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Policy Categories Archives: Section I: Instruction

Section I contains policies on the instructional program: basic curricular subjects, special programs, instructional resources, and academic achievement.

Academic Honesty and Integrity

CSD File: IKL
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
ACADEMIC HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

All students are expected to demonstrate academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to put
forth their best effort on assessments and other assignments. Students are expected to demonstrate
respect towards their instructors and peers. Engaging in any form of cheating or academic dishonesty
does not permit students to realize the full extent of their educational experience or their full academic
potential. These expectations are directly related to the Board’s educational objectives for students to
learn to be responsible for and accept the consequences of their behavior.

Adopted: March 7, 2024

Methods Of Learning

CSD File: III
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
METHODS OF LEARNING

The Candia School District recognizes that In-Person Learning is the optimal method of learning. To that
end, the District will provide regular classroom instruction for all students. The School Board recognizes,
however, that in extreme or unforeseen circumstances, regular in-class instruction may need to be halted
or suspended. In such instances, the District will provide quality education in the form of Remote
Learning.

In-Person Learning is instruction provided by the District to students with direct face-to-face interaction
between teacher and student.

Remote Learning is instruction provided by the District to any group of students or by any teacher
unable to attend class in-person.

Distance Learning is instruction received by students either remotely or in person by an educator outside of
the district.

The District will shift to Remote Learning when deemed necessary by the Superintendent and approved
by the School Board. Remote Learning provides instruction that closely mirrors what is/would be taught
in the classroom and can occur synchronously or asynchronously.

Synchronous Learning includes various forms of televisual, digital, and online learning through which
students learn from instructors, colleagues, or peers in real time, but not in-person.

Asynchronous Learning occurs when instruction and learning are not only in different locations, but also
at different times. This can include recorded lessons or videos and emails between teacher and student.

If the District offers both In-Person and Remote Learning, students may not switch from one method to
the other within the marking period except for extenuating circumstances reviewed and approved by the
Superintendent or his/her designee.

Student Services
Special education requirements will continue to be met in accordance with Individual Education Plans
(IEPs) regardless of method of learning.

All students may participate in extracurricular activities.

Adopted: January 26, 2021

Special Education Evaluation Procedures

CSD File: IHBAA-R
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATION PROCEDURES

School Districts are required to provide and guarantee special procedural safeguards with respect to special education matters. However, those procedures are established via federal and state law. They are not matters of local board policy or local administrative regulations.

Adopted: January 5, 2017

Non-Academic Surveys And Questionnaires

CSD File: ILD
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
NON-ACADEMIC SURVEYS AND QUESTIONNAIRES

The Candia school district shall not administer to students non-academic surveys or questionnaires that would in any way attempt to solicit personal information pertaining to:
1. Sexuality or sexual behavior
2. Gender
3. Religious beliefs, affiliations or practices
4. Political beliefs, affiliations or practices
5. Physical or mental health status
6. Opinions or attitudes regarding controversial or topical contemporary social issues
7. Drug usage
8. Firearms ownership or usage
9. Student’s or family member’s income or finances
10. Student’s family members or household practices
11. Any other personal information that is non-academic in nature

Youth Risk Behavior Survey Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
State law does not require prior written consent from a parent or guardian for administration of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control, United States Department of Health and Human Services, concludes that federal law, including the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, also does not require prior written consent from parents or guardians because students are not required to participate and the survey is not paid for by the United States Department of Education. As required by both New Hampshire and federal law, the District shall provide parents and guardians with notice at least ten (10) days before the Youth Risk Behavior Survey is administered. Parents may inspect the Youth Risk Behavior Survey at the school’s administrative office. Parents or guardians may opt their student out of participating in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey by providing the Principal with written notice. District staff administering the Youth Risk Behavior Survey shall insure students understand that participation is voluntary and that students who opt-out will not be penalized.

Adopted: November 05, 2015
Revised: March 7, 2018
Revised: May 2, 2019

Parental Objections To Specific Course Materials

CSD File: IGE
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
PARENTAL OBJECTIONS TO SPECIFIC COURSE MATERIALS

The curriculum and course materials of the School District are designed to meet statutory requirements
and include other areas of study deemed appropriate by the professional staff and the Board. The
curriculum includes topics and materials that are age and ability appropriate to the students.

The Board acknowledges that from time to time individual students may be exposed to specific course
materials, which their parents/legal guardians find objectionable. In such cases, the parents/legal
guardians may request an exception to the specific course materials in accordance with applicable law
and the following procedure.

