• Hats/hoods: suitable only outside the buildings (except for specific occasions and at athletic events)
• Young men: Finger rings, wristbands, and a single necklace under a shirt are suitable. Students are not to get any henna, body art, or tattoos (permanent or temporary). Earrings and other piercings are not suitable.
• Young ladies: Students are not to get any henna, body art, tattoos (permanent or temporary) or piercings other than in the ear. Bars or gauges in the ear are not suitable.
• Leggings may be worn under skirts or PE shorts.

• Young ladies: Hair should be neat and professional, a natural color, and a distinctly feminine style. Shaved styles are not suitable.
• Young men: Hair should be neat and professional:
  • One natural color and masculine style
  • Off the collar, ears, and eyebrows
  • Sideburns no lower than the bottom of the ear
  • Clean shaven
  • Manbuns, ponytails, and mullets are not suitable.

Attire should be clean, in good condition, and sized to fit.

We reserve the right to approve any alteration or adjustment made on a uniform garment as well as to determine the appropriateness of any non-uniform garment, accessory, hair style/cut, etc.

Discipline

Discipline is an expected part of the learning process as young minds and hearts are nurtured into physical and spiritual maturity. We take seriously our partnership with our school parents in this endeavor and therefore communicate any discipline situation in a timely manner and ask for parental involvement and support.

A vast majority of all discipline is handled by the individual classroom teacher using age-appropriate methods to de-escalate conflict and protect an effective learning environment for all students. We encourage your direct discussion and feedback on these methods with your child’s teachers, especially if questions arise. Teachers will communicate home about patterns of behavior so we can partner together to better support your child’s learning and success.

When a situation warrants an escalated intervention beyond the classroom, a principal (grades K3–5) or Support Committee (grades 6–8, grades 9–12) will communicate and collaborate with parents, creating a path forward to address the issue.

The Support Committees, consisting of grade level teachers and staff, enforce handbook policies, receive appeals, and manage interventions including suspensions, probations, behavior contracts, loss of eligibility and follow-up support meetings. Principals review disciplinary decisions and make the final decision in the rare case of expulsion.

Review the 1–5 Discipline Overview and 6–12 Discipline Overview for additional details.

Due to South Carolina Department of Social Services regulations, parents of K3 and K4 students will annually complete a statement of cooperation with the school’s discipline policies.

Technology

While technology changes rapidly, our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), and BJA encourages students to think about leveraging technology for the Kingdom. BJA considers a student to be responsible for the content he or she and others post on his or her social media accounts, blogs, etc., as if it were spoken or displayed in public.

Personal Communication Devices (cell phones, smartphones, smart watches, etc.)

• K3–grade 5: Device should be given to the classroom teacher or left in the office until the child is leaving school for the day. Phone calls may be made from the school office.
• Grades 6–8: Devices are to be stored in the student’s locker (in the student’s backpack during late stay); with permission may be used in the school office. Smart watches must be in airplane mode and may be used as timepieces only.
• Grades 9–12: Devices may be carried by the student and may be used before 8 a.m. and after 3:10 p.m., as well as with specific permission from a teacher or staff member. During other times devices must be off or in airplane mode.

Google Classroom Accounts (grades 6–12)
Students ages 13 and above receive Google Classroom accounts which include email (@BJALearn.net). Parents of students who are under 13 give their permission before accounts are created for the student. Students in grades 9–12 also receive a school-issued laptop.

School email should be checked regularly. A student should not share his username and password with anyone except parents (or staff assisting in accessing a locked account).

Instructions for requesting technical help (e.g., forgotten password, locked account) are located at itsupport.bju.edu. Students need to know their student ID number to prove their identity when requesting support.

Love for God and others should motivate students’ use of technology. This includes

• responsibly caring for equipment,
• obeying copyright laws, license agreements, etc. on software and files on the computer,
• not modifying the device or attempting to “hack” or bypass the network or filter,
• not accessing, storing, or disseminating any inappropriate material (includes, but is not limited to, any slanderous, sensual, worldly, sacrilegious or obscene content).

BJA provides accountability and protection on the BJA network. This includes an active filtering system that catalogs the sites visited as well as time on each site. Students who accidentally access inappropriate content while at school should immediately contact a teacher.

