. Horizon Honors will comply with all statutes pertaining to surveys including the requirement that notwithstanding any other law, the school shall obtain written informed consent from the parent of a pupil before administering any survey that is retained by the school or the department of education for longer than one (1) year and that solicits personal information about the pupil regarding a number of characteristics which are listed in the statute A.R.S. 15-117. Horizon Honors will comply with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Child Find
Any parent with questions regarding developmental stages or issues relating to their child between the ages of birth to three may receive information in a school office. The information contains a list of agencies that provide assessment and services in all areas of development. Any parent that suspects their Horizon Honors school-age child may have a disability should contact their Elementary School Master Teacher or Secondary School Counselor.

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
The McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. McKinney-Vento provides federal funding to states for the purpose of supporting district programs that serve homeless students.

Staff Resumes
Credentials are available by request though the Horizon Honors Main Office.

Fundraising
Horizon Honors has multiple fundraising activities throughout the school year to cover the gap between state funding and the cost to provide our extensive programs. However, participation in any and all fundraising activities are not required to have your child enrolled at a Horizon Honors school.

Campus Safety
As stated in the mission statement, “Horizon Honors is committed to providing a safe learning environment.” Horizon Honors has an Emergency Response Plan that details student and staff procedures in the event of an emergency. The School Safety Committee reviews and updates the plan on a regular basis.

Emergency Drills
A variety of emergency drills are held monthly to train community members on the safest, quickest way to respond to emergency situations.

Silent Witness
Community members may call 480-659-3010 to submit safety concerns via voicemail to school officials, including anonymous tips if desired.

Closed Campus
All exterior doors and gates, with the exception of the school’s offices, are locked at all times. Visitors must sign in at a Horizon Honors office and are required to present ID.

Public Conduct on School Property
Any person visiting the campus must follow all federal, state, and local laws and follow all Horizon Honors Schools policies. A person may also interfere with or disrupt a school function by failing to comply with the directions of school officials or law enforcement officers (Policy KFA.)

Animals on Campus
Pets and other animals are not permitted on school property, or in school vehicles, unless the animal is a service animal or is present for an educational purpose (Policy IMG.)

Asbestos Management
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACM) in Schools Final Rule and Notice (40 CFR Part 763.84c) requires Horizon Honors to “Insure that workers and building occupants, or their legal guardians, are informed at least once each school year about inspections, response actions, and post response action activities, including periodic re-inspections and surveillance activities that are planned or in progress.” A copy of the Asbestos Management Plan is located in the Facilities Management Office. For more information, contact the Horizon Honors Facilities Manager at 480-659-3000.

Pest Control
Pesticides or herbicides are applied by a licensed professional on non-school days. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all chemicals used in pest control are kept on file in the Horizon Honors Facilities Management Office. Notice of Pesticide Application with dates are located in the Horizon Honors Offices.

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug-Free Campus

The possession and/or use of tobacco products, alcohol, or drugs used for nonmedical purposes on school property, in school vehicles, or during school-sponsored activities is strictly prohibited. Medical marijuana and imitation drugs are also not permitted (Policy JICH.)

Student Directory Information
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA,) a federal law, requires that Horizon Honors Schools, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Horizon Honors Schools may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without consent, unless a parent/guardian has provided Horizon Honors notice in accordance with organization procedures as outlined below.

Horizon Honors Schools has designated the following as directory information: Student name, Parent/Guardian names*, Student address*, Student phone number*, Parent/Guardian email*, Student grade, Student age, Student gender, Student teacher name, Student dates of attendance*, Student ID number*, Student achievement, award/honors/position/or placement in competitions, Student weight and height (if part of athletic team,) Student grade average, and Student college attending and major. Items marked with (*) are only designated as “directory information” if being released outside organizations such as: entities providing students with scholarships for educational programs, activities, or services, Horizon Honors-affiliated groups or vendors (e.g., student groups or clubs, yearbook vendors, picture vendors, class ring vendors, graduation vendors, etc.) Directory information may be used and/or disclosed for educational and/or promotional purposes, including but not limited to: school yearbooks, honor rolls, social media, emails, marketing materials, school websites, event programs, team rosters, theater playbills, and media coverage. Items designated as “directory information” may be disclosed unless the parent/guardian of the student completes a Student Directory Information Opt-Out Form within two weeks of the first day of school. If a transfer student, the opt-out form must be completed within two weeks of the enrollment start date. Student Directory Information Opt-Out Forms are available in both Horizon Honors School Offices.

If Horizon Honors Schools does not receive the Student Directory Information Opt-Out Form within the prescribed time, Horizon Honors Schools will assume that permission is given to use the directory information as described above. Unless modified by the written direction of the student's parents/guardians, this designation will remain in effect through the remainder of the school year. Please give careful consideration before directing Horizon Honors not to release 'directory information.'

Media Release Information
Student photographs, video, or audio may be recognized or displayed in various Horizon Honors-sponsored publications (print, electronic, film, video, audio, etc.) to promote Horizon Honors-related activities and achievements or to inform the community about Horizon Honors-related matters. Horizon Honors Schools may also work with outside media groups to recognize students and their achievements or to inform the community about Horizon Honors-related matters.

On rare occasions, Horizon Honors Schools may also authorize education-related groups (ex: student teacher from ASU for instruction feedback) to film or make other recordings during the school day.

Horizon Honors Schools has the right to use a student’s likeness in any manner and without any compensation. Inspection or approval of the final versions of the photos/video and/or any accompanying written materials will not be granted.

A student’s likeness, including video, photographic, and/or audio representation may be utilized or displayed unless the parent/guardian of the student completes a Student Media Release Opt-Out Form within two weeks of the first day of school. If a transfer student, the opt-out form must be completed within two weeks of the enrollment start date. Student Media Release Opt-Out Forms are available in both Horizon Honors School Offices.

If Horizon Honors Schools does not receive the Student Media Release Opt-Out Form within the prescribed time, Horizon Honors Schools will assume that permission is given to use the student’s likeness as described above. Unless modified by the written direction of the student's parents/guardians, this designation will remain in effect through the remainder of the school year.

Please note Horizon Honors Schools has no control and is not responsible for recordings made of a student outside of school property, at public events and activities, after school hours, or by unauthorized students or third parties. In addition, note that regardless of opt-out form, coverage that involves a photo or video where students are only part of a crowd or in the background and such students are not otherwise identified may be used.

Organization & Schools Logos
The use of any Horizon Honors’ logo is prohibited.

Transparency in Coverage
This link leads to the machine-readable files that are made available in response to the federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and includes negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data: https://www.cigna.com/legal/compliance/machine-readable-files