1. The parents/legal guardians must:
a. Notify the building principal in writing of the specific course material to which they
object; and
b. Provide a detailed written description or actual copy of the course material, which
they propose as an alternative to the District’s course material. That alternative material
must meet applicable State requirements for education in the particular subject area.
c. Provide a detailed description of how and when the alternative course material will be
delivered to the child at no cost to the District. The school district shall have no
responsibility for delivery of the alternative course material.

2. The building principal shall review the proposed alternative course material and plan for delivery
of the material; determine whether it is appropriate and meets State requirements and consult
with the classroom teacher and other staff as appropriate.

3. The building principal shall notify the parents/legal guardians as soon as practicable whether or
not he/she agrees to the alternative course material and plan for delivery of the material. Both
the building principal and parents/legal guardians must agree in order for particular alternative
course materials to be approved as a replacement for District course material.

4. If the building principal approves the alternative course materials and plan for delivery, the
parents/legal guardians must provide appropriate documentation of the student’s successful
completion of the material. Absent such documentation, the student will not receive credit for
the work.

5. If the building principal and parents/legal guardians cannot agree on alternative course materials
and a plan for delivery, the Superintendent may be requested to assist in resolving the matter.
In the event that there is no agreement, the District shall expect the child to continue to
participate in the school’s regular curriculum.

6. In the event that the parents/legal guardians are objecting to sex education or health programs
on religious grounds, the student shall not be required to participate in the District’s regular
curriculum, but may participate in an alternative program.

In accordance with State law, the names of the parents/legal guardians requesting exceptions to specific
course materials and their reasons shall remain confidential.

Adopted: June 7, 2012
Revised: December 6, 2017

Legal Reference:
RSA 186:11(IX-b) and (IX-c), State Board of Education; Duties. 20 U.S.C 1232h, (c)(1)(C), Protection of
Pupil Rights

Character And Citizenship Education

CSD File: IHAK

CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
CHARACTER AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

Those in charge of curriculum development will have the responsibility for integrating into the curriculum, as appropriate, the following principles:
1. Pursuant to Part 2, Article 83 of the New Hampshire Constitution, humanity, benevolence, and truth and honesty with self and others.
2. Fairness, integrity, and justice.3. Respect, courtesy, and human worth.
4. Community service.
5. Pursuant to RSA 186:13, the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
6. Each individual has dignity and worth.
7. A free society requires respect for persons, property, principles and self.
8. Each individual has a right to learn and freedom to achieve.
9. Each individual, regardless of age, gender, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or
disability, has the right to equal opportunity.
10. Each individual has the right to personal liberties.
11. Each individual is responsible for his/her own actions, and should exercise self-discipline where and when appropriate.
12. Each individual has a responsibility to the group as well as to the total society.
13. A democratic government is established by majority vote.
14. Democratic societies are based on law.
15. Problems are solved through reason and orderly processes.
16. An individual should be tolerant of another’s beliefs and should have the freedom to express his/her own.
17. Each individual has the right to work, to pursue an occupation, and to gain satisfaction from personal efforts.

Teaching in the area of character and citizenship will take place throughout the K-12 program.

Legal References:
NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed.306.04 (a)(5) 306.04 (i) Character and Citizenship

Adopted: December 2, 1993
Adopted: November 2, 2000
Revised: June 7, 2007
Revised: February 1, 2018

 

Instructional Programs

CSD File: IH
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS

Because education is a lifelong process, the District’s educational programs will provide both formal studies to meet the general academic needs of all students, and opportunities for individual students to develop specific talents and interests in vocational and other specialized fields, and grow toward independent learning.

The various instructional programs will be developed with the view toward maintaining balanced, integrated, and sequentially articulated curricula which will serve the educational needs of all school-aged children in the district.

The Board subscribes to the philosophy that well-developed reading and other basic skills, including ability to spell; speak well and write intelligently are essential in our society. It will adopt specific requirements to ensure that our students are sufficiently competent in these essential skills.

At all levels, provisions will be made for a wide range of individual differences in student abilities and learning rate through uses of a variety of materials, adjustments in programs, and courses adapted to special needs of students.

Each pupil, regardless of his/her occupational choice, shall be provided with the opportunity to acquire the basic skills, knowledges, attitudes, and understandings needed for living in a democracy.

This policy will insure that students have the opportunity to develop intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and aesthetic appreciation in the school years in such a manner that they will be used throughout a lifetime.

