Mount Paran Christian School Parent and Student Handbook Elastic Clause Non-discriminatory Statement Section 1 — Who We Are Mission Statement Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment, Mount Paran Christian School unites with home and church to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others and walk in Truth.Vision Statement Mount Paran Christian School aspires to be a national school leader by providing an innovative education to a diverse community of learners within a liberal arts framework, all for the Glory of God.Core Values In support of our mission, MPCS is founded on four core values. MPCS is Christ-Centered, Learning Focused, Pursuers of Excellence, and Community Oriented. • Christ-Centered: embodies a nurturing culture where a biblical worldview and deep faith are developed in the hearts and minds of students who seek to impact the world for Christ. • Learning Focused: MPCS enables students to explore deeply, think critically, experience authentically, problem solve confidently, and retain meaningful learning. • Pursuers of Excellence: MPCS rigorously seeks the highest standard for exemplary education, with quality opportunities for learning, well-balanced student development, and a complete experience for families. • Community Oriented: MPCS nurtures community through relationships, service to others, and family connections.Statement of Faith Mount Paran Christian School is a nondenominational, covenantal school that is unapologetically Christian in its mission, vision, and programs. All staff, students, and parents sign the following Statement of Faith identifying their shared commitment to the Christ-centered purpose of MPCS: • We believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precept. • We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. • We believe that man was created in the image of God, but as a result of sin is lost and powerless to save himself. • We believe that the only hope for man is to believe in Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, who died to take upon himself the punishment for the sin of mankind and who rose from the dead, so that by receiving him as Savior and Lord, man is redeemed by His blood. • We believe that Jesus Christ, in person, will return to earth in power and glory. • We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells those who have received Christ for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and godly lives. • We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ and is composed of all who, through belief in Christ, have been spiritually regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the responsibility of the church to nurture Christians and to spread the Word of Jesus Christ worldwide. Assumptions and Principles: • Life within the Christian community must be lived for the glory of God, daily conforming ourselves to the image of Christ, and recognizing the Lordship of Christ in all aspects of our shared work. (Matthew 22:36-38, I Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:9, 10, 17) • An abiding love for and accountability to Jesus motivates all our actions in this community of believers. (John 15:12-17, I John 4:7-12) • As ministers of Christ, Mount Paran Christian School faculty and staff bear responsibility of service. (Matthew 7:12, 25:31-46, Galatians 5:14, 6:10) • Attaining common goals and ensuring an orderly community life necessitates subordination of individual prerogatives. Christian freedom also includes the option of not doing some things in order to contribute to the common spiritual and emotional good of the impressionable students we serve, as well as promote the betterment of Christian community of which we are a part. (I Corinthians 8:9-13, 9:19-23, 10:23-33) • Mount Paran Christian School recognizes that certain attitudes are expressly condemned in Scripture. These include, but are not limited to greed, jealousy, pride, lust, needless anger, an unforgiving or rebellious spirit, harmful discrimination, and prejudice. (Galatians 5:19-21, I Corinthians 6:9-10) • God’s Word prohibits certain behaviors. These include, but are not limited to theft, lying, cheating, plagiarism, slander, profanity, vulgarity, adultery, homosexual behavior, premarital sex, sexual promiscuity, pornography, drunkenness, immodesty, occult practices, and heresies. (Galatians 5:19-21, I Corinthians 6:9-10) • Scripture teaches that all of our actions should be God-honoring. We seek, therefore, to be selective in personal choices, recognizing the influence of our decisions impacts the Mount Paran Christian School community and the broader body of Christ. (Romans 12:2) • Secularism is a subtle issue involving uncritical conformity to the spirit of the culture and age. As disciples of Christ, Mount Paran Christian School faculty and staff members are called to be counter-cultural, understanding that one’s disposition concerning such matters as materialism, isolationism, success, hedonism, and moral relativity must stand in perpetual review. Christians are called to be especially vigilant against idolatry, allowing a preoccupation with other things to come before God. (Romans 12:2, I John 2:15-17, Exodus 20:3, Philippians 3:18-20) • The Bible defines marriage as a sacramental covenant between one man and one woman; God-designed human sexuality is expressed and affirmed within a monogamous, heterosexual marriage. (Genesis 2: 23-24, Colossians 3:5-7, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:9-10, I Timothy 1:9-10) • Christians are compelled by Scripture to believe that God creates life in the womb of a mother and that life, being divinely ordained, is sacred and should be protected and preserved by a Christian community. The Bible also affirms that the sexual nature and identity of a person is determined by God at conception. This God-given gender is recognized and verified by a legal document at the time of birth. (Psalms 139:13-15, Psalms 22:10-11, Galatians 1:15)Covenant Statement Mount Paran Christian School is a covenant school and expects each of its participating families to share a commitment to the Christian faith and actively participate in the ongoing ministry of a local church, regardless of denominational affiliation. We encourage your continued regular, active involvement in your church home. As a covenant commitment with Mount Paran Christian School, we, as a family, agree to the following