Chickamauga City School District is committed to creating a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment. CCSD strives to provide an environment where all students can learn and gain the character, knowledge, and essential skills to be successful.

The CCSD Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines and expectations that outline acceptable behavior and the discipline procedures for students while attending Chickamauga City Schools. It serves as a tool for creating a positive school culture where students can thrive academically and personally while being held accountable for their actions.

Students shall participate fully in the learning process, avoid behaviors that impair their own or other students’ educational achievement, show respect for the knowledge and authority of teachers, administrators, and other school employees, and recognize and respect the rights of other students and adults.

1. Students who attend or participate in any event/activity while representing the school system, whether the event/activity takes place on or off school property, are subject to this student discipline code and school rules.
    
2. Suspension precludes a student from all school operations, activities, and functions for the time of the suspension. Students in In-School Suspension (ISS) may not attend any school-related activity on or off school grounds until ISS is completed. An assignment of ISS is completed at the end of the school day on the last day of the suspension.
    
3. Students under Out of School Suspension (OSS) or expulsion may not attend school-related activity on or off school grounds during the time of the suspension or expulsion. An assignment of OSS ends on the morning of the next day after the suspension is completed or the morning after the last day of the school year if the suspension is at the end of the school year.
    
4. School administrators have the authority to conduct a reasonable search of students, their possessions, their lockers, and their automobiles when on school property.
    
5. Disciplinary cases involving possible criminal conduct may be reported to appropriate law enforcement agencies.
    
6. Students are to notify an administrator or staff member when illegal items are found in the school or on the school campus. Students are not to pick up or handle illegal or suspicious items.
    
7. Based on the discipline offense and disciplinary action, participation in extracurricular activities and/or school functions may be affected.

Chickamauga City School District prohibits the bullying, harassing, or intimidating of any student, by any means or method, at school, on school property, or at school-related functions; while traveling to or from school activities on a school bus; off-campus when the behavior results in a disruption to the school environment; or by use of data or software that is accessed through a District computer, computer system, computer network, or other electronic technology of the District. It also applies to acts of cyberbullying.
Bullying may be reported by a student, parent, guardian, or other stakeholder to an administrator, teacher, counselor, or other staff member at the student's school. Any employee to whom bullying is reported, who witnesses an incident of bullying or who otherwise learns that a student is being bullied must promptly notify the principal or designee. The District prohibits retaliation against any person who reports bullying or participates in an investigation of bullying. Any report of retaliation for reporting bullying will also be investigated and addressed. Schools shall keep reports of bullying confidential to the extent consistent with a thorough investigation.

Upon receipt of any report of bullying, the principal or designee will direct an investigation involving appropriate personnel. The principal or designee shall ensure that proper documentation is maintained throughout the investigation and resolution of the matter. The school shall keep reports of bullying and results of the investigation confidential.

Acts of bullying shall be punished by a range of consequences through the progressive discipline process, as stated in the Code of Conduct and Board Policy. However, upon a finding by the disciplinary hearing officer, panel, or tribunal that a student in grades 6-12 has committed the offense of bullying for the third time in a school year, the student could be assigned to an alternative school, receive a long-term suspension, or expulsion.

The Student Code of Conduct and Student Conduct-Progressive Discipline Procedures can be accessed at the links below. Students and their parents need to know, understand, and support the Student Code of Conduct in order to have a successful educational experience at Chickamauga City Schools.

Board Policy: Student Conduct
Administrative Procedures: Student Conduct

School attendance is crucial for a student's academic success and personal development. By prioritizing attendance, students and their families contribute to a solid foundation for lifelong learning and personal development. When students attend school regularly, they tend to perform better academically. Regular attendance helps students stay on track with their learning, avoid falling behind, and build strong relationships with teachers and classmates. It also prepares them for future responsibilities in the workplace, where consistency and punctuality are highly valued. Overall, good attendance is a key factor in a student’s educational journey and long-term success.

The links below outline in detail the student attendance policy and procedures regarding excused and unexcused absences, parent notes, tardies and early checkouts, and makeup work.

Board Policy: Student Attendance
Administrative Procedures: Student Attendance

Schools realize that occasionally it is necessary to schedule dental or doctor appointments during the school day. To help reduce the number of absences for your student and help support consistent attendance this should be kept to a minimum. Parents are urged to arrange dental and doctor visits for well health issues outside of school hours. In addition, it is encouraged to schedule vacations, trips, and other appointments during school breaks.