The following ten educational goals are intertwined; no one goal stands in isolation from the rest. They will help to define performance objectives for learners, identify tasks to be performed by teachers in giving life to those objectives, and help to determine means for evaluating learners’ progress toward the goals. These goals express the quest for quality, reaching for the ideal and reality in education and the District’s instructional programs.
1. Physical and Emotional Well-Being: Education should contribute to the learner’s physical and emotional well-being, especially to a sense of personal worth and to a capacity for influencing one’s own destiny–self discipline, self respect, and self control.
2. Basic Communication Skills: Education should develop in each learner the basic skills needed for communication, perception, evaluation, and conceptualization of ideas. Among the most important skills are reading, writing, speaking, listening, problem solving, creative and critical thinking, visual and computational skills.
3. Effective Use of Knowledge: Education should provide for each learner access to our cultural heritage, stimulate intellectual curiosity, and promote intellectual development.
4. Capacity and Desire for Lifelong Learning: Education should foster and stimulate in each learner the natural desire for lifelong learning and should develop the skills necessary to fulfill the desire.
5. Citizenship in a Democratic Society: Education should provide each learner with knowledge of
understanding of how our society functions in theory and in practice. “Citizenship” means the privileges, duties, and responsibilities of citizenship; appreciation and respect for civic and social institutions of the United States; and knowledge of the organization and operation of municipal, county, state, and federal government.
6. Respect for the Community: Education should provide each learner with knowledge and experience which contribute to an understanding of human similarities and differences and which advance mutual respect for humanity and for the dignity of the individual.
7. Occupational Competence: Education should provide the learner with the skills, experience, attitudes and guidance for initial job placement; it is even more important for the learner to develop a capacity to adapt to changing conditions.
8. Understanding of the Environment: Education should provide each learner with knowledge and understanding of the social, physical, and biological worlds and the balance with environmental issues, and should develop attitudes and behavior leading to intelligent use of the environment.
9. Creative Interests and Talents: Education should provide each learner with varied opportunities to nurture interests, to discover and to develop natural talents, and to express values and feelings through various media.
10. Individual Values and Attitudes: Education should expand and advance truth and honesty with self and others; fairness, integrity and justice; respect and human worth; responsibility to oneself and to others; community service; and responsible citizenship.

Regulatory References: NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed 306.04 (a), (b), (j), (k)(4-6), Policy Development: Meeting the instructional needs of each student with different talents

Adopted: June 1, 2006

Curriculum Adoption

CSD File: IGD
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
CURRICULUM ADOPTION

It is the policy of the Board that no course of study shall be eliminated or new courses added without approval of the Board, nor shall any significant alteration or reduction of a course of study be made without such approval.

Legal References:
NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed. 302.02 (f) Substantive Duties of Superintendents NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed. 303.01 (g) Substantive Duties of School Boards

Adopted: November 2, 2000
Reviewed: September 7, 2017

Curriculum Development

CSD File: IGA
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Curriculum development must be viewed as an encompassing task, involving the total educational community working cooperatively to develop a curriculum that offers a wide variety of approaches to education and to provide a more flexible and purposeful approach to meeting the diverse needs of our student population.

The Board will encourage and support the professional staff in its efforts to investigate new curricular ideas, develop and improve programs, and evaluate results.

The Superintendent and/or designee will spearhead curriculum development for the school system. The Superintendent and/or designee will establish curriculum committees for the study of curriculum improvements, including the selection of new instructional materials, as found necessary and desirable.

The Board will make final decisions on curriculum change and implementation after the Superintendent and/or designee has submitted to the Board recommendations developed by the curriculum committees and the professional staff. Prior to recommending curriculum adoption to the Board, the program will be presented to the parent public.

All teachers have professional obligations to the school program beyond regular classroom duties, and these obligations include work on curriculum committees. It is expected that all teachers will contribute to curriculum development.

Legal References:
NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed. 302.02 (f) Substantive Duties of Superintendents NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed. 303.01 (g) Substantive Duties of School Boards

Adopted: August 22, 1984
Adopted: January 4, 2001
Revised: June 7, 2007
Revised: September 7, 2017

Instructional Needs Of Students With Different Talents

CSD File: IFA
CANDIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT

The Board recognizes that each student has unique and distinctive learning styles, and that not all students will excel in traditional classroom settings. To that end, the administration will design the district’s instruction and curricular program to meet the instructional needs of students with different talents, interests, and development.

Administrators and teachers should collaborate to consider and address students’ different talents, interests and academic development when planning the district’s educational programs and curriculum.

In order to meet the instructional needs of students with different talents, administrators and staff should explore alternative learning programs such as extended learning opportunities, alternative learning plans, distance education, vocational/technical education, and others.

Legal References:
NH Admin Rules, Sec. Ed 306.04(a)(6) NH Admin Rules, Sec. Ed 306.04(j)

Adopted: October 2, 2008
Revised: January 30, 2020