Family-Student Handbook

Welcome to the 2025–26 school year at Cooper Elementary School!

This handbook is designed to provide you with important information about our school policies, procedures, and parent support organizations. At Cooper, we believe that the partnership between school and family is essential. Together, we can provide our scholars with the best educational experience possible.

Please do not drop students off before 7:55 a.m., as there is no supervision. Students arriving at 7:55 a.m. should go directly to the multipurpose room (MPR), where breakfast will also be served beginning at that time. Classes start promptly at 8:25 a.m., and school is dismissed daily at 3:05 p.m.

Students arriving after 8:25 a.m. will be marked late and should report directly to class. Those arriving after 8:45 a.m. must check in at the main office. Being on time is important, as students who are late miss valuable instructional time.

If your child will be absent, please contact the main office to avoid an unexcused absence. Be prepared to provide: student’s name, reason for absence, student’s grade, and teacher.

If your child needs to leave school early, the adult picking them up must show identification to the office staff. Students will only be released to emergency contacts listed in Aeries unless verbal authorization is provided by a parent or guardian. Please avoid picking up students more than one hour before dismissal, unless for a medical or dental appointment.

In addition to classroom rules and PAX vision boards, students are expected to follow these general schoolwide expectations to ensure a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment. Review our school rules.

Review our playground expectations. To ensure safety and fairness, students are expected to follow these playground guidelines in addition to all other school rules.

To support a safe and focused learning environment, cell phones and other personal devices must remain turned off and put away during the school day. Review our school's policies regarding cell phones and personal devices.

To help keep our campus safe and focused on learning, please review the following list of items that are not allowed at school.

If a student is having difficulty following PAX, classroom, or schoolwide expectations, a staff member may write a referral to document the behavior and the consequences that follow. A referral is not a punishment. It is a way to collect and document information about a student’s behavior so the school can provide appropriate support and interventions. Review examples of behaviors that may result in a referral.

Bullying is not allowed in VCUSD schools. It is important to distinguish between students being unkind to one another and bullying. Bullying is aggressive behavior intended to cause emotional or physical harm. Review common examples of bullying behavior.

Students are not allowed to post on social media while on campus. Parents and guardians control which sites their children may visit and have the right to delete their child’s profiles. Cooper staff does not have that authority and cannot monitor or control what students post outside of school. However, if a post creates the potential for disruption on campus, it becomes a school matter.

Teachers, the principal, academic support providers, and mental health support providers may meet with students and parents to encourage positive behavior and improve academic progress. Review common types of interventions.

When a student is struggling academically, behaviorally, or emotionally, school staff may recommend an SST meeting. The SST process is a positive, team-oriented approach to support students in the general education classroom. It addresses a wide range of concerns related to school performance and well-being.

Students are expected to come to school dressed appropriately for a safe and respectful learning environment. To support this, certain clothing and accessories are not permitted on campus.

Please label all jackets, coats, and lunch pails with your student’s name. Each semester, hundreds of items are left unclaimed. Unclaimed items are kept on a rack outside the school gates and in a large container that parents may check daily.

Healthy snacks support student performance and the development of positive eating habits. Please send snacks that include fruits, vegetables, or other healthy alternatives. Do not send snacks that contain nuts, as many students have nut allergies. Do not send candy.

All meals, including breakfast and lunch, are free this year at all VCUSD schools. Research shows that students perform better academically when they eat a healthy lunch. Cooper offers nutritious selections daily for both breakfast and lunch.

To help keep our school community safe and healthy, please monitor your student for signs of illness before sending them to school. If your student becomes sick during the day, we will contact you using the information on your Emergency Contact Card.

If your student requires prescription or over-the-counter medication during the school day, certain steps must be followed to ensure their safety and proper care. Please review the guidelines below to help us provide the best support for your child.

Cooper encourages parents and guardians to volunteer on campus. To become an approved volunteer, please visit the VCUSD website, click the Parents tab, and follow the instructions for completing the application process.

Field trips are an important part of the learning experience, giving students opportunities to explore and connect classroom lessons to the real world. To ensure safety and participation, families should review requirements and expectations before each trip.

Cooper Elementary welcomes parents and guardians to visit classrooms as partners in supporting student learning. To ensure a safe, respectful, and distraction-free environment, all visitors are asked to review and follow our classroom visit guidelines.

Dogs and other animals are not permitted on campus. Some students may have allergies or fears, and animals may create unnecessary risks. Please keep all pets on the sidewalk outside of school grounds.

Cooper Elementary values strong partnerships between families, staff, and the community to support student success. The School Site Council (SSC) plays a vital role in guiding this work—please review how you can get involved.

Cooper values the voices of parents and families in shaping programs that support our English learners. The English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC) provides an opportunity for parents to collaborate with the school on student success. Find out how you can get involved.