Student Handbook - The Taft School

On open weekends when Saturday classes do not meet, students are permitted to leave after their
last commitment on Saturday. Students may not leave for a weekend on Friday unless they have
received special permission from the Dean’s Office.
All students are granted three Long Weekends, one during each term. For 2010-2011 the Long
Weekends will be October 9-12, February 3-7, May 6-9.
Students on Restriction as a result of disciplinary infractions may not leave campus on any weekends
except the Long Weekends.
On Parents’ weekends in the fall and winter students may leave campus with their parents on Saturday
night. These weekends are closed for students whose parents are not at Taft for the weekend.
Weekends or permissions may not be taken after the Winter Formal or other events specified by
the Dean’s Office.
A number of weekends during the year are closed. This year, closed weekends fall on the following dates:
September 11-12, September 18-19, October 2-3, October 16-17, November 13-14, December 4-5,
December 11-12, January 8-9, January 29-30, February 12-13, April 2-3, April 30-May 1, May 14-15,
and graduation weekend, May 28-29. No weekends are closed for seniors after spring vacation.
RESIDENTIAL LIFE
COLLEGE DAYS
Students are allowed to miss classes three days during their Taft career for the purpose of
visiting colleges. While these days are almost always taken during the senior year, there are
rare cases in which students request to use one of their college days during the uppermid
year. To be granted a college visit day, green college cards, (available in the Dean’s Office)
must be signed by one of the college counselors then signed by the teachers whose classes
will be missed. Cards should then be brought to the Dean’s Office for final approval at least
48 hours before departure.
Students are encouraged to use school vacations and Free Day Weekends for college visits in order to
allow them to use their college days for visits in late April after college acceptances have been received.
Seniors should understand that College Days are to be used only for the purpose of meaningful
college visits and should not be viewed as “free days” that they are entitled to take for any purpose.
The college counseling staff will determine if the proposed visit is a meaningful part of the student’s
college search process. If a student feels that it is unavoidable to miss more than three class days,
he must seek approval from his college counselor well in advance of the proposed departure. If
permission is granted, the sign-out procedures described above should be followed. Seniors who
take more than three college days will not be granted the privilege of taking Friday weekends in
the Spring Term.
44 The Taft School