commitments for the upcoming school year: • We, as parent(s) or guardian(s) of our child(ren) attending Mount Paran Christian School, do affirm that biblical training in our home will provide a secure haven of safety and loving care, as indicated in the Word of God, accepting responsibility as stated in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” • We have carefully examined and agree with the Statement of Faith of Mount Paran Christian School and desire Mount Paran Christian School to work as agents of our household. • We pledge our loyalty to the aims and ideals of Mount Paran Christian School and will bring any criticisms directly to the teacher and/or administration so that they may be handled in a biblically-appropriate manner (Matthew 18). We will avoid discussions with those not involved so as to avoid a spirit of dissension or division at the expense of our child or the school. • We pledge that if, for any reason, our child does not meet the academic requirements or does not cooperate with the disciplinary standards of Mount Paran Christian School, we will withdraw him/her without delay and cooperate with the administration in completing the withdrawal process. • We understand that students are admitted for one year at a time and that Mount Paran Christian School reserves the right to dismiss, suspend, or otherwise discipline any student who does not adhere to the standards in the Student Handbook. We understand that a student may also be dismissed due to parental noncompliance of school policy or if an administrative decision is made that Mount Paran Christian School is not the most appropriate setting for the student/family. In addition, the student must have successfully completed the prior academic year. • We understand that Mount Paran Christian School is a non-profit ministry operating on the principle of faith and that tuition is kept as low as possible to make Christian education available to those who desire it for their children. We also understand that tuition and fees do not cover all operating costs and that additional funds for needs must be met through gifts and personal services of the parents. We, as the parents, commit to give as regularly as God provides to meet the financial needs, to perform services when needed, and to uphold the school consistently in family prayer. • We pledge to support an environment at home and school that fosters socially responsible behavior and speech. We also agree to train our children to be respectful toward others who are different from them, be it physically, racially, ethnically, or socio-economically.MPCS Code of Conduct and Lifestyle Agreement As a Christian community committed to “preparing servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth,” Mount Paran Christian School is dedicated to the highest standards of academic achievement, spiritual growth, and personal development. The Mount Paran Christian School Student Code of Lifestyle and Conduct Agreement is founded on Matthew 22:37: “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” While pursuing holiness and spiritual growth is necessary to the Christian life, we have come to realize that students must first and foremost understand the centrality of the Gospel if they are to be rightly motivated to pursue godliness. The Gospel message is simply this: "God saves sinners," and now we have the joy and challenge to love the Lord our God with our whole selves. The administration and faculty of Mount Paran Christian School will commit to cultivating an atmosphere that reflects the centrality of the Gospel; upholds biblical expectations; and promotes authentic repentance, genuine forgiveness, and relationships established in grace (1 Corinthians 16:14, Leviticus 19:2, 1 Peter 1:15-16, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Ephesians 2:4-5, Romans 7:14-25, Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:9-10). Members of the MPCS community seek to honor God by pursuing biblical lifestyles for individual and communal benefit. Faith in God results in behavior that displays His authority in our lives, and Scripture teaches that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are qualities of lives and relationships of the Christian community (Galatians 5:22-23). Therefore, MPCS students are encouraged to pursue the following lifestyle characteristics: • Using abilities and resources to seek the welfare of all people as individuals of worth. MPCS does not allow discrimination or harassment of people because of race, color, national or ethnic origins, age, gender/sexuality, or disability. • Morning devotions, prayer, and the variety of chapel services influenced by different denominations should be respected because communal worship creates opportunities to connect to God, expressing our shared faith in Jesus Christ. Likewise, all students are expected to engage in regular corporate worship in their local church. • Avoiding the attitudes and behaviors of greed, jealousy, pride, lust, needless anger, an unforgiving spirit, harmful discrimination, prejudice, theft, lying, cheating, plagiarism, gossip, slander, profanity, vulgarity, transgenderism, sexual sin, pornography, drunkenness, gluttony, immodesty, and occult practices (Galatians 5:19-21, I Corinthians 6:9-10). • Scripture teaches that all our actions should be done to the glory of God. We should, therefore, be careful in the choices of clothes, media, and recreation, promoting those which strengthen the body of Christ and avoiding those which would diminish our character and testimony as it relates to Christ. As participants in school-sponsored clubs, sports, and activities, students are expected to always behave in such a way that brings honor to God. • Preserving the body’s well-being as a temple of the Holy Spirit by abstaining from the use of alcohol, illegal drugs, vape devices, tobacco in any form, and the abuse of prescriptions and over- the-counter drugs while enrolled in MPCS. These lifestyle characteristics are tangible expressions, by God’s grace, of the path to Christian wholeness. Therefore, students are encouraged to not see the Code of Lifestyle as a burden, but to alleviate the brokenness of the human condition by pursuing God’s perfect design for identity, relationships, and creation (Romans 7:7-12). And, finally, while adherence to the Code of Lifestyle is expected, the faculty and administration of MPCS do not