School Policy Guide

Wright is a community that doesn’t tolerate bullying. We encourage students to take a part in advocating for themselves and others by reporting known bullying. We support and assist the person being bullied, providing students with tools to become empowered and overcome the negative effects of bullying, and we also intervene with the student who engages in bullying behavior to ensure the bullying behavior stops by: teaching communication and empathy, communicating with parents and providing appropriate, gradual discipline.

In order for Wright Middle School to be a positive place, appropriate behavior is necessary and expected. With the support of parents/guardians, staff will respond to misbehaviors in a respectful manner which helps students develop the ability to be self-disciplined. When students do not meet the behavior expectations set for them, staff respond to inappropriate behavior with progressive discipline that include interventions, actions which provide opportunities for instruction and actions that are typically viewed as consequences.

In Career and Technology Education classrooms and labs, students are expected to follow all rules as they are explained during safety instruction and testing. The Student Handbook outlines the general consequences for not following the rules, and any student found to be a safety or discipline concern will be referred to the administration for proper discipline and may be asked to not return to the classroom. Classroom and/or lab safety issues may result in limitations to the student’s participation in class or the student’s removal from the class and/or no credit for the class.

Through MSCR, Wright Middle School provides numerous after-school, evening, weekend and extended year programs for J.C. Wright youth, families and community members. Throughout the school year our CLC coordinator will contact families regarding activities and programming. The CLC coordinator can also be contacted at 204-1369 if parents or guardians have special skills or expertise they would like to share with our students.

Students are permitted to possess a cellular phone, personal digital assistant, personal music/video/gaming device, camera or other personal electronic device with communications functions or the capability to capture/record voice or image information, provided that the device remains stored, powered off and unused throughout the entirety of the school day. Pupils who possess a device do so at their own risk to possible loss, damage or liability.

Furthermore, if a student is in possession of an electronic device during the school day and it is seen, heard or in use, the device will be confiscated and brought to the office where a parent will be required to pick it up during school hours.

Finally, if there are times when you feel it is important to contact your student during the school day, please contact the school office and refrain from texting your student as this is a distraction to your student as well as other students in the classroom. We will be happy to get the message to your student in a timely manner.

All parents and family members are encouraged and expected to be active participants at Wright. Parents/guardians of Wright students are required to be involved and commit to 8 volunteer hours during the school year. Wright’s parent group provides opportunities for parents/legal guardians to participate actively in their children’s school. Through their involvement parents/legal guardians can become better informed about, and can influence and gather community support for local school programs and policies.

Field trips are essential to the educational program, and all students are expected to participate. Parents/legal guardians will receive written notification in advance about field trips and should take care to sign all forms and send money to school if requested. Parents/legal guardians should contact the school office if payment creates a hardship. When riding a school bus as part of a field trip, students are expected to obey all rules governing school bus transportation.

Wright typically holds fall parent/teacher/student conferences. Parents are required to participate in at least 1 conference per school year. Families will be contacted by your student’s teacher with the date and time of the conference. There are also conferences in February for students that are in need of additional support to maintain continued success in their education and personal growth and development.

A student who needs to leave school for any reason during the school day must bring a note from a parent/guardian indicating the time to be excused and the reason for the excuse. The student must take the note to the main office before school so that they can obtain an “Outside Permit.”

Board policy states students should only be excused upon the request of parents or guardians. Parents must come to the office to sign the student out. You may be asked for identification to verify your relationship. Students must check in at the main office upon returning to school regardless of the time.

Families play a key role in school safety. You can read about school-specific resources for helping keep students safe on our website. You’ll find more information on district safety and security, including how we communicate with you in an emergency, at madison.k12.wi.us/safety.

Emergency situation procedures

• Fire drills, lockdowns, tornado drills -- To prepare staff and students in the event of an emergency, drills are conducted in the fall, spring and monthly.
• Safety plans -- Every classroom has an Emergency Procedures pamphlet, which provides directions on responding to a variety of emergencies that may be encountered at the school.
• School entrances/access -- Entrance will be restricted to one main door.

A federal grant supplies all Wright students, regardless of income, with a free breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast includes a selection of tasty, healthy foods: cereal, yogurt, granola bars, fruit, fresh bread and rolls, juice, milk, etc.

Lunch includes a choice of several entrées and a choice of fruit, vegetables, and milk.

If your student has specific dietary restrictions please contact our school nurse who will work with you and our eatery staff to meet your needs.
 

It is the policy of the Board of Education to waive the payment of part or all of student fees if the student’s parent/guardian demonstrates an inability to pay such fees.

Fee Waiver/Reduction request forms are available at all schools, and may be completed by the parent/guardian each school year in which a waiver or fee reduction is requested. Fees for locks and the planners cannot be waived.

All personal items are to be stored in a student’s locked locker. School will not be responsible for lost or stolen items. Students should not share lockers or locker combinations with the exception of their gym locker.

Every article found should be turned in to the main office immediately. Those who have lost articles should check in the main office or in the lost and found bin located in the hallway outside of the LMC. Unclaimed articles will be donated to charity.

The Pupil Services staff includes a social worker, a psychologist and a school counselor who are available to all students. These services focus on social, emotional and behavioral issues that may interfere with a student’s ability to learn.

A school nurse or nurse’s assistant is available to perform a number of health-related services including: administration of medication during the school day, hearing and vision screening, caring for sick or injured students and assistance in finding health care.

Wright’s playground is supervised before school starting at 8:30 a.m. After school, the playground is not supervised. Students should either be out of the building or in an after-school club after the dismissal bell at 4:10 p.m. Students must use hall passes while participating in after-school activities.

To avoid traffic congestion in our parking lot, please utilize the roundabout drop off located at the back of the school near the playground to drop off and pick up your child at the beginning and end of the day. During the school day, use the main entrance. The street leading to the traffic circle is a fire lane and it is illegal to stop there as well as unsafe to do so with students on the playground.

MMSD is partnering with First Student yellow bus transportation is a privilege -- not a right -- and is considered a part of the school day.

The school is not responsible for damage or theft of parts when bicycles are parked on school grounds. Skateboards are not allowed at school.

At JC Wright Middle School we believe all of our scholars will be successful and exemplify our school mission and philosophy. In order to be prepared and focused on learning, JC Wright scholars will arrive in uniform and equipped with the materials and supplies they will need for the day.

Read our 2024-2025 Uniform Policy