Student Handbook

Bayshore School
Student Handbook
2025-2026
17050 Williams Road
North Fort Myers, FL 33917-6999
239-543-3663 – bay.leeschools.net

The purpose of Bayshore is to provide all students an educational foundation that builds skills for independent thinking, instills a love of learning for life, and develops the attitude and character to be respectful and responsible citizens.

ARRIVAL

Due to the unavailability of adult supervision, students that arrive by personal vehicle must arrive at or after 7:10 a.m. in the morning. Please follow the traffic laws when using the roads adjacent to our school. Driving down the wrong side of the road is illegal and may cause an accident. Use the parent drop off lane located at the front of the building if you drive your child to school. For the safety of all children, you may not drop your child off in the parking lot. Gate drop off is available. You must park in the lot across from the soccer field and walk your child to the Media Center gate.

DISMISSAL

In the afternoon there are three areas that will be utilized: Car Loop for those students who will be going home in a personal vehicle, Bus Ramp, and Parent Pick Up Gate for those students whose parents wish to walk with them to their vehicle. The Parent Pick Up Gate is located just outside the Media Center. Parents will need their car tags to identify them as a parent at our school. Students will be dismissed beginning at 2:00 p.m.

ATTENDANCE

At Bayshore each day is filled with wonderful opportunities for learning. Regular attendance is necessary for a student to take advantage of available educational opportunities. The tardy bell for student’s rings at 7:30 a.m. If you are late, go to the office and get a Tardy Pass before going to class. If your child is absent, please send an excuse note when they return to school.

A student is expected:

  • To be in school every day, on time, in an appropriate uniform.
  • To bring the appropriate materials and be prepared to learn.
  • To be responsible for obtaining and completing all assignments for any absence.
  • Work must be made up in a reasonable amount of time according to school board policy (number of days absent plus one day). Teachers will provide make up work when the student returns to school. Lesson plans are prepared in advance; however, pacing is unknown. The best learning and instruction take place when students are in attendance.

Absences may be excused for:

  • Religious instruction or religious holiday
  • Sickness, injury, or death in the family
  • Other justifiable reason approved by the Principal 

Excessive Absences:

The School District of Lee County defines 19 absences, during a school year as excessive. Florida Statute 1003.21 requires that all students attend school regularly during the entire school year. The responsibility for attendance is placed both on the parent and the child. All students with 19 or more absences will be considered by the school based Academic Review Committee for retention.

Requests to Leave School Early:

If a student must leave during the school day, the parent/guardian must come to the front office. Proper photo identification must be presented, and the person’s name must be listed on the student’s Emergency Card. The student will then be called down to the office and released to the parent. Anyone other than the parent or legal guardian picking a student up early from school needs prior written approval from the parent/guardian. Students will not be released for early dismissal thirty minutes before the end of the school day unless approved by administration (School Board of Lee County Policy 4.16-Student Attendance for Grades PreK-12).

Students are discouraged from leaving school prior to regular dismissal. Early departure disrupts the learning environment of all students and results in the loss of valuable learning time. Excessive requests for early afternoon dismissal may result in a conference with the administration.

BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

Busy Bucs morning program starts at 6:30 a.m. The afternoon program begins at dismissal and ends at 6:00 p.m. The after-school program runs all the student days except for early dismissal days. This program has the same student expectations maintained during the school day. More information can be found on our school website.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH

Breakfast and lunch are free and will be delivered to classrooms. Bayshore will continue to offer meals through the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs for the 2024-2025 school year. Students may bring lunch from home if they wish.

BUS INFORMATION

Riding the bus is a privilege. You must follow the rules for your safety and the safety of others.

  1. The driver is in full charge of the bus and students must obey the driver.                                      
  2. Students are to stay in their assigned seats at all times with arms and head inside the bus. 
  3. Eating, drinking, or chewing gum is not permitted on the school bus.
  4. Anything that interferes with the safety of the bus is unacceptable.

Be on time! The bus cannot wait if you are late!