A student who willingly disregards technology guidelines will face disciplinary consequences which include, but are not limited to, a warning, restricted use of the electronic device, reimbursement of part or all of the purchase price of the school-owned equipment, and discipline points. In addition, violations of copyright laws, license agreements, etc., on images, software, audio files or documents can lead to federal prosecution.

Information and Procedures

Athletic Events

Fans and players show respect for the officials, competitors, and other fans, as a means of displaying a love for God and others in all that is communicated on and off the field or court.

• Students in K3–grade 8 who are attending academy or university games should be supervised by an adult or by a sibling who is at least 16 years old.
• Students in grades 9–12 may use the Academy Gym during scheduled classes and for other official activities. They may be in the Davis Field House during scheduled times and when attending or competing in a scheduled athletic event.

Bible Versions

In class and chapel we use the King James Version, New King James Version, New American Standard Bible, and English Standard Bible.

Communication Tools

In addition to pre-planned and as-needed face-to-face meetings, these tools support communication with families.

• BJA website: Our website includes links to FACTS Family Portal, a school calendar, and a wide variety of other important resources for our families. Faculty and staff photos and email addresses are also available from the website.
• FACTS Family Portal: In FACTS Family Portal you can find your student’s grades, attendance/discipline reports, billing, collection of tuition and fees, applications for needs-based scholarships, and more.
  • Logging in: BJA's District Code is BJA-SC; retrieve a forgotten password from the login page and a forgotten username by contacting a school office.
  • Receiving rapid-alert messages (e.g., school closure because of snow): keep your contact information updated in FACTS.
  • Please add these to your safe-senders list (due to FACTS)
    • email@renweb.com (Emails coming via FACTS are from email@renweb.com "on behalf of" the staff member sending the email.)
    • Mail Chimp (The Lion's Roar newsletter is sent using Mail Chimp.)
• The Lion's Roar: During the school year the central office emails a weekly newsletter, The Lion's Roar, to families as well as to students in grades 6–12. The newsletter highlights important current information and upcoming events as well as shares recent news.
• Friday Folders (K3–5): The Friday Folder includes the elementary student’s graded assignments for the week as well as other pertinent information. Party invitations may also be included—this helps families in communication with others in the child’s class while also protecting privacy. Teachers also email parents a weekly classroom newsletter.

Class Parties/Field Trips (K3–5)

Each elementary classroom holds various parties throughout the year. Parents are welcome to send treats in honor of a child’s birthday—please coordinate with the teacher if you plan to do so. If you are interested in sponsoring or leading other types of school parties or events, please coordinate with a teacher or administrator.

Parents are invited to volunteer to be chaperons for elementary field trips. Classroom teachers coordinate and determine responsibilities of parent chaperons. At least a week ahead of the trip, parent chaperons must complete volunteer paperwork which includes a background check.

Eligibility Requirements for Extracurricular Opportunities (6–12)

A student must maintain a positive Christian testimony, including not being restricted by disciplinary guidelines, and maintain passing grades in all subjects at quarterly checks (October, December, March, May) to try out for or participate in interscholastic sports or to run for or hold any elected, appointed, or auditioned extracurricular position.

Facilities

As part of good stewardship, students are to treat buildings and equipment with care. For example:

• Students should use the sidewalks or gravel paths, avoiding taking short-cuts across the grass.
• Gum may not be chewed in any class, chapel, or program.
• Students may have water in spill-proof containers for drinking in class. Other beverages should be limited to designated lunch and snack times and areas.

Flag Raising (9–12)

Students meet in the Quadrangle on designated days—weather permitting—to participate in a flag-raising ceremony. During the ceremony as well as any other time the flag is being raised or lowered, each student should stop and give respectful attention to the process.

Lockers/Book Bags (6–12)

Bookbags are recommended and may be carried into most classrooms. Students in grades 6–8 will be assigned a locker, and students in grades 9–12 may request one. Lockers/combinations should not be shared with other students. Lockers must be kept clean. Only magnets may be used to hang items inside the lockers, and nothing should be put on the exterior of the locker.

