Student Handbook

Red Canyon High School Mission

RCHS is a community centered around meeting the diverse needs of our students in order to develop individuals who are: respectful, community-minded, hopeful, and self-aware.

Red Canyon High School Norms

At Red Canyon High School, we live by four norms which are a part of life in our buildings. All students, teachers, and staff work together to assure our norms permeate our walls.

RCHS's Four Norms:

Respect

Community

Hope

Self-Awareness

Red Canyon High School is a school of choice. Students need to interview for a  spot if they want to join our community.

Any students and families interested in attending RCHS needs to call our office at (970)328-2850 to be placed on our waiting list. Prior to the start of each quarter, parents / guardians will be contacted to sign up for an interview time. Interviews occur in August, October, December, March, and June.

Both students and parents / guardians are required to attend the interviews conducted by the administrative and counseling team. Students and parents / guardians will be notified  within a week of interviews to inform them of their acceptance status.

Monday - Thursday: 

• 1st hour 9:00 - 10:30 
• Break 10:30 - 10:37
• 2nd hour 10:37 - 12:10
• Lunch 12:10 - 12:50
• 3rd hour 12:50 - 2:20
• Break 2:20 - 2:25
• 4th hour 2:25 - 3:55

Friday:

• Class #1: 9:00 - 12:10
• Class #2: 12:50 - 4:00

Red Canyon High School has Dragon Days between each grading period, or octer. Students spend the day working in their advisory groups (Thunder Groups) reflecting on the four norms of the school, working through the Red Canyon High School Way of Life, and exploring future college and career opportunities.

Students attend classes from 9:00am to 2:20pm.

In order to graduate, students must earn 24 credits. Students who are behind may recover credits through our credit-recovery program using Edgenuity, an online platform with classes that are aligned with Colorado State Standards.

Eagle County School District Graduation Credit Requirements:

• English 4.0

• Math 3.0

• Science 3.0

• Social Studies 2.5

• Economics 0.5

• Government 0.5

• Physical Education 1.5

• Health 0.5

• Practical Skills 1.0

• Electives 7.5

ECSD Cell Phone Policy

ECSD recognizes the importance of communication and collaboration, and provides devices for students to be productive in the classroom. To keep the focus on academics and to reduce unnecessary distractions, the District  has a no cell phone policy with all electronic devices other than the student’s Chromebook.

Academic Settings (High School)

• Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, shall be TURNED OFF when class begins and not turned back on until the class ends.

• Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, shall be kept out of sight at all times.    

• Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, may be used during transition times, at lunch or between classes.

• If a student needs to make an emergency call during the day, they are to go to the office or use a classroom phone with teacher permission.

• Students may not use AirPods or headphones during class.

• Students may not use Smart Watches to message or communicate with others during the day.

• While on school transportation students may use their cell phones and other electronic devices in “silent mode” provided the use of the device, as determined by the supervising staff member or bus driver, in no way disrupts, poses a safety concern or otherwise violates the School District’s Code of Conduct for Students or other parts of this policy. 

Action steps for violation of the above policy:

• 1st Offense:  Teacher confiscates device, gives it to the office as soon as possible and the student can retrieve it at the end of the day. The teacher and the student have a conversation to help prevent further violations.

• 2nd Offense:  Teacher confiscates device, gives it to the office as soon as possible and a parent must retrieve the phone/give verbal permission to release the phone. Students will be required to have a restorative conversation about their device usage with administration. 

• 3rd Offense: Student will be required to turn in their device to the office at the beginning of each day and may pick it up at the end of each day for as long as administration deems appropriate. 

Acceptable Use (All levels)

Cell phones and electronic devices, including smart watches and tablets, may not be used in a manner which is potentially unsafe, illegal, or otherwise might violate the School District’s Code of Conduct for students Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to: 

• Using the device to create video or audio recordings of students and/or staff, without permission of the student and/or staff member;

• Using the device to take photographs of students and/or staff, without permission of the student and/or staff member;

• Using the device for academic dishonesty or cheating;

• Using the device in any manner that disrupts the academic environment, or otherwise disrupts school activities or functions;

• Using the device to send, receive or possess text or e-mail messages reasonably interpreted as indecent or sexually suggestive while at school, on school transportation, or at a school-related function;

• Using the device to threaten, harass, intimidate, or bully; or

• Departing a class to activate or operate such devices.

Parents may call the school office during school hours if they need to get a message to their child. If a parent needs to speak with their child, we will arrange for the student to call the parent back using an office phone. 

ECSD is not responsible for any lost or stolen electronic devices. Students are encouraged to leave these items at home, but if a student chooses to bring these items to school they are responsible for them at all times. 

If a unique circumstance exists warranting the need for a student to use a cell phone or personal electronic device, outside this policy, such requests shall be written into an official plan such as IEP, 504, Health Plan, ALP, or ELD plan, or submitted to the principal in writing. The Principal’s decision shall be final in any requests not included in an official plan. 

If a teacher wishes for students to use their cell phones or electronic devices as part of a lesson, and the device is important to the learning, they may do so with the permission of the administrator.

The agreement statements below align with Guiding Principles of AI Use in ECSD and provide guidelines of acceptable use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) by students in ECSD.

1. Students and staff will use AI tools responsibly, ethically, and in alignment with school rules and district policies.  Creating or sharing harmful, misleading, or inappropriate content violates district policies. 

2. Students and staff will not enter personal, sensitive, or confidential data into any AI tool, including any student identifiable data related to education records.

3. Students and staff will critically evaluate AI-generated content for potential inaccuracies, persuasive tone, and bias. It is vital to understand the limitations of AI and the importance of cross-referencing with factual sources.

4. Students will follow staff instructions on when and how to use AI on an assignment and will check with the instructor when unsure.

5. Students will follow staff instructions for appropriately disclosing and/or citing AI-generated content.  AI is not a substitute for original thought, and students will not claim AI-generated content as their own work.  

The following principles guide the appropriate and safe use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)  in Eagle County School District. We commit to adopting processes, procedures, and agreements to uphold each principle.

We use AI as a tool to help all students reach their educational goals.  

AI has the potential to help us reach our district’s goals, including improving student learning, teacher effectiveness, and school operations.  We aim to make AI tools universally accessible. 

We value AI Literacy.  

Students and staff will build their AI Literacy skills in order to utilize AI tools responsibly and ethically.  Critical evaluation of AI responses, paying special attention to inaccuracies, persuasive tone, and bias, is essential when using AI tools. 

We reaffirm adherence to existing policies and regulations. 

AI use will align with policies and procedures around protecting student safety, data privacy, and accessibility.

We maintain human oversight when using AI.  

When partnering with AI, we maintain human oversight throughout the entire process (Human In → Human Out).  AI tools can serve as a thought partner but do not replace the critical thinking responsibilities of students, teachers, or administrators.  

We use AI with integrity and honesty.  

Students will be truthful in giving credit to AI sources and tools when submitting work that reflects their learning.    

We strive to monitor, review, and evaluate our district’s use of AI.   

Understanding that AI and technologies are evolving rapidly, we strive to monitor, review, and evaluate our district’s use of AI to adjust our procedures, practices, and agreements accordingly.