expect perfection. As the kindness of God leads His people to repentance, the administration commits to grace-filled conversations in which students are free to transparently repent and not carry the burden of sin behind a mask (Romans 2:4). I have read and agree to the MPCS student code of lifestyle and conduct.Section 2 — Admission Current Student Re-enrollment and New Student Enrollment All students must submit a completed application to be considered for re-enrollment each year. The application will not be considered for an admission decision until all registration items are received. A completed application should include the following: • As a covenant Christian school, families are required to complete a response to the Covenant commitment within the application. • Official documentation of legal custody/guardianship is required to enroll a student. • The application for admission, completed and signed by all parties, must be submitted. • Family/student interviews and student assessments are part of the application process. • The consent for medical treatment (via the Magnus platform) should be completed within the application. • Acknowledgement of the Tuition Financial Terms of Agreement • All students entering ninth grade must submit a copy of the Social Security Card to complete application. • Current Georgia immunization form #3231 • Upon enrollment, all families/students must consent to the Code of Conduct within the online application. • All students must present a certified birth certificate for a copy to be maintained on file. • The non-refundable tuition deposit, as determined on the Financial Contract for the stated year (The tuition deposit will be applied to the final payment due for the school year.) • All rising returning kindergarten students and all new kindergarten or new first grade students are required to submit a completed Hearing and Vision Screening Form. Students entering PK3 - first grade must meet the September 1 birth date cut-off date for eligibility. Being toilet trained is necessary for admission. Students entering the PK three-year-old program must have the three-year-old birthday by September 1. It is the responsibility of the applicant’s parents (or guardians) to verify all materials are submitted. The submission of an application and tuition deposit does not guarantee a binding contractual agreement has been made, nor does the submission of an application guarantee acceptance or available space. Students must continue to demonstrate success behaviorally and academically and financial obligations must be met to be considered for re-enrollment. Students may be denied re-enrollment or acceptance for any reason, including but not limited to academic performance, excessive tardiness or absences, behavioral/attitude, student or parental failure to abide by the covenant agreement or other policies, or failure to meet financial obligations. A student’s acceptance of admission or re-enrollment may be rescinded after the notification is given if the student does not finish the current academic year successfully or does not meet the admission criteria.Admission Decisions • MPCS reserves the right to deny acceptance of students due to the conduct record, as well as other information presented in the student application. • If additional information is needed, MPCS may require an educational evaluation to determine placement and/or admission. • MPCS reserves the right to determine the placement of an applicant into a grade level and/or classes and subjects deemed most appropriate for his/her school experience. • MPCS reserves the right to determine whether MPCS is an appropriate placement for the applicant and/or the family. • Mount Paran Christian School believes that a positive and constructive working relationship between the school and a student’s parents (or guardians) is essential to the fulfillment of the school’s mission. Thus, the school reserves the right not to approve enrollment, continue enrollment, or not to re-enroll a student if the school reasonably concludes that the actions of a parent (or guardian) make such a positive and constructive relationship impossible or otherwise seriously interfere with the school’s accomplishment of its educational purposes. • MPCS reserves the right to deny enrollment with non-disclosure of reasons. There is no process for appeal.Section 3 — Tuition and Financial Policies Student Eligibility Enforcement If an account is overdue, all payments deposited from parents will first be applied to tuition and fees on account, to reduce the overdue balance. Students may be placed on records hold and enrollment hold for incomplete registration if • an overdue balance exists on the tuition and fees account; or • the student has not successfully completed registration at MPCS; or • the student is missing an item from their application that prohibits them from being accepted or registered. Students may also be placed on a records hold and finals held for overdue balance on account. These holds are imposed at the sole discretion of MPCS. • Enrollment Hold - The affected student(s) will not be permitted to attend MPCS, receive a schedule, or be placed on a roster for the period in which the hold is in effect, and the student(s) may be required to withdraw from MPCS and be subject to withdrawal policies and fees. • Ineligible to Enroll Hold – This indicates a student has a balance on the previous year’s account at the beginning of the school year, or the student is on probation and must satisfy requirements in order to become eligible for enrollment. These holds can prevent a student from registering and/or from being placed on a class roster. • Admission Hold – A student is missing an item to complete registration or view schedules will be placed on an Admission Hold and will be prevented from being placed on class rosters and/or receive class schedules. • Records Hold - Grade reports, FACTS Portal grades view, and final transcripts of the affected student(s) will be held by the business office for the period in which the hold is in effect. • Finals Hold - The affected student(s) will not be permitted to take final exams and will therefore not be complete for the academic year in which the finals hold takes place. If a student account is on hold for business office or admission office purposes (and the FACTS Portal or Canvas view is locked), then a student will be unable to obtain the