Lunch/Lunchtime Visitors

BJA’s K3 and K4 programs must comply with certain regulations of South Carolina’s Department of Social Services (DSS). Regulations stipulate, “Round, firm foods shall not be offered to children younger than four years old. Examples of such foods include hot dogs, grapes, hard candy, nuts, peanuts, and popcorn. Hot dogs may be served if cut lengthwise and quartered; grapes may be served if cut in halves.” Please plan accordingly when preparing the lunch or snack of a K3 or K4 student, regardless of the student’s birth date.

Hot lunches are available through Aramark, BJU’s food service provider and, for high school students, also through the Markham Center. See the Hot Lunches webpage for details.

• K3–grade 8: Parents and, with a parent’s written permission, other relatives of a student are welcome to join the student for the lunch period. Visits should be coordinated with the school office where the guest will sign in and receive a nametag before meeting the student.
• Grades 9–12: Students may eat in supervised locations in and around the Quadrangle as well as at the dining common, The Den, or Culinary Arts. Students may not be in unsupervised locations during lunch. Family members, pastoral staff, and other guests are welcome to eat with their students in the Quadrangle after signing in at the office and receiving a nametag. With a parent’s written permission, a student may go off campus for lunch with a grandparent, pastor, or youth pastor or may walk home for lunch. The student should check out and check back in at the office.

Lost and Found

All a student’s personal property should be labeled. Lost and found items are placed in the following locations: Primary Center office, Elementary Main building back hallway, middle school office, high school Markham Center, and Academy Gym.

Music

The music we present and use at BJA is intentionally conservative in style, avoiding, for example, rock/pop, jazz, country, and rap/hip-hop. Music used by students while on campus, such as for class presentations, should be approved ahead of time.

Clapping after sacred music numbers is acceptable as it affirms the message and shows appreciation for the messenger.

Physical Contact

Students are to avoid prolonged or inappropriate physical contact with students of either sex. Abusive, sensual, or harassing behavior of any form will not be tolerated and should be reported to an adult immediately. We will be quick to give the benefit of the doubt but ask that students follow the spirit of scripture to be blameless and harmless children of God in a crooked and perverse world.

Prohibited Items

Students in K5–grade 5 should not bring items such as the following to school: gum; live animals; collector items including cards; electronic and gaming devices; dangerous objects or real or toy weapons (knives, lighters, lasers, airsoft guns, etc.)

Students in grades 6–12 should not bring items such as the following to school: earbuds (except as required for class or with administrative permission); musical instruments (except for music class/lessons or with administrative permission); skates, boards, scooters, etc.; dangerous objects or real or toy weapons (knives, lighters, lasers, airsoft guns, etc.)

Solicitation/Fundraising

For the sake of our families, no one may survey or sell to the academy community on school grounds. For items such as invitation posters for non-Academy activities, please contact an administrator for permission. Fundraising efforts should first be authorized by the administration.

Textbooks/School-Issued Computers/ID Cards

Textbooks, workbooks, BJA-issued computers, and other materials provided to students belong to the school. They are turned in at the end of the school year. A charge may be assessed for unusual wear or negligence of BJA property.

Students in grades 9–12 receive an identification card which can be used at BJU locations such as the library as well as for BJA purposes including access to the Markham Center. ID cards may not be loaned or borrowed.

Visitors

We encourage our current families to invite prospective students to visit BJA. Day-long visits are best arranged in advance by contacting the Academy’s admission office. On the day of the visit, the prospective student checks in at the school office and secures a visitor’s tag for the visit.

For K3–grade 5, observations by parents or guests can be arranged by contacting the principal in advance.

Safety and Legal Requirements

Basic Safety Expectations

For the sake of basic safety, students may enter rooms only when and where assigned or permitted. Students should not enter facilities including the parking garage unless they are specifically authorized to enter. They may never be in unsupervised areas of campus. They should use crosswalks, always cooperating with crossing guards.

Child Abuse/Mandatory Reporting

The state of South Carolina requires school personnel to report allegations of suspected child abuse to the Department of Social Services (DSS) when there is cause to suspect physical, sexual, or mental abuse by an adult or another student. While the school is generally expected to communicate with parents regarding the well-being of their child, in a situation of suspected abuse the law requires school personnel to act on behalf of the child and to refrain from contacting parents in advance of making a report to the DSS. School personnel will make such reports in the best interest of the child and do not, once cause to suspect is established, have any legal alternative except to make a report to the DSS for their investigation and review.