Bayshore students are expected to follow the bus rules if they are to continue riding to school. If students choose not to follow the rules, the driver may write a referral. Individual bus questions or concerns should be directed to the Lee County School District Transportation Department West Zone at 239-772-2349 

There is a Where’s the Bus app for knowing precise times of bus arrival. For more information go to wheresthebus.com.

BUS CHANGES

Your bus driver cannot give you permission to ride a different bus or get off at another bus stop. Changes can only be approved for emergencies, and only with a note signed by your parent and approved by an administrator. (If you have a note, take it to the office first thing in the morning.) Riding other buses to go home with friends or for other personal convenience cannot be approved.

CHANGES IN THE WAY YOU GO HOME

If there is a change in the way you are to go home, you must bring a note from your parent. Otherwise, you will be sent home the normal way. Parents must contact the school by 1:00 p.m. if there is an emergency reason to change the way you are to go home that day. All changes must be submitted in writing – changes are not accepted over the telephone. If you need to send an emergency request the school fax number is 239-543-4040.

CAR RIDERS

The car rider area is on the side of the school. Please observe the following expectations:

  1. Students must remain on the sidewalk, behind the yellow lines.
  2. Parents should remain in their cars at all times while in the car rider loop.
  3. For the safety of your child, he/she must enter/exit on the passenger side.
  4. Keep the left lane clear so cars may exit safely.
  5. Parents can help us by pulling all the way to the front on the ramp before letting you out of the car in the morning.
  6. The yellow tag with your child(ren) names should be displayed on the right side of your windshield hanging from the visor.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Inform the Information Specialist, in the front office, if your address/telephone number changes. This will help us with communication, especially in case of an emergency. Change of address requires documentation such as an electric bill, water bill or telephone bill.

CLINIC

All parents/guardians must complete an opt-in form through the Focus Parent Portal 

(www.leeschools.net/our_schools/focus) in order for their child(ren) to receive services in the school clinic. If a student becomes ill at school, he/she may report to the clinic with a pass from the teacher. Any injury sustained by a student on school property or in connection with a school-sponsored activity must be reported to the clinic assistant. Parents will be contacted in cases of a serious nature.

If a student needs to take medication at school, it must be stored in the locked cabinet in the clinic. Medication must be brought to the clinic in the original pharmacy container, fully labeled and accompanied by a completed medication form signed by the prescribing physician. A doctor must prescribe any medicine to be given to a student at school, and this policy applies to non-prescription medications. In addition, written parent/guardian permission is also required.

COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS

An essential component of an effective school is communication between school and home. Bayshore provides a variety of communication tools to encourage family support. Your parents want to know about all the wonderful learning that takes place at school. Sometimes we will call them on the phone or have a conference with them. Parents may call the school to schedule a conference with a teacher or other school personnel.

Focus:

This is a great tool for parents to check grades, report cards and more.

School Messenger:

Attendance calls will be made, and school announcements will be sent home via phone using this system Report Cards/Interim Reports:

In the middle of each quarter, you may view your progress in Focus. At the end of each of the four quarters, you may review/print a report card in Focus.

Monthly Newsletter:

A newsletter is sent home so your parents know what is happening at our school.

Discipline Referrals:

Copies of discipline referrals are sent home to parents to let them know if you made a choice that does not meet the expectations of our school.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

Inappropriate use of technology and/or equipment may result in severe disciplinary action. Please see the Computer/Network Usage section in the Student Code of Conduct found online at lee.schools.net.

CURRICULUM

Teachers at Bayshore follow the curriculum adopted by the Lee County School Board.

DRESS CODE

Students at Bayshore encourage one another through positive examples in appearance and behavior. This helps create an environment where all students can learn and grow together. The goal is to create an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Shirts: 

  • Solid colored polo style with a collar is appropriate (no logos, stripes, or patterns)
  • All shirts must be tucked into the bottoms and only one top button of the shirt may be unfastened.
  • Students may not wear layered shirts.