2025-2026 School Breaks & holidays

LABOR DAY	WINTER BREAK
Monday, 9/1	Friday, 2/13 - Monday 2/16
Students Return Tuesday, 9/2	Students Return Tuesday, 2/17
FALL BREAK	SPRING BREAK
Monday, 10/13 - Friday, 10/17	Monday, 3/30 - Friday, 4/3
Students Return Monday, 10/20	Students Return Monday, 4/6
THANKSGIVING BREAK	EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS
Monday, 11/24 - Friday, 11/28	Friday, 9/12 *Teacher In-service
Students Return Monday, 12/1	Friday, 10/10 *Fall Break / Teacher In-service
	Friday, 12/19 *Christmas Break
CHRISTMAS BREAK	Thursday, 2/12 *Winter Break / Teacher In-service
Monday, 12/22 - Tuesday, 1/6	Friday, 3/13 *Teacher In-service
Students Return Wednesday, 1/7	Friday, 3/27 *Spring Break
	Friday, 5/22 *Summer Break
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR DAY
Monday, 1/19
Students Return Tuesday, 1/20

 

Checking in/out of school

Students should bring a note from home if they will be checking out of school early.  Once a student is on campus, he or she must not leave the campus during the school day without checking out in the office.  When a student is checked out early, comes in late, or is absent that student must bring a note from a parent and/or a doctor.  A note must be brought to the office within three days of the student’s absence, or the absence will be unexcused.

 

Tardies and Attendance

 Everyone should try their best to be at school every day!  All students should be in the classroom by 8:00 A.M.  Repeated tardies could result in detention.  In order to be counted present for the day, students must stay until 11:30.  If you are absent, you MUST BRING A NOTE EXCUSING YOUR ABSENCE WITHIN 3 DAYS OF THE ABSENCE OR IT WILL BE AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE.  Please provide doctor’s notes whenever possible.

 

Attendance

Georgia state compulsory school attendance law (GA Code 20-2-690.1) states that all children between the ages of six and sixteen must attend school on a regular basis.  It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that this occurs.  When students are not in compliance with compulsory attendance, according to School Board policy the following strategies may be used to encourage good attendance; teacher/ administrative phone calls, required administrative conferences, loss of credit, student probation, involvement by school social worker, referral to Walker County Truancy Treatment Team, Department of Family and Children’s Services, Superior Court of Walker County or Department of Juvenile Justice, or possible expulsion from Chickamauga City Schools.  This law also specifies penalties that courts may impose for noncompliance that include fines, community service and imprisonment.

 

Horseplay

Students should refrain from horseplay or putting their hands on others.  Students are to walk, not run.  Fighting will result in a grade of U in conduct.  Respect for others is to be shown at all times.

 

Parent/ Teacher Conferences

Parents may call the school, email their child’s teacher or note in the agenda book to arrange a conference at any time.  The school number is 706-382-3100 ext. 1000. For a complete list of teacher extensions, visit our website. To email a teacher use: teacher’s firstname.lastname@glschools.org.  

 

Transportation

While bus transportation is not provided for students to and from school, there are times when students will be on school buses.  All school policies are in effect while students are on a school bus.

 

Walking Trips

Our schools are the heart of our community and our community is definitely the heart of our schools. We are very fortunate to have great resources adjacent to our campus and frequently take advantage of these experiences through walking trips. Such trips might include but are not limited to the “Helicopter Park,” Chickamauga Public Library, Post Office, Merchants within the Business District, Chickamauga Recreation Association Fields and the city block sidewalk. Walking experiences are considered a part of the regular instructional day.

 

Personal Items

Students should not bring toys, trading cards, athletic items, electronic equipment or any nonessential personal items onto school property unless authorized by a staff member. Chickamauga City School is not responsible for lost or stolen items.  Pets may only be brought with the consent of both the principal and the classroom teacher and must be brought in by an adult.

 

Telephones

Telephones in the building are for school business only.  Students are allowed to use the telephones only for limited circumstances.  Cell phones are not to be used during the school day by students.  All cell phones must be out of sight during the school day and must be turned off.  If a phone rings even though it is out of sight, it will be a violation of school policy and subsequent consequences will follow. 

 

School Closing

During the school year, the school may have to cancel classes before the scheduled dismissal time because of weather conditions or other factors which force the school to close.  Local television and/or radio stations will carry these announcements.  The Chickamauga City School System also utilizes an emergency/mass notification system called “School Messenger”. This system will automatically contact you in the event of school closings, emergency situations, special events, and general information.  The phone number of the person listed as the primary contact on your student’s application packet is the number that will be called.  Please visit  SchoolMessenger to check your contact number for accuracy or add additional numbers. Sign up for text message alerts: SchoolMessenger Opt-in

Discuss with your student who might be picking them up or where they should go in case of an early dismissal.  Our KIDS program will be closed whenever school is canceled for an unscheduled reason.