Bullying

Bullying is repeated and purposeful abuse of power or position to intimidate or control another person. Bullying may be verbal, physical, or social and may occur in person or online. We recognize that not all unpleasant experiences or interpersonal conflicts are due to bullying and will communicate with parents to coordinate the appropriate instruction and intervention. Nonetheless, bullying, harassment, or unkindness of any kind will not be tolerated at BJA. Depending on its severity, bullying may result in expulsion and referral to appropriate authorities where arrest and/or prosecution is possible. BJA is a ministry of Bob Jones University, so complaints may also be investigated in accordance with the BJU Discrimination and Harassment Grievance Procedures in its compliance with Title IX. The policies and procedures may be found at bju.edu/safety.

Emergency Drills

BJA maintains a comprehensive emergency crisis plan that includes the involvement of BJU’s Office of Public Safety and local law enforcement, fire and medical professionals. We use “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP). We regularly train, practice, and drill the protocol to address a variety of emergency situations.

Medication

In most cases when your child needs medication during the school day, the parent will need to submit a form and the medication in its original container to a school office. Details and forms are available on our Medications at School webpage.

For over-the-counter medications (OTC's)

• for K3–grade 5 basic OTC's are supplied;
• for grades 6–8 parents supply the OTC's along with a medication form;
• and for grades 9–12 students may carry their own OTC's.

Under federal law, prescription medication can be taken only by the person for whom it is prescribed. Misuse of prescription medication (including giving or receiving it) may result in suspension or expulsion.

Because strong scents can trigger asthma attacks, headaches, and allergy symptoms, please avoid or minimize use of essential oils or scented lotions on your child.

Safety and Privacy

We value both the safety and the privacy of our students at BJA. As best we know how, we are committed to represent our parents’ interests while their children are in our care. Accordingly, we communicate at the very earliest any information or concerns we may discover regarding a child’s well-being or safety. As educators, BJA’s administration has a mandatory responsibility to and will alert law enforcement officials of legal violations occurring on or off campus.

Student Drivers

Students who drive to campus must register their vehicles (including motorcycles and bicycles) with BJU’s Office of Public Safety and must follow instructions for parking tag placement as well as parking locations.

Academy students are to park their vehicles in the Print Shop lot only. This lot is located next to the Alumni Stadium and the Activity Center, across from the Print Shop.

Before and after school students may not loiter in their vehicle or around the parking area. During the school day students should not go to or use the vehicle except with specific permission from the office.

Vehicles should not be borrowed or loaned to other students and may never be used for cross-campus transportation.

Students should check with the high school office about getting the appropriate parking tag or a temporary pass when they drive a different or new vehicle to campus, including a vehicle registered to a parent who is a BJ employee.

Supplemental Student Accident Insurance

The school provides individual supplemental student accident insurance. This insurance functions as a secondary insurance to pay any portion of the unpaid balance for accidents that occur at school. Contact a school office for more information if your student has medical claims due to a school accident.

Cooperation Agreement

By enrolling a child at BJA, parents agree that if any payment is not made within 25 days of the date due, the school may, at its option, suspend the student and is under no obligation to provide educational services or activities after payment becomes past due, including providing report cards, transcripts or a diploma. A late fee of $25 is assessed on any unpaid portion of a required payment.

Withdrawals
In case of withdrawal (leaving after the semester begins), tuition will be prorated to withdrawal date and withdrawal fee assessed. Most fees are nonrefundable. At that time textbooks and any other school property must be returned, including high school ID card and school-issued laptop, and vehicle registration stickers removed.

Support and Partnership
Honoring the Lord by caring for the spiritual, mental, physical, and academic welfare of each student is of primary concern. Policies have been designed for student growth, efficient operation, and safety.

BJA’s child development center is registered with the Department of Social Services (DSS) and complies with its regulations.

Days and Hours of Availability
The CDC is open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., and children should be dropped off at their own classrooms. During the regular Academy school year, early drop off is available from 7:15 until 7:30 a.m. in the lobby. A late pickup fee will be charged for any child not picked up by 5:30 p.m.

BJA’s school calendar, available on the website, includes holiday and vacation closings. The CDC follows BJA's school closure calendar during the school year but remains open during the summer.

