Student/Parent Handbook - Ysleta Independent School District

Community Service Hours. Beginning with students who entered grade 9 in the 2009-10 school year, students musthave a minimum of 80 hours of volunteer service in order to participate in graduation ceremonies. Students excusedthrough an Admission, Review and Dismissal Committee will not have to complete the required volunteer hours. It isrecommended that students earn a minimum of 20 volunteer service hours per year. See FMH (LOCAL), FMH-R, andFMH-R Exhibits for additional information and resources.Loss of Privilege to Participate in Graduation Ceremony. Any senior who is in possession, under the influence, or whosells, gives or delivers to another person a controlled substance or dangerous drug during the last 6 weeks of the schoolyear; or who commits a code of conduct violation for which mandatory placement at Cesar Chavez Academy is requiredwill not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony of his or her graduating class.Conduct at Ceremony. Graduation ceremonies are a celebration of the accomplishments of the senior class. We ask allparents, relatives and friends of the senior class to honor them by not creating distractions that deter from this joyousoccasion. Noise makers, beach balls, and other items which may disrupt the ceremony are prohibited from the arena.Seniors are expected to wear the traditional cap and gown signifying successful completion of all requirements forgraduation.Further information on school-sponsored activities at graduation and requirements for participation in graduationexercises may be obtained from your school’s Principal, your counselor, or the student activities director.COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONSFor two school years following his or her graduation, a district student who graduates in the top ten percent and, in somecases, the top 25 percent, of his or her class is eligible for automatic admission into four-year public universities andcolleges in Texas if the student: Completes the Recommended or Advanced/Distinguished Achievement Program; orSatisfies the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks or earns at least a 1500 out of 2400 on the SAT.In addition, the student must submit a completed application for admission in accordance with the deadline establishedby the college or university.The University of Texas at Austin may limit the number of students automatically admitted to 75 percent of theUniversity’s enrollment capacity for incoming resident freshmen. For students who are eligible to enroll in the Universityof Texas at Austin during the summer or fall 2013 term, the University will be admitting the top eight percent of the highschool’s graduating class who meet the above requirements. Additional applicants will be considered by the Universitythrough an independent review process.Should a college or university adopt an admissions policy that automatically accepts the top 25 percent of a graduatingclass, the provisions above will also apply to a student ranked in the top 25 percent of his or her class.Students and parents should contact the counselor for further information about automatic admissions, the applicationprocess, and deadlines.See also Policy EIC (LOCAL) for information specifically related to how the district calculates a student’s rank in class.SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTSStudents who have a financial need according to federal criteria and who complete the Recommended Program orDistinguished Achievement Program may be eligible under the TEXAS Grant Program for tuition and fees to Texaspublic universities, community colleges, and technical schools, as well as to private institutions.Contact the counselor for information about other scholarships and grants available to students.38