We hope the information contained in this handbook will answer your questions concerning our school policies and procedures. Parents will be notified of changes as they occur through the FCPS messaging system News You Choose. Please keep this handbook for easy reference or visit our school website. All policies and regulations of the school are made with consideration for students’ safety and/or preservation of instructional time.

Contact Information: 

School Office Telephone: 703-255-5600

Attendance Line: 703-255-5656

Clinic: 703-255-5610

Cafeteria: 703-255-5621

Fax Line: 703-255-5697

Transportation: 703-446-2000

Monday - Friday: 8:40-3:25

8:20 a.m. -Students who would like to eat breakfast are allowed in and go directly to the cafeteria. 

8:30 a.m. – Doors open to all students.

8:40 a.m. - The school day officially begins.

For safety and security, parents of tardy students are required to walk their children into the school building and sign them in at the main office to correct attendance records. This includes Kiss & Ride; car riders arriving after Kiss & Ride closes need to park and escort their child(ren) to the main office.

FCPS SCHEDULED 2 HOUR EARLY CLOSING TIMES

Students will be dismissed at 1:25 p.m. Please refer to the school calendar for specific early closing dates.

FCPS SCHEDULED 3 HOUR EARLY CLOSING TIMES

Students will be dismissed at 12:25 p.m. Please refer to the school calendar for specific early closing dates.

Parents must come into the office and sign out their child/ren. Our school office assistant will call the teacher to notify him/her that you (or an authorized person) are here to pick up your child. Your child will be dismissed from the classroom and meet you in the main office. This procedure is followed to prevent disruption to the class and for the safety and security of the student.

Students will not be released during the school day to anyone not listed on the student’s Emergency Care Form or to any person not authorized in writing by custodial parent/guardian to assume responsibility for them. Emergency Care Forms may now be changed online by logging into ParentVUE. In the event parents send another person to pick up their child at school during school hours, a written note must be signed by the parents. Photo identification will be required.

Students may be released to either parent unless a custody order from the court names one parent to have sole custody. A custodial parent is a person who has legal custody of the student.

All students are expected to arrive at school on time and attend school every day unless the absence or tardiness is due to an FCPS excusable reason. During your child’s formative elementary school years, including kindergarten, it is important that regular school attendance be encouraged and practiced. Please try to avoid planning vacations and appointments during scheduled instruction.

ABSENCES:

• Notify the school by 8:20a.m. *every* day your child will be absent or tardy for any reason. Parents who do not notify the school by 9 a.m. to verify their child’s absence will be contacted by FCPS.
• Call the Dedicated Attendance Line: 703-255-5656. The answering machine is available for leaving messages after hours and on weekends.
• Email: [email protected]
• Long term absence: Please contact the school principal directly in advance of absence dates. Homework is not provided ahead of time for children who are being pulled out of school for family vacations.

When leaving messages or emailing for attendance purposes, it is important to include all the following with the notification:

• Date(s) of absence
• Students First and Last name
• Grade and Homeroom Teacher
• Reason for Absence: Please use as much detail as possible; absent due to illness, out of town, tardy, etc.
• Parent/Guardian Contact Information

Excused Absences 

An excused absence is one for which parents or guardians have prior knowledge, consent, and/or legitimate reason.

Legitimate reasons may include: illness (including mental health and substance use illnesses), injury, funeral, legal obligations, medical procedures, suspensions, religious observances, military obligation, deployment of a military family member, or visit from a family member who has immediately returned from deployment, emergency conditions in the student’s home which require temporary help from the student to care for a sick or injured family member, civic engagement (one partial school day per year) as provided in the current version of Regulation 2234, Student Responsibilities and Rights, or another reason acceptable to the principal or his or her designee.

The principal or his or her designee determines whether or not absences will be excused and may require a physician’s note in cases of chronic or long-term illness. Parents or guardians and students are encouraged to prearrange excused absences when possible.

Unexcused Absences 

n unexcused absence is one for which the parent or guardian does not provide prior knowledge, consent, and/or legitimate reason. Examples of reasons that are not justified and will result in an unexcused absence include: family and/or student vacations, child care situations, non-school related activities, missed school bus, or other reasons unacceptable to the principal or his or her designee. This definition holds for all day and period absences.

When students are absent without prior communication between the parent or guardian and the school, FCPS will notify the parent or guardian via eNotify or the FCPS phone/electronic communication to confirm the child’s absence.

Failure to notify the school of your child’s absence will also result as ‘unexcused absence’ on your child’s report card. This is done for the safety of your child and to assure parents that their children have been accounted for daily. Any student missing 15 consecutive days is automatically withdrawn from enrollment.