When a parent keeps a child home during the summer, for maternity leave, etc., we hold the child’s spot in class when tuition payments continue to be made. Otherwise, a parent can withdraw the child and later re-apply for an open position (if available).

Arrival and Departure
A parent, legal guardian, or sibling (at least 18 years old) should bring the child into the building. Children are released only to a parent or legal guardian unless the teacher has written notification from a parent or legal guardian of a specific other adult who will pick up the child. If the teacher does not recognize the person picking up a child, photo ID will be required.

At arrival and again at departure, a parent should notify the child’s teacher and clock the child in or out. For safety purposes we ask that younger children be dropped off after and picked up before older children, that children who walk hold an adult’s hand from the vehicle to their classroom door, and that children not be left in the car without an adult even during drop-off/pick-up.

Placement and Daily Activities
The child’s age is the primary basis for class placement, but placement can also be affected by DSS regulations regarding room square footage per child. After a child has been in a new classroom for a month, the placement is reevaluated for appropriateness for the child, and placement may be adjusted. The administration makes final decisions regarding promotion and class placement.

The daily schedule is carefully designed to promote development and learning through age-appropriate activities that balance free play and teacher-directed plans. Bible time is included for children 18 months and older. Each classroom posts an individual schedule, and children join in the regular classroom schedule whenever they arrive.

• Instructions
  • Infant rooms: When parents drop off their child each day, they let the teacher know any specifics regarding eating, sleeping, etc.
  • Older children: A permanent chart is compiled based on a parent’s instructions at the beginning of each semester and summer. Changes should be given to the teacher in writing.
• Clothing and Personal Belongings: Children play outside almost every day and children should be dressed appropriately for active, artistic, and outdoor play, including shoes (preferably athletic shoes) and socks once a child begins to walk. A complete extra set of seasonally appropriate clothing, including socks, should be kept in the child’s cubby or backpack.
  • Because removable earrings or barrettes, necklaces, and bracelets present a choking hazard, children under age two may not wear them.
  • If the child needs a comfort or transition item, a parent should talk with the child’s teacher. Classrooms are filled with age-appropriate toys, and personal toys are not needed except on announced “sharing days.”
• Snacks and Meals: For health and safety purposes, DSS regulates practices related to snack and mealtimes. Firm, round foods (such as whole grapes, hard candy, nuts, and popcorn) cannot be offered to children in the CDC. Leftover formula, juice, or food cannot be re-served but may be saved for parents to take home. If left overnight, it must be discarded. Parents may not send food that has already been offered to the child. Breakfast (including a bottle for infants) should be finished before drop-off.
  • Food allergies must be specified in writing on the annual DSS health form and may be updated at any time.
  • Children under one year old are fed according to the schedule requested by the parents. Baby formula, juice, and food served in a bottle or jar should be labeled with the child's name, ready to feed, and packaged for single use. Breastmilk bottles should be labeled with the child’s name and date. Food should be cut in pieces one-quarter inch or smaller.
  • Children one year old and older have morning and afternoon snacks as well as lunch. Food and drink should be labeled with the child’s name, packaged for single use, and located in that child’s room. Each child should also have a water bottle. Food must be cut in pieces one-half inch or smaller—grapes halved, hot dogs cut lengthwise and quartered.
  • A microwave is used to heat food, except for breast milk and formula bottles.
  • See the classroom teacher for a recommendation about bibs.
• Potty Training and Diapers: Due to DSS regulations for handling of cloth diapers and human waste, the CDC permits only disposable diapers. The CDC provides wipes unless a child requires a specific type or brand.
  • When your child is showing signs of interest in potty training, can communicate his or her needs, and you are ready to begin potty training, please let the classroom teacher know. Disposable training pants should be used during the potty-training process and until the child has been accident-free for two weeks.
  • A child needs to be fully trained prior to starting K3.