PTO

Parent involvement is a vital component of our success here at CES.  We encourage all parents to get involved through volunteering and being active in school events. For volunteer information contact P.A.T.S Coordinator, Stephanie Bower at 706-382-3100 at ext. 1054. Be sure to visit the PTO tab on our web page for more information. A special thanks is extended to the PTO for funding the purchase of these agendas.

 

Title I Parent and Family Engagement

At Chickamauga Elementary School, we believe that education is a partnership among students, parents, school, and community.  We encourage parents to participate in school activities and provide feedback through school meetings, surveys, and parent/teacher conferences.  The Chickamauga City School System Parent and Family Engagement Policy ensures that parents are an integral part of the planning, design, and implementation of the Title I program.  The Parent and Family Engagement Plan describes how the school and parents can build and develop a partnership that can support effective parental involvement and strengthen student academic achievement.  The Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Plan and School-Parent Compact can be found on the Chickamauga Elementary School website under Title I. 

 

Renaissance

Renaissance Pep Rallies are held every 9 weeks.  All students attend and parents are always welcome. Students with perfect attendance, honor roll and star roll, as well as good character are recognized. 

Effective July 1, 2025

The Chickamauga City Schools District participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.  This allows the school system to offer free and reduced priced meals to students who qualify and to receive a federal supplement for each student meal served.   

The Chickamauga City Schools District will provide balanced nutritional meals. The School Nutrition Program is a self-supporting operation and relies on meal payments and federal meal supplements to fund the program.  It is therefore necessary to have a procedure for the collection of meal payments.

• Families are encouraged to apply for free and reduced priced meal benefits each year.  Applications will be given to each student on the first day of school. Additional applications are available throughout the year from the school office, the cafeteria cashier or the Superintendent’s office. Families may apply for benefits at any time during the school year or as household circumstances change.  Applications can be completed on-line at LinqConnect
• Families are encouraged to pre-pay for meals with cash, check or online at LinqConnect.  Payments may be received by the student’s homeroom teacher, the cafeteria cashier, or the school office. Parents may view balances, create low balance alerts, and schedule automatic payments online.
• The School Nutrition Program has a “no charge policy”. All accounts must be paid in full by the end of the school year.
• No student will be permitted to purchase extras or a’ la carte items without a cash payment or available funds in their account. 
• Negative account balance statements will be emailed to the primary guardian listed in Infinite Campus. Statements may also be sent home with students or mailed to the household.
• Parents may call the Nutrition Office, at 706-382-3100, ext. 4008, to discuss financial circumstances.
• All previous unpaid charges will be subject to collections. 
• A copy of this procedure will be provided to all households at the beginning of the school year and available on the school website.

To ensure the safety of all students, especially those with food allergies, please be aware that our school cafeteria serves a variety of meals that may contain or come in contact with common allergens, including: peanuts, peanut butter, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, and sesame.                                                      

Meal Prices for the 2025-2026 School Year
	Elementary	Middle / High	Staff	Visitors
Lunch	$3.00	$3.15	$4.25	$5.50
Premium Lunch		$3.50	$4.25	$5.50
Breakfast	$2.10	$2.10	$3.75	$4.00

 

“This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider”

CHICKAMAUGA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
STUDENT DRESS CODE 2025-2026

The Chickamauga City Schools Board of Education supports a learning environment which is safe, conducive to learning, and free of distractions. A student’s dress and personal appearance should reflect pride in self and school. It is our hope that students will leave Chickamauga City Schools with an understanding that “appropriate dress” is determined by the event or function a person is attending. A dress code has been established for Chickamauga City Schools to help set the proper atmosphere for learning to take place. Students are required to show proper attention to personal cleanliness, neatness, and conservative standards of dress and appearance. Your cooperation in providing a positive climate for learning is appreciated. Your child will be expected to follow the dress standards as they are written. If a student does not comply with the dress code, he/she will be removed from class until the dress is acceptable. Absences from class for violations will be considered unexcused absences. Parents and/or guardians may have to bring clothes to school to help the student reach compliance.

GUIDELINES FOR DRESS AND GROOMING:

1. Any appearance which is disruptive to the educational process is prohibited.
2. Clothes will be in good taste, size appropriate, and will not be revealing. Clothing will not have holes.
3. Students should only wear shorts in P.E. class (except grades K-5).
4. Skirts, skorts and shorts must be at least mid-thigh length and cannot have holes or have splits that expose the thigh.
5. Leggings, jeggings, and yoga pants are not allowed (except grades K-5).
6. Strapless tops, one shoulder tops, or crop tops are not allowed. No bare midriff showing when standing, sitting, bending, or raising arms and back and shoulders must be covered at all times. No spaghetti straps or muscle shirts.
7. Sweatsuits, sweatpants, and warm-ups are not allowed in middle and high school.
8. Students who wear trousers or slacks that have belt loops must wear a belt.
9. Tee shirts must be tucked in. Jerseys may be worn over acceptable attire but must be tucked in.
10. No students’ shirt is to be bloused out to give the appearance of being tucked in. Shirts worn as a jacket must be tucked in if they do not have a straight edge hem.
11. Appropriate undergarments are required and should not be visible.
12. Clothing with the American flag improperly displayed is not allowed.
13. Clothing with profanity, lewd pictures, symbols that are controversial and may be offensive to others, suggestive slogans or advertisements, or logos of items illegal for younger students to purchase (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, etc.) is not allowed. No skulls, crossbones, knives, etc. associated with death or dismemberment. No shirts promoting entertainers or groups promoting any of the above.
14. Wearing headwear (hats, hoods, caps, scarves, bandanas, toboggans, sunglasses, etc.) is not allowed inside the school building. Chains of any kind are not allowed. All students must wear shoes.
15. Body piercings are not allowed except for females pierced ears. Male students are not allowed to wear earrings. Tattoos and body art must be covered.
16. Males’ hair length can be no longer than the top of a shirt collar, cannot be below mid-ear on the sides and cannot fall below the eyebrows. Sideburns cannot be below mid-ear. Students must be clean shaven.
17. Trendy or distracting hair styles (mohawk, mullets, spikes, unnatural colors, shaving part of the head, or designs in hair, etc.) are not allowed.

 

All students must be within dress code at all times. No student shall dress or groom where the effect, in the administrator’s opinion, is inappropriate for school.

 

DRESS CODE SUBJECT TO REVISION

July 2025

Resident (City) Students: To be considered a resident (city) student, the student must be a full-time resident living within the city limits of Chickamauga. The student must reside with his/her parents or legal guardian.

Non-resident Students: These students reside outside the city limits of Chickamauga and must pay tuition prior to, or on the first day of attendance. By Board policy, students are not allowed to attend class until tuition is paid in full. Tuition is non-refundable even if the student moves into the city only for a short period of time after the start of school. Out-of­ state students may be accepted if space is available and payment of total out-of-state tuition is paid.

Frequently occurring situations:

1. Owning property in the city does not earn student residency status unless they reside on the property full time.
2. Separated/divorced parents- Students must be full-time city residents to be considered in the district.
   • • If one parent lives in the city and one lives in the county, the student's residency will be determined by the address of the custodial parent.
     • If the court awards joint custody and the student lives with both parents equally (50% of the time), the student will not be considered a city student unless both parents reside within the city limits. Students must be full-time city residents to be considered in the district.
3. If families acquire a city residence, but do not completely move from their prior residence, this will be considered a violation, and the student may be immediately dismissed from the Chickamauga City School System. This violation could also affect athletic eligibility based on GHSA rules.
4. Any change of address or contact information during the school year must be reported immediately to the main office personnel of the school and updated on the parent portal. This requirement is your responsibility for the safety of your child.

If you have questions or are unsure of residency, you are encouraged to call your child's principal for clarification. If violations occur, students may be removed immediately from the school system and no appeals will be granted. You are urged to act appropriately so as not to jeopardize your students' enrollment in the Chickamauga City School System.

Board Policy: Resident Students
Board Policy: Nonresident Students

In compliance with the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act, parents may request the following information about the professional qualifications of their student’s teacher(s) and/or paraprofessional(s). The following information may be requested:

Whether the student’s teacher-

• has met State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
• is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; and
• is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.

Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals, and if so, their qualifications.

If you wish to request information concerning your child’s teacher’s and/or paraprofessional’s qualifications, please contact your school’s principal, Mr. Jeff Sikes, at 706-382-3100, ext. 1001.

 

Explanation of Afternoon Dismissal Procedure

• 2:40 PM Parent Pickups will be released -- "parent pick-ups" are those students whose parents choose to park elsewhere and walk to pick up their student. Only students whose parents are at the cafeteria door will be released at this time.
• 2:42 PM Car Riders will be released in the order in which parents arrive. Students will remain in the classrooms until they hear their names called over the intercom. We will call names over the radio as parents enter the horseshoe. Parents MUST have student name tags in the window when they arrive in order to expedite the process. We will send name tags home on the first day of school. On the first day of school, please write your child's name on a piece of paper and place it in the front window of your car so we can call names quickly. Please do not park your car in the horseshoe and leave it unattended at any time during dismissal!
• 2:50 PM Walkers will be released. These students will exit through the parent pick-up doors. 
• 3:10 PM After-Care students will be released. Any student still remaining at this time will be sent to After-Care and parents will be responsible for any charges that the child incurs while there.