Late Arrival 

here is a 10 minute warning bell to indicate to all that it is time for students to be in their classroom. The second bell rings to indicate the start of the instructional school day. Teachers begin taking attendance and our morning news show begins. Students who arrive after the second bell rings are tardy. Parents must walk their student(s) into the school office and sign their student(s) into school.

It is imperative that every pupil attend school on time. School Board regulations authorize the principal to require a satisfactory explanation from the parent or guardian for the absence of a pupil for all or any part of the school day. Additional resources for parents are located at https://www.fcps.edu/attendance.

Parent View Account Validation

You must have an active SIS Parent Account to be able to log in to Schoology. The same login will be used to access both the SIS Parent Account and Schoology systems.

SIS Parent Account will provide access to view your child’s student information, including attendance, report cards, class schedules, gradebook (for Middle and High School students), course history, discipline, health, and school information, establishing another form of communication between home and school.

Existing Families: You will use the same username and password you established when setting up your SIS Parent Account. If you forgot your password, click “Forgot Password” and follow the prompts to receive an email to reset your password. If this does not work or you never activated your account, please reach out to our SBTS, Sydney Miller, at [email protected] for assistance.

At Cunningham Park Elementary, our bus riders are expected to:

• Follow all FCPS rules listed in the Student Rights and Responsibilities booklet.
• Avoid crossing over or playing on private property.
• Arrive at the bus stop 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time.
• Remain seated and talk quietly after boarding the bus.
• Cooperate with the safety patrols and bus drivers.

Student failure to exhibit acceptable standards of conduct while riding a school bus can result in a

suspension of bus transportation privileges. Procedures for safe transportation are discussed with all students at the beginning of the school year. Parents’ reinforcement of the rules for safe loading and unloading of buses and of standards for behavior on buses and at bus stops is essential and will promote safety. School buses will pull into the bus lanes in the front of the school. Students will enter the school from their buses through the front lobby doors. Adults will be present at arrival and dismissal times to ensure your child’s safety.

Stay up-to-date on school bus arrivals with FCPS' bus delay notification system (https://busdelay.fcps.edu). This system provides parents with timely notification of late bus route information. Parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the FCPS Mobile App to receive the delayed bus report. Morning route information will be available until noon. Afternoon bus route information will be available from 1 to 7 p.m.

Our number one mission is to keep our students safe. Our Kiss & Ride area was established to provide a location where parents may pick up or discharge their children from private vehicles. Our Kiss & Ride is located at Door #1, separate from the bus loading and unloading areas. Do not drop your child off in the crosswalks as it is unsafe. Do not drop your child off in the crosswalks as it is unsafe.

For the process to work safely and efficiently, adult supervision is necessary to oversee and direct traffic in these areas. Staff members will be stationed at the Kiss & Ride to help children get out of the cars safely and enter the building through the front doors. The Kiss & Ride area becomes very congested. Please follow these safety procedures to ensure the safety of your child and all students:

• THE USE OF CELLULAR DEVICES IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED IN THE KISS & RIDE LINE.
• Please make sure your child(ren) is prepared and ready to exit the vehicle upon arrival.
• Drive slowly, use 2 lanes and MERGE, alternating into one. Look for direction from staff and patrols.
• Pull forward as far as possible before loading or unloading.
• Load and un load from the passenger side of the car only.
• Do not park in the Kiss & Ride lane and leave your car unattended.
• Exit the Kiss & Ride line promptly after loading or unloading children.
• Look carefully for students who may be crossing in front or behind you.

In the afternoon, if your child is not present when you pull up to the Kiss & Ride area, please pull

forward and wait patiently.

Please treat our staff members, our students and each other at Kiss & Ride respectfully. Remember

that Kiss & Ride is offered as a courtesy to our parents and these staff members make it possible to

offer this service.

Car riders can arrive at 8:20 if your child is coming in to eat breakfast. If your child is not eating breakfast, they should arrive at 8:30 am and should not leave their vehicle unless there is a patrol present. Upon exiting the vehicle, students will follow the direction of patrols of where to report for supervision until dismissal to class.

Parents and students arriving after Kiss & Ride closes at 8:50 a.m. should park their vehicle and walk

their students into the front door entrance. See Kiss and Ride map below.

