Accidents

All accidents and or injuries must be reported immediately to the teacher, staff member or coach in charge of the class or activity so the proper medical attention and documentation can be provided. Parents/guardians will be notified of any accidents and student injuries.

Announcements

Student announcements will be sent to school email accounts on a weekly basis. Other important information about school events will be shared in Advisory.

Assemblies

Assemblies are scheduled throughout the school year for a variety of purposes. Some assemblies, such as the fall pep rally, are held to promote school community building and school spirit. Other assemblies are more informative and educational in focus. Students are expected to adhere to the following expectations at assemblies:

• Be on time
• Sit with their class in assigned sections/seats
• Be respectful and attentive to all participants and speakers
• Remain in assemblies until the program ends and students are dismissed
• Food or drinks are NOT allowed in the auditorium or gymnasium
• Cell phone and headphone use are NOT permitted

Bicycles

Students who ride bicycles to school must secure them to the bicycle rack in the back of the building near Freshman Alley or at the rack by the Elm Street Parking Garage. The school does not assume any liability for damage or theft of bicycles on school property. Any loss or damage to bikes can be reported to the Portland Police Department at the discretion of the student.

Building Use

Students who are in the building after 2:50PM should be directly supervised by an authorized adult and involved in a school-sanctioned activity. Students must be off of the front steps of the building by 3PM.

Buses

Students riding school department or METRO buses and Casco Bay Line Ferries to and from school are expected to behave in a safe and orderly fashion. Bus drivers or Casco Bay representatives will report any inappropriate behavior to the school administration for disciplinary action. Bus Code of Conduct forms must be signed by the parents/guardians prior to students riding the bus. Students are reminded that riding a PPS, METRO bus, or the ferry is a privilege, which may be revoked for violations for the Code of Conduct (reference Board Policy: NEPN/NSBA Code: JICC).

Cafeteria

Related to Bulldog Belief #3, while in the cafeteria students are expected to conduct themselves in a courteous, safe and respectful manner. Students are responsible for removing their own trays and garbage, following the recycling guidelines and leaving a clean table and floor. Our building custodians are responsible for keeping the dining facilities safe and clear, but they are not responsible for cleaning up after students. Also, during their designated lunch period students must be in one of the two cafeterias or off campus unless they have a pass from the library, nurse, or a teacher. Students are not permitted to eat lunch or loiter elsewhere in the building during lunches.

Related to Bulldog Belief #4, any students caught stealing food from the cafeteria will be subject to discipline that may include detentions, revoking the privilege of eating in the student cafeterias, or more substantial discipline as determined by an administrator.

All PHS students are eligible for a free breakfast and a free lunch. Breakfast is served from 7:45 to 8:15. There are two lunch times; 1st lunch is from 10:55 to 11:25 and 2nd lunch is 12:05 - 12:35. All students need to be prepared to enter their school ID# at the register for breakfast and lunch.

Open campus lunch privilege: PHS students have open campus privileges during lunch. Students may leave campus to access another lunch option of their choice within walking distance to the school. Students are reminded that school rules apply and misconduct at these venues may result in loss of privileges or police intervention.

Elevators

Elevators are available for students/staff as needed. If you should require the use of the elevator see Cathie Martin, one of our administrative assistants, in the Main Office. A $5.00 deposit is required to obtain a key and will be returned to you once the key is returned. Other students are not allowed to ride the elevator with you unless they are carrying items for you. Students found riding on elevators without permission, or being unsafe in the elevators, are subject to disciplinary action.

Entering the Building

During the 2021-22 school year, all students will be required to enter PHS through the front door on Cumberland Avenue at the beginning of the day. Due to safety and security changes, students will not be allowed to enter through the backdoor (near Freshmen Alley) or any of the side doors. PHS students and staff should not open any back or side doors to admit other students or visitors.

Fire Drills

State law requires that all schools practice fire drills throughout the academic year. When the fire alarm goes off at PHS, all staff and students must vacate the building in a quiet and orderly fashion. Directions for evacuations are posted in each room and office and students must follow the directions of staff. No person may re-enter the building after a drill until an administrator gives approval for re-entry. Please note, setting off a false alarm is a violation of federal and state laws and will be reported to those agencies as well as school officials for disciplinary action.

Lockers

Lockers are available for students and one will be assigned upon request. Only locks provided by the school may be used and these are obtained through the main office. A $5.00 deposit is required to rent a lock and is refundable when the lock is returned. All other locks will be removed. Students need to remove locks at the end of each school year and keep them until the next school year. Students are to clean out their lockers before the last day of school each year. Any items left in the lockers will be disposed of. Lockers are the property of PHS and can be searched at any time.

The Portland High School Library: A dynamic environment for the PHS community to read, research, learn and develop 21st century skills.