Bottoms:

  • Shorts or pants for children in black, khaki or navy only. Shorts and skirts should be no shorter than 3” above the knee.
  • Students may wear skorts, polo dresses, capri pants or jumpers. Jumpers must have a uniform top underneath.
  • All shorts and pants must be worn at the waist (belts are recommended).
  • All garments must be hemmed, no frayed edges.
  • Denim may not be worn at any time unless designated by administration for special events.
  • Leggings or jeggings and athletic bottoms may not be worn at any time.

Extras:

  • Vests and cardigans are optional accessories. A navy or black colored cardigan sweater, navy, or black colored pullover sweater, or solid navy or black colored sweatshirt are the only acceptable items to be worn in the building.
  • The only acceptable shoes are athletic shoes (sneakers). Sneakers with wheels are not permitted. Knee high sneakers are not permitted.
  • No unnatural hair coloring permitted, no excessive make up or piercings.
  • School t-shirts with uniform bottoms may be worn on Fridays or on the last day of the week.

For additional guidelines, please refer to the Lee County School District Code of Conduct.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

All students are required to have a current and up-to-date emergency information in Focus. Accurate addresses and phone numbers are essential to maintain family communications. Please be sure your parent registers/sets up a Focus account at leeschools.net.

EMERGENCY DRILLS

Drills will be held at regular intervals to ensure safety in the event of a real emergency. Orderly and quiet behavior should prevail during all drills. Guides for evacuation and assembly are posted in each classroom. You will be given specific instructions by faculty during such situations. The Faith Assembly church next door is used as an extension of campus for evacuation and school activity purposes.

EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSINGS

The School District of Lee County will always consider student and staff safety of primary importance when making a decision to close when severe weather threatens. School closings will be announced through local television/radio stations and through the school phone/computer system.

Entrance on Campus

All visitors for scheduled meetings must enter through the main office via the video entrance system. All visitors must present government issued photo id to gain entry.

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT BEHAVIOR

Our mission is to provide an education for each of our students. This purpose cannot be served if students disrupt the school. The Bayshore staff has high expectations for appropriate behavior from every student. When a student chooses to violate school rules, that student will face the consequences for that choice.

The Four Expectations at Bayshore

  • Be Prepared
  • Be Respectful
  • Be Responsible
  • Be Safe

We attempt to contact parents by phone when a discipline referral is written. It is the student’s responsibility to take home the copy of any referral, letter, or reminder regarding disciplinary action and to inform his/her parents of the circumstances leading to the action. Special Note: School Board policy specifically prohibits students from bringing items to school that could cause an injury to themselves or to any other student. Severe consequences would be necessary if this policy were broken.

GRADING SCALE

The Lee County School Board has conformed the Lee County grading scale to the breakpoints established by the State of Florida Department of Education, effective July 1997. This is the grading scaled teachers use when calculating grades.

Grade Definition

  • A (90-100) Excellent
  • B (80-89) Very Good
  • C (70-79) Average
  • N (60-69) Needs Improvement 
  • U (0-59) Unsatisfactory

HOMEWORK

Homework is assigned to reinforce skills and techniques learned in the classroom. Homework is assigned with consideration to resources, including time available to the students. Research shows that students learn more from homework when they have a quiet, comfortable place to study, free from distractions. It helps if a consistent time of day is set aside for homework.

PARENT ADDRESS ON RECORD

On occasion for special events, we will mail invitations home to parents and when we do, we will use the official address on record for the student.

PARENT PARTICIPATION

Many people help to make Bayshore a wonderful place to learn and grow.

The School Advisory Council (SAC)

The SAC is made up of people who work at Bayshore, parents, and community representatives. These people work on the School Improvement Plan.

Volunteer Program

This program allows parents and community members to come to school and participate in your learning. They come and read with students and help in many other ways. Volunteers help just because they want to and receive no money for their work. All volunteers must attend orientation before volunteering at school.

Say thank you by always being kind and mannerly to our volunteers.

