ESSEX STREET ACADEMY

STUDENT LIFE

Essex Street Academy is a small public high school in the Lower East Side in Manhattan.

We serve a diverse population of 350 students from all 5 boroughs.

At Essex Street Academy, we prepare all of our students for success in college and in life by treating them as individuals with specific strengths and needs, and appealing to their intellectual curiosity in our courses. Our emphasis on academic achievement coupled with the emotional support students need to be successful gives graduates from Essex Street Academy the best chance of being successful at the college of their choice.

OUR POLICIES

Being present for class is one of the most important factors for a student’s academic success, and we want every student to have at least 90% attendance in their classes. Therefore, absences will only be excused on Jumprope for specific circumstances with proper documentation (parent notification to advisor or Agustina via email or phone). 

  • Doctor’s visits, hospital/clinic visits for the student or a family member (Requires note from doctor’s office or clinic)

  • Quarantining after close contact with Covid-positive case

  • Illness

  • Bereavement

  • Appointments with courts, lawyers, etc. – things that directly affect the safety or the wellbeing of the child and/or family (Requires a note from the lawyer or law office/court, etc.)

  • College placement tests/interviews  (Student must bring written proof of the test or interview)

  • School related functions such as field trips (teacher in charge will notify staff)

Students should bring the advisor written proof in advance if possible. Any notices or written excuses  must be brought in within one week of the absence. Please note that despite absences being marked excused on Jumprope, they may not be marked excused in ATS, the DOE attendance system. 

What does not count as an excused absence on Jumprope or ATS (the DOE system): 

  • Job interviews

  • Driver’s tests

  • Leaving for work (jobs that start before the end of the school day)

  • Family vacations 

  • Babysitting for siblings and relatives

  • Errands for parents 

  • Train delays

  • Students must exercise responsible ownership of their personal electronics during school hours. This means that:

    • Students should put away and refrain from using electronics  during class

    • The only exception to this rule is if teachers incorporate the use of electronics for instructional purposes. 

  • Students who do not demonstrate responsible ownership of their electronics may be asked to 

    • hand over their devices to a teacher, advisor,  dean for the remainder of the day

    • hand over the device at the start of the school day and retrieve it at the end of the day

  • Electronics subject to this policy include but are not limited to: cellular phones, airpods, iPads, Apple Watches, portable audio/video players, headphones, etc.

In order to provide your children with the education they deserve, we must ensure that Essex Street Academy is a space with the highest possible standards. In order to uphold this culture of excellence, we take any instances of student engagement with drugs and alcohol extremely seriously. Students who engage with illegal substances (i.e., students who bring drugs or alcohol into the building, consume drugs or alcohol during school hours, attend school while appearing intoxicated, and students who smell of drugs or alcohol) will receive severe consequences.

If a student appears to have engaged with drugs or alcohol, the following consequences will occur:
● Immediate removal from classes
● Parent notification and immediate suspension from school pending an in-person parent-meeting
● Immediate revocation of out-lunch privileges
● Student referral for counselling services with a school social worker
● Forfeiture of access to extra curricular events: sporting events, dances, clubs, field trips overnight trips, etc.
● For repeated infractions, students will receive extended suspension from school for up to 90 days via Superintendent’s Suspension

As members of the ESA community using the internet and social media, students are expected to:

  • Follow the same guidelines for respectful, responsible behavior online that they are expected to follow offline.
  • Be upstanders and alert staff if they see threatening/bullying, inappropriate, or harmful content (images, messages, posts) online. 
  • Encourage positive, constructive use of social media.
  • Be responsible for their own behavior when using social media and held accountable for the content of their social media use.

No member of the ESA community should ever:

  • Use social media in a way that could be personally or physically harmful to oneself or others.
  • Engage in cyberbullying, harassment, or disrespectful conduct toward others – staff or students.

Cyberbullying will not be tolerated. Harassing, dissing, insulting, name calling, impersonating, outing, embarrassing, tricking, “throwing subs” and cyberstalking are all examples of cyberbullying. Sending emails or posting comments with the intent of scaring, hurting, shaming, threatening or intimidating someone else is cyberbullying. 

Engaging in these behaviors, or any online activities intended to harm (physically or emotionally) another person or group, will result in disciplinary action. This may include losing school privileges, removal from class, meeting with parents and administration, and suspension.