A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

NHCS seeks to prepare young people for living according to Christian principles, and here and now we seriously intend to be a community that lives together in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ. We believe safety is essential to nourishing a community of learning. Here you will find details taken from our safety policies. For a full overview, please see the NHCS Handbook.

We are committed to the following values:

  • The Glory of God: We seek to glorify God in all our activities and relationships.

  • Mutual Respect: Each person is created in God’s image and therefore will be treated with respect.

  • Honesty: Our relationships and academic performance will be based on honesty and fairness. 

  • Upholding Righteousness: We affirm God’s righteousness as the foundation of our belief and practice.

During the school year we may receive snow, ice storms, flooding, etc., that make driving unsafe. Sometimes school will be cancelled, but more often the opening of school will simply be delayed allowing for plows to clear the streets and for most traffic congestion to subside. When the administration cancels school or delays opening because of inclement weather, the following resources will be contacted to broadcast closure:

  • TV Channel, Radio by 5:45 AM
  • ParentAlert text sent to all families by 6:15 AM
  • NCHS’s official Facebook, Twitter account

If school is canceled, this will include all afternoon and evening sports and enrichment activities planned for that day. In the event of a Delayed Opening, students will be expected to be in their homeroom class with all materials needed at 10:00 a.m. as attendance will be taken at this time. Students should come to school having already eaten breakfast and a snack.

If there is a fire in the multi-purpose building, the designated meeting area is the parking lot across the driveway at the horse barn.

Harassment takes away from the dignity of both victims and perpetrators and may lead to their psychological or physical harm. Harassment offends our Lord and greatly corrupts the Christian community and society at large. As a Christian community, we must be about the promotion, not diminution, of human dignity.

The Scriptures remind us of God’s creation of all human beings in His image, His acknowledgment of human diversity, His unconditional love for His people in Christ and His command that we love likewise and act justly. Since harassment is not in keeping with these imperatives, NHCS will not condone nor tolerate harassment of one member of the community by another, including physical or sexual harassment, racial or ethnic innuendoes and derogatory remarks, or any other such activity which tends to defame, ridicule, demean, intimidate or embarrass a community member.

Sexual harassment conflicts with NHCS’s standards of conduct, and it will not be tolerated. It is prohibited by law, as is any type of retaliation upon a complainant. Therefore, all reported cases of sexual harassment will be taken seriously and investigated promptly. Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • unwelcome sexual advances;
  • requests for sexual favors;
  • sexual slurs, jokes or innuendos;
  • displays of sexually suggestive objects of pictures;
  • discussion of one’s sexual activities;
  • sexually suggestive language or gestures;
  • physical abuse or sexual assault;
  • inappropriate petting, touching, or pinching;
  • Other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature where:
    • submission to such conduct is either an expressed or implied term or condition of employment or favorable evaluation;
    • submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for an employment or evaluation decision affecting the harassed person; (or)
    • such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or class performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.
No object that can kill or cause serious bodily harm shall be brought to school or school functions. Firearms, knives, martial arts weapons, lighters, matches, laser pointers, and other types of weapons or facsimiles of any of the above are strictly prohibited on school grounds and at all school activities. Any student in possession of one of these objects may be suspended for up to five days and considered for expulsion. Students who trigger false fire alarms or use or tamper with fire extinguishers in any way may be subject to the same consequences in addition to restitution for costs including fire department response or extinguisher servicing.
Any student who threatens or harms another person (student, teacher, staff member, or parent) may be subject to suspension and considered for expulsion. Physical fighting is strictly prohibited at school, and all participants may be suspended. Students must learn to resolve conflicts long before fists start flying. Jesus Himself makes clear that our task is to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9, 39). However, worldly wisdom and practice will not provide much insight in this area, especially when another person seems bent on provocation. If students are not able to resolve differences, they should find a friend or an adult who will help mediate the situation. For some students, slapping someone on the back or punching them in the arm is a sign of affection, not aggression. However, consequences for these actions can still result if the student receiving the punches has indicated in some manner that those actions are unwelcome.
We make two words of drugs and alcohol only because these have different legal ramifications in our society, but they are both drugs and will be treated as such in NHCS disciplinary procedures. Use, sale, or possession of any illegal substance at any time on or off campus may result in immediate suspension from school, and the administration will make a recommendation whether to proceed with expulsion.

If a suspicious or unknown person is spotted, it will immediately be reported to the Head of School. No attempt to engage the unknown person should be made by a student. The Head of School will make this contact.

In the case of a serious accident, injury, death, or any other traumatic event resulting in media attention, the Head of School is the spokesperson for all media requests. All inquiries and questions must be referred to the Head of School.