At Fort Hunt, all students have the right to a safe learning environment. We take this seriously and have put both proactive and reactive systems in place. We utilize a Responsive Classroom approach to create a safe, caring learning environment. Students build relationships with one another through a daily morning meeting and are expected to learn the routines that promote independence and keep their classroom safe for all. Teachers repeatedly name what the expectations are and provide students opportunities to practice them. All students are expected to be safe, respectful and responsible whether in their own classroom or common spaces such as hallways, bathrooms, cafeterias and playground. These expectations continue off campus when students are on field trips and on the way to/from school. 

We know that students will make mistakes and are here to help them learn. We respond to these mistakes in a variety of ways, taking into account the nature of the misbehavior, the age of the child and other developmental factors. Students may be redirected, lose a privilege, be removed from an activity and/or repair what might be broken. When a student engages in what we call a “big deal behavior,” we document that and communicate directly with parents/guardians about it. We follow up with documentation of our conversation and as appropriate, we document in our Student Information System.  This ensures that we’re all on the same page and can provide support to a student. 

The Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment. We invite you to visit this link to learn about the many ways we work to ensure a safe space for all. 

Having a Phone/Smart Watch at School 

Some families make the decision for their child to have a phone or smart watch at school. If your child has a phone or smart watch, the following applies:

Phones must be silenced and in backpacks for the duration of the school day. Watches that serve a dual purpose (e.g., smart watch) may be worn; however, phone features (e.g., texting, Internet, calls, etc.) are to be off when phone use is prohibited. Phone accessories like earbuds and headsets linked to a phone must also be stored away. Students are prohibited from using phones, tablets, and other mobile devices in restrooms and locker rooms, unless there is a medical necessity or emergency. 

Bullying & Harassing Behaviors

Your child's physical and emotional safety are our first priority. Our entire staff, especially our counselor, administrators and social worker, work closely with students to teach students ways to advocate for themselves and others in appropriate ways. We have routines and procedures in place to monitor students as closely as possible. That said, we know that mean and unkind behaviors can and will occur. It is only when we know about bullying behaviors that we can then investigate and respond. As soon as you know about a bullying or harassing situation, whether it's with your child or another student at Fort Hunt, please report it to Ms. Consolla and Ms. Settel. 

Some students have struggled to manage social media such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Discord, and comments/postings outside of school have been the source of disagreements, misunderstandings and arguments that spill over into school. Our expectation is that parents are carefully monitoring their child's access to a phone and any social media accounts. If your child reports that another student is making inappropriate comments to them on social media, we invite you to remove that app from their phone. Any threats made on social media accounts should be reported to the police. 

The following Do’s and Don’ts can help ensure students are bringing their best selves to all their social platforms:

Do...

• Respect yourself and be yourself.
• Use privacy settings, strong passwords, and turn off location services unless needed.
• Pay attention to red flag feelings. If something makes you feel uneasy or uncomfortable, stop and consult with a trusted adult.
• Block unfriendly connections and treat people the way you would want to be treated and consider different perspectives.
• Slow down and reflect before posting. Posts are permanent and shareable.
• Consider the consequences. Imagine what could happen before you decide to post.
• Immediately tell your parents, teacher, or principal if you see cyberbullying, know of a student in crisis, or if someone threatens to harm themselves or others.

Don’t...

• Don’t post obscene, harassing, discriminatory, violent, vulgar, or hateful content.
• Don’t add people you don’t know to your social media accounts.
• Don’t overshare.
• Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in person.
• Don’t get caught up in other people’s drama. You don’t have to take part in a conversation that makes you uncomfortable.
• Don’t feed trolls. If someone is being mean or disrespectful to you, let it go or block them.

Visit http://bit.ly/FCPSdigcitpublic for more resources for families regarding their child's online use.

Administrators and/or other FCPS staff members may be notified if it appears that a student may be in crisis.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please text NEEDHELP to 85511, call 1-800-273-TALK, or dial 911.

Security

The safety and security of our students is our number one priority. Our school security plan requires that all exterior doors to the Main building are locked. Office staff welcome parents and school visitors through the front door via the video entry security system. All visitors must then go directly to the office to sign in with their driver’s license to receive a visitor’s tag and announce where they would like to go in the school. 

We maintain a safety plan that requires we hold various drills throughout the year to make sure we are ready in the event of an emergency. Fire drills are held twice during the first 20 days of school and then again each month. Lockdown drills are practiced two times a year--once in the first 20 days of school and again in January. Parents can find more information about lockdown drills by visiting the FCPS Safety & Security page. Tornado drills are practiced in the spring. Bus evacuation drills are conducted twice a year.