Information and Procedures

• Accidents/Emergencies: Our staff will do everything reasonable to safeguard the children in our care. Accidents that do happen are documented. Teachers can answer questions about minor scrapes or bruises. In the event of a serious accident or emergency, we will contact Emergency Medical Services and BJU’s Office of Public Safety in addition to the child’s parents. Please let us know right away of any change in phone numbers, place of employment, or home address.
• Biting: For the safety of all the children in our care, we do not permit ongoing biting at the CDC. If a child is bitten, the teacher will clean the site and notify a parent, not sharing the name of the child who bit. We will also contact the parents of the child who bit and work through these corrective strategies:
  • Infants and toddlers: provide appropriate teething activities to comfort and soothe gums
  • Biting due to frustration: redirect to a different activity, give an alternate way to ask for what they want, encourage use of language to express wants and needs
  • Biting twice in one day: at the discretion of the CDC Director the parents may be asked to remove the child for the rest of the day.
  • If all attempts to stop biting fail, we reserve the right to suspend the biting child temporarily or permanently from the CDC.
• Discipline and Guidance: We desire that children develop a tender-hearted love for God and others and work to help children develop patterns of behavior that are consistent with scripture. Teachers promote acceptable behavior by modeling and by reinforcing it through positive comments and praise. We notify the parents if a child’s behavior is unacceptable. The CDC Director will also be involved in dealing with situations that involve consistently unacceptable behavior. This may include some supervised time in a “thinking seat” (time out) or a brief suspension from a favorite activity. Per DSS regulations parents must annually complete a Statement of Cooperation with the school’s discipline policies.
• Immunization Records: Parents submit an immunization record at the time enrollment begins. Please regularly submit any updated records. Parents who choose not to immunize their children must submit a completed South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption, available from the health department.
• Lost and Found: Each child’s belongings should be labeled. Lost and found items are in the cabinet under the time clock in each lobby or at the office. At the end of the school year, items are donated to charity.
• Illness: See the appendix for information about when a child should stay home from the CDC.
• Medication: A prescription or over the counter medication administered at the CDC must be in the original container, clearly labeled with the child’s name, and given to the teacher along with the appropriate non-prescription medications or prescription medications form (forms are available here and at school offices). Medications for children under two must be accompanied by a doctor’s note specifying proper dosage. A child with an epinephrine injector at the CDC must have a completed Anaphylaxis Medication Authorization form on file along with an emergency action plan from the physician who prescribed the epinephrine injector. Medications are kept in a locked medication box or cabinet. Medication or special medical procedures will be administered only when there is a written, signed, and dated request from a parent. Expired medications cannot be administered.

Part-time Students (Grades 1–12)

Part-time students are students who are supplementing their homeschooling by taking three or fewer classes at BJA.

Part-time students abide by normal school policies, including dress expectations, and are eligible to participate along with full-time students in standardized testing, most school trips, special events, etc.

Part-time students in grades 6–12 attend one chapel each week, typically on Friday. Students in grades 9–12 also attend three Bible Conference services.

While a variety of extracurricular opportunities are available to part-time students, part-time students are not eligible for interscholastic sports (except cross country) or for elected, appointed, or auditioned positions (except speech and debate).

Because communication becomes increasingly challenging when students are not on campus throughout the day, students in grades 6–12 should take extra care to read daily email announcements.

Part-time students may transition to full time after submitting necessary grade reports. Students must attend BJA full-time for both semesters of the senior year to graduate from BJA.

School Illness Guidelines

(as of July 20, 2023)

School Hours and Contact

Central Office (864) 770-1395
bja@bobjonesacademy.net
www.bobjonesacademy.net

Child Development Center: (864) 770-1390
7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Drop off: classroom
Early drop off (during Academy school year): 7:15–7:30 a.m. lobby

Primary Center (K3–K5): (864) 770-1391
8 a.m.–11:45 a.m. (half day)
8 a.m.–2:45 p.m. (full day)
Drop off: 7:15–7:55 a.m.

Elementary Main (Grades 1–5): (864) 770-1392
8 a.m.–2:45 p.m.
Drop off: 7:15–7:55 a.m.

Middle School (Grades 6–8): (864) 770-1393
8 a.m.–3:10 p.m.
Drop off: 7:15–7:55 a.m.

High School (Grades 9–12): (864) 770-1394
8 a.m.–3:10 p.m.
Drop off: 7:15–7:55 a.m.

Member of
American Association of Christian Schools
South Carolina Association of Christian Schools
Accredited by
American Association of Christian Schools
South Carolina Association of Christian Schools
Cognia

Subject to the Constitution of the United States and all applicable state and federal laws, Bob Jones Academy does not discriminate in its employment practices or in the administration and dissemination of its programs and services.