Resources and online help is available is available for all PHS students through the library website at:

• https://phs.portlandschools.org/academics/library

Passwords for various online resources are available from our librarian, Ms. Susie Nick.

The PHS Library is open from 7:45-3PM every day except early release Wednesdays. Students may access the library and computers before or after school, during study halls with a pass from the library, class with a pass from the teacher, or with a class for a project. Student expectations are posted in the library and on the library website.

The PHS Library program offers a variety of services to students and faculty, all of which support the needs of the 21st Century Learner and are integrated into the Common Core Standards. These services include lessons and assistance with the following: the research process of locating, evaluating, and processing digital and print text, creating works cited pages, writing papers or creating 21st century products, problem solving technology issues, printing, photocopying, recommending and locating reading materials, and finding the answers to other questions you might have. The PHS Library is here for YOU, so please stop in for a visit and check it out.

Parent Connections

At PHS, we truly value the connection between our staff and our parents/guardians. Parent Connections is a weekly online communication that lists upcoming PHS activities and announcements. To sign up to receive Parent Connections, please visit: https://phs-connections.mailchimpsites.com/

Parking Permits

12th graders may apply for a parking permit in the Main Office. There are only 60 student parking spaces that are designated “permit parking only” near the high school and we encourage students to carpool, walk and use the Metro as much as possible.

Listed below are some parking tips for our students from city officials, as well as a map outlining the designated permit parking areas:

1. There is no parking at intersections, bus stops, fire hydrants, crosswalks, No Parking areas, city lots, driveways, and Freshman Alley. Vehicles will be ticketed or towed.
2. Always Park at least:
   • ​​​​​​​10 feet from a fire hydrant
   • 5 feet from both sides of a driveway
   • 25 feet from an intersection
   • 20 feet from a crosswalk
3. Presently, but subject to change, there is unrestricted (free, all-day) on-street parking between Elm and Pearl Streets, on Lancaster, Kennebec, and Somerset Streets, in addition to unrestricted parking on lower Chestnut Street. This means vehicles can legally park on these streets all day without paying or moving, however overnight parking regulations still apply, as well as posted emergency No Parking for snow removal, which is rare.
4. There is parking at meters for a maximum of two hours, as long as money is put in the meters, and the vehicles move every two hours. Prolonged parking (meter feeding) at meters is prohibited and is enforced. REMEMBER: Do not feed the meters.
5. Parking within time-zoned areas is free of charge, as long as the vehicles move when the time limit is up. Vehicles that park longer than the posted time are subject to ticketing for prolonged parking. Vehicles with a PHS permit may park in the spaces signed with PHS all day.
6. Vehicle loading zones are for vehicles with commercial or combination plates only, for 30 minutes only.
7. Vehicles parked against the flow of traffic will be ticketed.
8. Hourly parking at the Elm Street Garage is $3 per hour and $130 per month.
9. Three or more unpaid tickets may cause the vehicle to be towed or booted. All tickets and fees must be paid to receive the vehicle back. (Checks will not be accepted at this time.)
10. To check on the number of outstanding parking tickets on a license plate, call either the Parking Division at 874-8443, or the Treasury Division at 874-8860, or check online if you wish to pay at www.portlandparkingtickets.com.
11. During winter months, to avoid being towed, please observe the EMERGENCY NO PARKING signs for snow removal. These signs are posted when the streets become too narrow for emergency vehicles to pass.

Personal Property

Portland High School and the Portland Public Schools are not responsible for safeguarding a student’s personal property including musical instruments, cell phones, iPods’, money, clothing, jewelry, skateboards, and collectibles. Students should refrain from bringing items of significant value to school, especially those which are unnecessary for instructional purposes. Please note that devices such as cell phones, Airpods, and iPods are some of the most common items that are subject to theft on school grounds; school personnel will work with students to try to recover lost or stolen items but most items that are stolen are not recovered. Thus, we advise students to take care of their items, to not lend these items to peers, and to keep them at home when possible.

Posters

The school does not display posters for profit-making organizations. Posters may not be displayed without the approval of the Principal. Requests to display posters or other printed material on school walls or bulletin boards must be made through the Principal’s office.

School Delay or Cancellation

In the event of an emergency or weather-related school delay, cancellation, or early dismissal, local radio and television stations will make announcements beginning at approximately 6AM and PPS/Superintendent will put out a robo call and email, which goes directly to the family’s designated phone numbers and emails (as set up in Infinite Campus). Information is also posted on the district web site at www.portlandschools.org. The message will state whether it will be a Remote Learning Day or Cancellation. If it is considered a Remote Learning Day then you will be expected to participate remotely in classes.

Visitors

All visitors to PHS must sign in at the Main Office and have visitation approval from an administrator. Sometimes prospective students “shadow” current PHS students; any student who is shadowing must get prior approval from a PHS administrator and from their home school. All visitors must comply with the PHS rules and expectations.