General Information

Building Hours

The building and office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Teacher work hours are 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., although teachers are willing to meet with parents/guardians and students beyond those hours. Only those students with school-related business may remain in the building beyond 3:30 p.m. Credit Make-up hours are scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday at CIHS..

Closed Campus

Riverside Academy Schools are a closed campus. The safety of our students is very important. Once students arrive on school property, by bus, privately owned vehicle, or on foot, they may not leave without both parent/guardian and school permission. Students in grades 9-12 do have open lunch.

• All students must sign out before leaving the building(s). Without permission from a parent/guardian, absences will be considered unexcused.
• Students may receive an in school suspension for skipping classes, leaving without permission and/or not signing out before they leave the building. They will be subject to a search upon returning.

Cold/Inclement Weather Guidelines

Students will participate in outdoor activities during most winter days. The decision whether to play outdoors will be made by the staff who consider the temperature (below 0 degrees F.), wind-chill factor and precipitation, student tolerance for the elements, and the "need" for outdoor play.

Dances

Riverside Academy students can participate in their resident district school sponsored dances with permission only. Students must follow the resident district requirements in the Student Handbook. The following is the Cambridge-Isanti High School Dance requirements:

School sponsored dances are an extension of the normal school day and all school rules apply. Students are permitted to bring one guest to each dance. The guest must be at least a 9th grader but under the age of 20. If the guest attends another district, the CIHS student must get a form filled out by their principal. The forms are available in the student office. If the guest is not a student, then the CIHS student is required to speak to their principal to obtain permission to bring their guest. If permission isn’t obtained in advance, your guest will not be allowed to enter. Please remember if you leave the lobby and go outside during the dance you cannot return to the dance. Administration reserves the right to deny admittance to any student or guest, and to remove students and or guests at their discretion.

Enrollment Options

Riverside Academy follows the Minnesota Department of Education alternative education legislation. Acceptance of any eligible student in the State of Minnesota, under the High School Graduation Incentives (HSGI), is required for all and any participation in any Riverside Academy program. Eligible students will be accepted as long as adequate student-teacher ratios can be maintained. Secondary students must need to progress towards resident district graduation requirements to attend classes. The following are enrollment expectations:

• Students could attend this program Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m, flexible and part-time scheduling is available as requested or needed.
• All students seeking graduation requirements will be assigned an advisor and be required to present a senior portfolio when requirements are less than two credits. Partial credits will be earned in electives or English.
• Seat-based schedules, Independent Study schedules and a hybrid of both will be available. Advisors will be reviewing student schedules and will make changes as needed to fulfill their graduation requirements. Students not progressing at an acceptable rate may lose scheduling options.
• Students who are excessively absent, tardy or struggle with excessive behavior will be referred to our “Student Support Team”. In the event that no progress is made after identified interventions the student and family will meet with the director and advisor to explore other educational options. Losses of schedule, adjusted schedule, a GED referral or student contract agreements are possible choices.

Electronic Devices

Cambridge-Isanti Schools has a goal of empowering a community to be effective lifelong learners with the use of ideas, information, and technology. The use of cell phones and other electronic devices are only allowed at certain times with staff permission and inappropriate use will have consequences.

Equal Educational Opportunities

It is the policy of the Riverside Academy ALC Programs not to discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs, activities, or employment policies as required by Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments. Inquiries may be made to  the Administrative Assistant for Business Affairs, Education Center Building, 625A North Main Street, Cambridge, MN, telephone (763) 689-6188, or to the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D.C.

Family Access Information

Skyward Family Access makes it easy to be active in your child’s education by connecting parents with information on schedules, assignments, test scores, attendance, food service balances, report cards, and more. From the Cambridge-Isanti Schools website, click Skyward Family Access in the button bar. Enter your login and password. If you do not know your login information, click ‘Forgot Your Login/Password?’ Click the box by ‘I’m not a Robot’ and enter the email address you provided to the school. You will receive an email with your login and a link to reset your password. If you are unsure of the email address we have on file, contact the main office.

Absences may also be reported via Family Access on the attendance tab.

Field Trips

Parent/Guardian permission slips are required for field trips outside the school district boundaries. Students may be ineligible to attend field trips based on previous school/field trip misconduct.

Food Service

The nutrition program aims to provide high quality, nutritious meals to our students. The program includes breakfast and lunch at all buildings. C-I Schools Local Wellness Policy is Policy 533. Information and applications for educational benefits are available in each school office, at the district Food Service office, or on the district website.

Breakfast and Lunch Program

Breakfast and lunch are available for all PreK- Grade 12 students enrolled in C-I Schools at no cost. A school lunch that meets a third of a child’s daily nutritional requirements includes protein, a vegetable and/or a fruit, bread and milk. Milk is available for purchase for $0.50

Notice To Parents/Guardians: Employment and Services Criminal History Background Checks Policy #404

The purpose of this policy is to maintain a safe and healthful environment in the school district in order to promote the physical, social, and psychological well-being of its students. To that end, the school district will seek a criminal history background check for applicants who receive an offer of employment with the school district and on all individuals, except enrolled student volunteers, who are offered the opportunity to provide athletic coaching services or other extracurricular academic coaching services to the school district, regardless of whether any compensation is paid, or such other background checks as provided by this policy. The school district may elect to do background checks of all volunteers, independent contractors, and student employees in the school district.

Pets at School

Students are not to bring pets to school unless as part of a class activity; teacher and administrator approval is required. In such cases, adults are asked to bring the pets at the time of the activity. Pets are allowed to stay only for a brief visit.

Pledge of Allegiance

Anyone who does not wish to participate in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance for any personal reason may elect not to do so. Students must respect another person's right to make that choice.

School Closings

If the school district where the Riverside Academy program is located closes, that program will close. For example: If Cambridge-Isanti Schools closes school, the Riverside Academy High School and Junior High will be closed. If conditions become bad enough during the day to warrant the cancellation of night school activities, the staff will attempt to contact students directly.

When school is called off due to weather conditions, a notice of school closings and/or program cancellations will be sent to families through a text message, phone call, and email. Notices are also posted at WCCO (830 AM) and television channels 4, 5, 9 & 11 as well as on the Cambridge-Isanti Schools website. Please log in to Family Access in Skyward to make sure your contact information (phone number and email) preferences are current in order to receive notification by text, email, and phone.

Search of Student Lockers, Personal Possessions and Student PersonPolicy #502

Lockers and Personal Possessions within a Locker: Pursuant to Minnesota statutes, school lockers are the property of the school district. At no time does the school district relinquish its exclusive control of lockers provided for the convenience of students. Inspection of the interior of lockers may be conducted for any reason at any time, without notice, without student consent, and without a search warrant. The personal possessions of students within a school locker may be searched only when school officials have reasonable suspicion that the search will uncover evidence of a violation of law or school rules.

Personal Possessions and Student’s Person: The personal possessions of students and/or a student’s person may be searched when school officials have reasonable suspicion that the search will uncover a violation of law or school rules. The search will be reasonable in its scope and intrusiveness. It shall be a violation of this policy for students to use lockers and desks for unauthorized purposes or to store contraband. It shall be a violation for students to carry contraband on their person or in their personal possessions.