2024 Rams Guide Student/Parent Handbook

Commitment Form

Parental Commitment

Please initial next to each statement indicating agreement and sign where indicated. As parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of a Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy student, I (we):

__________ Commit to participate in the Christian education of our child by regular attendance at a local church and exemplify Christian life principles in our home.

__________ Have read, understand, and agree to support the Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy Rams Guide Student/Parent Handbook. I (we) commit to support RPCA policies.

__________ Have read, understand, and agree to support the principles contained in the Statement of Faith and Mission Statement of RPCA.

__________ Commit to communicate directly with RPCA teachers and/or administrators in the event of conflict or disagreement before involving other parties.

__________ Approve establishing a FACTS account.

__________ Approve the publication of pictures of our son/daughter taken during the year.

Student Commitment

Please initial next to each statement if you agree and sign where indicated.

As a student at RPCA, I:

Commit to do my best in all my studies.

__________ Have read, understand, and commit to obey the Lifestyle Statement as well as the biblical and community standards set forth in the Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy Student Life Handbook without complaint.

__________ Commit to maintain a high standard in accordance with the social life guidelines and entertainment standards outlined in the Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy Student Life Handbook.

__________ Commit to appropriate technology usage in line with Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy7’s technology policies.

Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy Dress Code Policy

Our desire at Ragin Prep is to do everything in a way which is pleasing to the Lord and in a manner which will honor Him and uphold His testimony. While recognizing that true Christianity is a matter of the heart and not the outward appearance, it is nonetheless true that our appearance is very important. To assist in creating an environment which promotes learning, scholars will choose their school clothing from the variety of campus wear styles available through our partnership with Frenchtoast. All attire should be modest, neat, and demonstrate propriety.

https://www.frenchtoast.com/schoolbox/schools/Ragin-Preparatory-Christian-Academy-QS5WHS

All attire should be:

● Modest

● Neat

● Demonstrate propriety (suitability to the occasion)

RPCA requires all Scholars on campus to wear uniform “top” and “bottom”:

● Tops – All shirts, tops, and blouses must be purchased from Frenchtoast.

● Bottoms – All skirts must be purchased from Frenchtoast. Pants and shorts may be purchased from any vendor as long as the clothing falls into specific guidelines.

● Jumpers/Dresses – All jumpers and dresses must be purchased from Frenchtoast.

● Skirts/Dresses/Jumpers need to be at least knee-length and loose. Shorts and skorts may be no more than 3 inches above the knee.

● Outerwear – An outer layer of clothing (e.g. a jacket, coat, etc.) may be worn in the school building so long as the clothing meets all the guidelines outlined below. Even when wearing an outer layer of clothing, scholars are required to wear a campus wear top underneath it. All outerwear must be solid color in the RPCA Campus Wear color palette limited to navy, burgundy, or gray. Images and screenprints may not be worn on outerwear. Outerwear is not required to bear the Ragin Prep logo or promote an RPCA team or organization. Company logos (e.g. The North Face) are acceptable.

● Tights/leggings – All leggings and tights must be of a solid color within the RPCA Campus Wear color palette (navy, burgundy, gray, or white) and may be worn under uniform bottoms.

● Shoes and hair accessories must be solid and in the RPCA color palette (navy, burgundy, or gray). They must be clean and in good repair, and should not be a source of distraction in the classroom. Beach-style or bathroom flip- flops, athletic sliders, Crocs, and slippers (including moccasin style) are not permitted.

● Belts are required for all pants and shorts. Belts may only be navy or brown.

● Extremes in clothing are to be avoided.

● Any clothing with questionable writing or pictures which contradict Christian standards or school policies is not permitted. Clothing which advertises tobacco, the drug culture, lifestyles or sentiments associated with social or spiritual rebellion, the occult or that which has slogans with ungodly or unsavory double meanings is strictly forbidden. The school reserves the right to decide what is considered inappropriate attire.

● No hoods or hats are to be worn in the building.

● All scholars are to keep their hair neat and well-groomed. Extreme hair styles are not acceptable.