PERSONAL ITEMS, TOYS & GAMES

School is not the place to bring toys, games, or personal items. They can easily be lost or broken. Students are not allowed to bring any items that will be disruptive to the learning environment. The items will be confiscated and turned over to the parent/guardian if they come to the school office to claim them. It is the student’s responsibility to notify parents of the seizure. The school is not responsible for any items seized.

STUDENT SUPERVISION

Your safety is very important. If you come to school before 7:10 a.m. and stay after 2:00 p.m., you must be in a school activity; otherwise, you may NOT be on campus.

School Day:

  • Classrooms Open/Breakfast Served: 7:10 a.m. School Begins: 7:30 a.m.
  • Breakfast Ends: 7:30 a.m. School Ends: 2:00 p.m.

SUN PROTECTION

To help prevent your exposure to sun, caps and sunglasses may be worn to PE, on outdoor field trips, and at any other school sponsored outdoor activities. When you come indoors these articles must be removed and placed in a designated area. Mark your items so you can easily identify them. Shatterproof plastic UV protective sunglasses are recommended for all outside activities. Sunscreen is also beneficial protection against sun exposure. Apply it at home to all exposed skin surfaces before dressing for school. There are products that last for long periods of time even when in water. Sunscreen should not be brought to school.

TEXTBOOKS/LIBRARY BOOKS

Basic hardbound textbooks and paperback books are loaned to students by the school. Students are responsible for all textbooks issued to them and for library books they check out. Payment is required for all lost or damaged books.

WALKERS/PARENT PICK UP

Boys and girls who walk to school OR whose parents meet them after school should meet them by the gate located next to the Media Center. In order to ensure the safety of all students and if parents want to walk their child to their parked vehicle, we are requesting that you park in the lot across from the soccer field. Students will be released at 2:00 p.m. In the event of rain/lightning at the time of dismissal, parents will need to enter the Car Rider Line to pick up their child(ren). The pick-up car tag must be displayed from the mirror of the car. The tag with your child(ren) names should be displayed on the right side of your windshield hanging from the visor.

HARASSMENT/BULLYING

Everyone who works and learns in The School District of Lee County has a right to feel respected and safe. A harasser may be a student or an adult. If any words or actions make you feel uncomfortable or fearful, you need to tell a teacher, counselor, or the principal.

You may also make a written report. It should be given to the principal. Your right to privacy will be respected as much as possible. We take seriously all reports of bullying, sexual harassment, and harassment based upon race, color, national origin, and disability, and will take all appropriate action to investigate such claims to eliminate that harassment and to discipline any persons found to have engaged in such conduct. The School District will also take action if anyone tries to intimidate you or take action to harm you because you made such a report.

Bullying or Harassment may be because of Race or Color, National Origin or Ethnicity, or Disability; but may not be attributable to any of those factors. Harassment (including sexual harassment) and Discrimination based on race, color, national origin, and disability are against the law.

Our school has a Threat Assessment Team (TAT) that consists of teachers, administrators, a school counselor, and a school resource officer. The goal of this team is to keep our school safe. Any potential threats shall be reported to school administrators.

STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The School District of Lee County does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, sex, sexual  orientation, national or ethnic origin, marital status, or disability, in the provision of educational programs, activities or  employment opportunities and benefits that it operates, pursuant to the requirements of Title IX, Title VI, Age  Discrimination Act of 1967 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 1992, Americans with Disabilities Act and the  Florida Educational Equity Act of 1984. This policy extends to both employment by and the admission to The School District of Lee County. Inquiries concerning Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, Age Discrimination Ace of 1967 and Section 504, or the Americans with Disabilities Act should be directed to the Director of Equity and Recruitment and/or the Director of Personnel Services or the Director of Student Services. Established grievance procedures and appropriate discrimination complaint forms and available from the Office of Personnel and Student Services or the Equity Coordinator at each school. Charges of violations of this policy should also be directed to the Director of Equity and Recruitment or the Director of a Personnel Services or the Director of Student services.

Complaints/inquiries regarding compliance with these regulations may be submitted in writing to: 

The School District of Lee County
2855 Colonial Boulevard
Fort Myers, Florida 33966