necessary schedule to purchase books until the hold is released. In the event records are held for one of the above reasons, applicable report cards and transcripts holds will be kept in the business office after notification has been sent to the parents. Any inquiries to this regard should be referred to the student accounts office to keep teachers, coaches, and administrators from being put in the middle of any inquiry, dispute, or escalation in this regard. The only exceptions to this policy are those approved by the chief financial officer. Any student payments deposited with the business office that must be re-directed toward an overdue tuition balance will be flagged to the appropriate administrator and payer.Payment Plans • One-pay plan – due in full by June 1 • Three-pay plan (additional fee) – payment 1: due by June 1, payment 2: due by October 1, payment 3: due by February 1 • Ten-pay plan (additional fee) – due the first of each month, June through April; there is no payment Families will create and access a personal account through FACTS Portal, an online tuition management site, to set up tuition payments and review statements. If an account is overdue, all payments deposited from parents will first be applied to tuition and fees on account, to reduce the overdue balance: • If an overdue balance exists on the tuition and fees account; or • If the student has not successfully completed registration at MPCS; or • If the student is missing an item from their application which prohibits them from being accepted or registered. Preschool and lower school students may be placed on records hold and attendance hold. Middle school and high school students may be placed on enrollment hold for incomplete registration. Middle school and high school students may also be placed on records hold and finals hold for overdue balance on account. These holds are imposed at the sole discretion of MPCS. Students participating in athletics will pay an athletic fee once per school year in order to participate. All students participating in the arts of any form will pay an annual participation fee once per school year in order to participate. Player packs will also be charged according to the team sport or arts activity. All checks should be made payable to MPCS and should be either mailed or delivered in time to arrive on or before the first of the month. All checks returned for non-sufficient funds will be assessed a $30.00 returned check fee and reprocessed a second time. If a check is returned twice or if at least one prior check has been returned in this school year for non-sufficient funds, an additional returned check fee of $30.00 must be paid by cash, certified check, or money order. If a family has non-sufficient funds twice during an academic year, any and all fees must be paid in cash or credit card for the remainder of that academic year. The right to pay by check is forfeited. Schedules for middle and high school students will not be released for the upcoming school year until the June and July payments are received. Students not returning connected learning devices and/or accessories at the end of each year will be placed on hold until the items are returned or the cost for lost or non-returned items is paid.Late Enrollment Students entering school after September 1 will pay the $75.00 application fee, all related registration fees, and prorated tuition for all days to be enrolled. If for some reason a payment cannot be made, it is necessary to notify the business office, as penalties accrue as specified below.Penalties Failure to make the first tuition payment on time will result in a $100.00 late fee and the student losing a guaranteed place in class, thus moving that student to the end of the waiting list. A $50.00 late charge per student will be assessed if payment is not received by the due date. If an account falls past due thirty (30) days, the parents will be contacted, and the student will not be allowed to attend classes until the tuition is brought up-to-date. The account will be subject to appropriate penalties including all late fees. Once a three (3) pay or one (1) pay account falls thirty (30) days past due, the account will automatically revert to the ten-pay plan for the entire yearly amount. MPCS must rely on tuition income to meet its operating expenses. Since salary obligations are contractual in nature and are based on income projected by enrollment contracts, it is essential that the income from tuition be assured. For this reason, the school follows the withdrawal policies in the student handbook when dealing with situations in which students withdraw from school before the end of the school year or when students enroll after the school year has already begun.Withdrawal Policies When a student requests to withdraw from the school, a completed withdrawal form must be submitted to the admission office. The school will then initiate the withdrawal process. All fees, fines, library materials, etc. must be cleared in order to complete the process of withdrawal. No MPCS student is entitled to receive grade reports or transcripts until all fines, fees, library materials, etc. are cleared. The Student Withdrawal Request Form must received by the Director of Admission on or before the Termination Date. • If the Student Withdrawal Request Form is received prior to April 1, the parent will be relieved of all tuition paid and other payments and fees that would have come due after the termination date, less the non-refundable, non-transferable application fee and tuition deposit. • If the Student Withdrawal Request Form is received on or after April 1, the parent is responsible for the applicable portion of the full tuition based on the 10-payment plan. (refer to your tuition contract for specific details on these amounts.) The only exception to the policy above is if the family experiences a change in circumstances that meet the criteria below: • the physical relocation of the family as required by one of the parent's/guardian's employers or other family emergency outside of a sixty (60) mile radius of the school • a heretofore unforeseen medical condition that necessitates withdrawal • the death of a student or parent • a circumstance which – at the school's sole discretion - meets the standard for a change in circumstance The full details on the MPCS withdrawal policy regarding tuition may be found on your tuition contract.