Casual/Spirit Days (Fridays only)

Scholars may dress down on Fridays. The Only other permitted dress down days are by authority of Administration. Dress Down Days must follow the guide below:

● Skirts must be long enough to touch the knees.

● Shorts and skorts may not be shorter than the length of the index finger when standing and placing hands by the side of the body.

● No clothing with profanity, drugs, alcohol, sexually explicit images/words, etc. are allowed.

● Sandals/Crocs/Slides are not allowed to be worn in the building during school hours.

● Tight fitting clothing is not allowed. All clothing should fit comfortably.

● No crop or mid-drift tops, or tops that are too revealing.

● No sagging of pants. Belts are required if pants have belt loops.

The above violations will result in disciplinary action.

Gender Identity: While we are very understanding and respectful of freedom of expression and the era of acceptance in our country, please note that we are a Christian school that follows the expectations of the Holy Bible. As an independent school, we have the right to establish biblical principles and regulations. Only girls who are born female may wear female uniform attire. Girls who are born female are the only persons allowed to wear feminine hair accessories, and makeup (high school girls only may wear makeup). Boys who are born male may not wear feminine attire, accessories (including purses & shoes), cosmetics (including makeup). Boys may wear stud earrings on Fridays when they do not wear uniforms. All hairstyles must reflect the student's born gender. For example, boys may not wear female hairstyles. We are aware that girls wear short hairstyles for various reasons, including health and/or damage to hair. We do not discriminate against short hairstyles for girls, nor do we discriminate against dreadlocks and braids for boys.

Formal Dress for Young Ladies

Modest formal or evening dresses may be worn to special events. Strapless and asymmetrical dresses are permitted, but all dresses should meet the following guidelines:

Formal dresses must be no shorter than 3” off the knee.

No cleavage is to be seen.

Dresses should not be too low, too tight, too loose, too transparent, etc.

Dresses may only have cut-outs (open or covered with transparent material) on the back of the dress near the bra-strap. Fully open-back dresses, cut-outs below the back bra strap, and cut-outs in the side or front of the dress are not allowed.

Biological girls wearing dresses that do not conform to the guidelines above may be asked to change before being allowed to participate in the occasion. In order to avoid this, dress approvals are required for formal Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy social events. A deadline two to three weeks prior to each social event will be announced, and unless prior arrangements are granted, all dresses must be approved before the deadline or a per day fine will be issued.

Formal Dress for Young Men

For formal events, biological boys should wear jackets and ties with dress pants and dress shoes (no athletic shoes, Rainbows, or Sperries allowed). Biological boys are not permitted to have visible piercings or gauges (gages) at formal events.

Piercings

Biological boys are permitted to have visible piercings. The ear ornamentation must be modest. No large or gaudy ear ornamentation is allowed. Wearing a bandage to cover ear ornamentation is also not allowed. Biological girls are only allowed to have pierced ears visible. No gauges (gages) are permitted.

Campus Wear Disciplinary Procedure

If a student comes to school wearing clothes that do not meet the campus wear standards described above, he/she will be required to leave class and will not be permitted to return until he/she is wearing proper campus wear. If campus wear is issued by the school and is not returned within 1 week, a $15 fee will be applied to the student’s account. If necessary, the student will be required to call home and wait in the office until proper campus wear can be brought to school for him/her. Absences or tardies for each class or partial class missed will accrue for students who must leave class due to campus wear violations.

1st Offense: The student will be sent to administration and may not return to class until wearing appropriate campus wear. The student will receive a tardy and/or absence depending on how much class time is missed.

2nd Offense: In addition to the natural consequences outlined above for the first offense, the student may be disallowed from wearing certain items of clothing for the remainder of the semester, even if those items are normally approved campus wear. For example, a student may be disallowed from wearing a skirt for the remainder of the semester for a second skirt violation, or a student may be disallowed from wearing a RPCA hoodie for a second violation of wearing a hoodie with no campus wear beneath it.

3rd Offense: Consequences from step 2 in “Disciplinary Procedures” will be considered.

4th Offense: A fourth offense will be considered a major disciplinary offense as described in “Disciplinary Procedures.”