Page 21 - Atlanta Public Schools 2022/2023 Student Handbook + Planner

Georgia Sexting Laws For Teens And Minors
In Georgia, teens and minors accused of sexting images of or to another minor can be charged with a felony or misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances involved. In accordance with O.C.G.A 16-12-100, a felony conviction carries a sentence between five and 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000. The offense is considered a “sexual offense,” which requires a mandatory minimum sentence that cannot be suspended. The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor conviction is 12 months in jail, a fine of $1,000, or both.
Felony Offenses
An adult (older than 18) who commits a crime of computer or electronic child pornography faces felony penalties. Teenagers ages 18 and younger can also be charged with a felony if the conduct involved does not fall within the misdemeanor offense.
Lockers
Lockers are property of the school and may be opened by a school official without the permission of the individual student. Students to whom lockers are assigned can be suspended or expelled if the locker contains weapons, drugs, or other unauthorized materials.
Lunch With Students
Parents/guardians are welcome to eat lunch with their children at school; however, a school may limit or cancel lunches if a parent’s/guardian’s presence or behavior intentionally or unintentionally causes a disruption or safety concern. All visitors must sign in at the school office and obtain a visitor’s badge that must be worn at all times while in the building or while on the school grounds. Food can not be delivered to students during
the school day by any food establishment, inclusive of but not limited to UberEat, DoorDash or GrubHub, without prior approval by the principal.
Illness
If a student becomes too ill to remain in class, the student may contact their parents/guardians to make arrangements to be checked out of school. The principal should be notified in writing if a student has a chronic illness or disability that could require special or emergency treatment. Students should not return to school until fever-, vomiting-, and/or diarrhea-free for 24 hours without the use of medication.
COVID-like symptoms: students who arrive at school with COVID-like symptoms (i.e., new onset of cough, headache, fatigue, sore throat, fever, runny nose, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea) will be transported to the CARE room for parent/ guardian to be notified and check their student out of school. Parents/ guardians should make arrangements to check the student out within one hour of being notified by school.
Parents/guardians are required to monitor their student’s health and conduct a health attestation prior to their student returning to school.
If a student is ill with COVID-like symptoms, has been exposed to
a confirmed case of COVID-19, or is pending test results from a COVID-19 test, the student is required to stay home and contact their school administrator and school nurse for additional guidance. Parents/ guardians are highly encouraged to complete the student self-reporting form located on our district website to self-report positive COVID-19 cases and exposures to confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Immunization Requirements
Certificates of Immunization are required by Georgia Law 20-2-771. All kindergarten, 6th and 7th grade students, all students new to Georgia, and students coming from any private school must have the Georgia Certificate of Immunization Form 3231 signed by a licensed healthcare provider or the county health department. For students entering from out-of-state schools, please contact your local Health Department or a Georgia licensed physician to have immunizations transferred to Form 3231. You will need to have your immunization record from your state in order to transfer immunizations to Form 3231. All requirements apply to students transferring from out-of-state schools to Georgia schools.
*New entrants include anyone that is entering Georgia schools for
the first time or is returning to a Georgia school after being gone for more than 12 months or one school year. To be enrolled in APS, ALL certificates of immunization must be marked, “Complete for Attendance,” or have a future expiration date. Expired certificates will not be accepted for enrollment.
Misdemeanor Offenses
Georgia law allows a reduced misdemeanor penalty for certain acts of teen sexting. Misdemeanor penalties apply only if:
• The child depicted in the image is 14 or 15
• The depicted child consented to its creation, and
• The defendant did not distribute the image to another
Human Trafficking
Georgia Law O.C.G.A 16-5-46 prohibits trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude. Sexual servitude means, in part, “any sexually explicit conduct as defined in Code Section 16-12-100 for which anything of value is directly or indirectly given, promised to, or received by any person, which conduct is induced or obtained by coercion or deception or which conduct is induced or obtained from a person under the age of 18 years. Any person who commits the offense of trafficking a person for labor or sexual servitude against a person who is under the age of 18 shall be guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for 10-20 years.
The Atlanta Public School District is taking a strong stance against human trafficking by educating our students, teachers, administrators, support staff, and other employees about the dangers and signs of child exploitation, as well as human trafficking. Professional development offerings are provided online to all staff, and students are also provided with opportunities to learn about human trafficking through our Social Emotional Learning curriculum. Additionally, in accordance with O.C.G.A 16-5-47 Georgia State Bill 104, all buildings in the district have adult- appropriate awareness/reporting posters in the adult restrooms, as well as age-appropriate signage in all schools.
Discuss internet safety with your child. Please encourage your child to do the following:
• Allow you as a friend with them on all social media accounts for safety
• Accept friend requests only from people they have met in person
• Inform parent/guardian if any adult request to be their friend on
social media
• Speak with you if any sexual images or other inappropriate links/
messages are received
• Alert parents/guardians if anyone suggests they send inappropriate
photos or if someone offers a job or travel opportunity
Learn additional internet safety tips here: www.internetsafety101.org and warning signs of human trafficking here: www.gacares.org/warning-signs.html
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