PICK UP AND DISCHARGE STUDENTS ONLY AT THE DESIGNATED KISS AND RIDE LOCATION-DOOR 1

Discharging a child from other locations is unsafe and should not occur. Encourage your child to make

safe choices by not running across the parking lot or the bus driveway. Parents are asked not to enter

the driveway directly in front of the school which is reserved for school buses. Please always observe

the handicap parking spaces, fire lanes, and do not block ramps.

The safety and security of students is always a top priority at Cunningham Park ES.

We welcome visitors!

A visitor is defined as anyone who is not employed regularly at Cunningham Park Elementary: parents, volunteers, employees of FCPS who do not work regularly at the school, and others. CPES has a visitor management system to improve the security of our students and staff during the work day. This electronic sign in system requires that every visitor scan their license and obtain a photo label name tag before leaving the front office. Visitors include any person on the school property during the course of the instructional day.

For each visitor’s initial visit, registration on the visitor system will be required. Please plan on a few extra minutes to register on your first visit to our school.

Visitations may only occur when they do not distract from the instructional program. Therefore, all classroom visitations must be prearranged with the teacher and/or principal. Student visitors from other schools (cousins, visiting friends, etc.) are not permitted to observe or visit in a classroom. Visitors to CPES are requested to complete their cell phone conversation before entering the school building. Cell phones need to be turned off, or put in airplane mode, while in the building.

The purpose of health room services in school is to partner with you to keep your child in the best position to learn. Services provided include:

• Care of sick and injured students until parents arrive to get their child.
• Hearing and vision screening (grades K, 3, new to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), and those students referred by teachers and parents).
• Administration of care for students with identified problems or conditions during the school day.

If your child is injured or becomes sick at school, we will notify you immediately. If we cannot reach a parent, we will call someone listed on your Emergency Care Form.

Please remember that your child should be fever-free for 24 hours, without medication, before returning to school.

In the case of severe emergencies: 911 will be called and parents will be notified. A staff member will accompany the ambulance with your child and await your arrival to the ER at the hospital.

Contagious Illnesses

In accordance with the communicable disease policy for Fairfax County Public Schools, students with symptoms such as rashes, skin eruptions, watery and inflamed eyes, fever, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea should stay home until the doctor evaluates their symptoms and determines whether they are contagious.

Parents will be contacted and expected to take their child home if he/she is sent to school with symptoms of an illness, becomes sick, or develops a rash.

Please notify the school office if your child should contract the flu, Covid-19, chicken pox, strep throat, measles, head lice, or any other contagious disease.

Immunizations

Before entering a public school (preschool, FECEP, and grades K-12), documentary proof shall be provided of adequate age appropriate immunization with the prescribed number of doses of vaccine.

Vaccines must be administered in accordance with the harmonized schedule of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Family Physicians and must be administered within spacing and age requirements (available at http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/Epidemiology/Immunization/acip.htm).

Please refer to the Student Registration website for the most current immunization requirements as they are subject to change: http://www.fcps.edu/dss/osp/StudentRegistration/registration-requiremen…

Rising 7th grade students are required to have a booster dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis). Middle school students cannot begin school in August without providing documentation of the Tdap booster to their child’s FCPS middle school.

Medication 

your child must receive medication during school hours, you are required to

complete the appropriate Fairfax County Public Schools authorization forms.

Forms are available online:

https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/se63.pdf

Hard copies are available in the school clinic or office.

Medication will not be dispensed without proper authorization from a physician. Please complete all medication forms accurately before bringing medication to school. A student may carry and use an inhaler for asthmatic conditions when the student’s physician and parent have both completed the necessary form available from the school clinic.

The first dose of any new medication must be given at home. Parents or guardians are responsible for submitting a new form to the school each time there is a change in the dosage or in the time at which the medication is to be taken.

Parents are reminded that children may not transport or possess any prescription or over the counter medication, at any time. ALL MEDICATION, PRESCRIPTION OR OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION MUST BE BROUGHT TO SCHOOL BY A PARENT IN AN ORIGINAL BOTTLE. ALL OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION MUST BE UNOPENED. However, students may bring over the counter cough drops in their original package. They may not share cough drops or any other medication with other students.

Birthday Treats

At Cunningham Park ES, like many other schools, we have quite a few students who suffer from life-threatening allergies. As a school community, we must do all we can to lessen the chances of an allergic incident happening and must work diligently to keep our students safe. We also have a concern for families that can’t afford to purchase treats / items for an entire class. So, based on feedback and collaboration from parents, students, teachers and administrators; we have determined cupcakes, goodie bags, candy, pizza, and /or any other food items will not be allowed at school; except when requested by the teacher for a classroom celebration.