Student & Family Handbook

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! We are excited to partner with you on your student’s educational journey. Understanding what to expect in the school year and knowing your rights and responsibilities is important to all families. 

We encourage you to review the Jeffco Public Schools Student and Family Handbook with your student and keep it handy for reference. This handbook outlines Jeffco’s policies, procedures and student expectations. Our strong partnership with families, staff and students provides the foundation that helps Jeffco students achieve their biggest dreams.

Together, we are leaders building a community of leaders.​​​​​​

Jeffco’s Department of Health Services directs and supports both individual student care and the health and well-being of the broader school community. This includes conducting health surveillance and public health reporting, preventing and managing infectious and chronic diseases, promoting healthy behaviors, helping students and families access healthcare resources, and addressing social determinants of health and health disparities.

What is expected of students? What guides these expectations? What rights do students have? This section will help answer these questions. Student rights and responsibilities are derived from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to: Colorado state laws, federal laws, local laws, and district policies, which guide student conduct expectations, rights and responsibilities. Students shall be held accountable for complying with these laws, policies and regulations. Families are expected to cooperate with school authorities and participate in school conferences regarding the behavior of their student(s).

All students have the right to access quality public education. No student has the right to interfere with the education of fellow students. It is the responsibility of each student to respect the rights of all who are involved in the educational process. Members of the school community, students, families and school staff have the responsibility to promote regular attendance at school; facilitate orderly conduct and behavior; ensure freedom from fear of insult, harassment, or injury; and provide maximum opportunities for learning for each student.

Jeffco’s student conduct expectations, policies and guidelines are intended to promote positive student behavior and ensure a safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment for all students.

Self-direction and personal responsibility are the goals of Jeffco Public Schools. Students must be accountable for their actions, and effective student discipline is a major contributor to the creation of a positive and productive learning environment for all students. Jeffco Public Schools strives to build healthy relationships between students and staff and teaches students to be accountable and rebuild relationships when necessary. In accordance with state law, Jeffco Public Schools uses this student and family handbook as a written code of conduct based upon the principle that every student is expected to follow accepted rules of conduct and show respect for others. Jeffco Public Schools does believe that certain behavior, especially behavior that disrupts the classroom, is unacceptable and may result in disciplinary action. 

Please refer to District Policy JK, Student Discipline, and subcodes for additional information.

Jeffco Public Schools emphasizes student safety through general supervision of students in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses and through special attention to the following:

1. Maintaining safe school environments;
2. Observing safe practices, particularly in areas of instruction or extracurricular activities that have special hazards;
3. Establishing and enforcing rules and regulations designed to protect the safety of students while in or on school property;
4. Providing first aid for students in case of accident or sudden illness; and
5. Providing safe vehicles for transporting eligible students to and from school or to and from school-sponsored events.

For additional information, please refer to District Policy JLI, Student Safety.

Jeffco provides resources, programs and initiatives designed to support student involvement and foster meaningful partnerships between families and the district.

Jeffco Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services prepares over seven million meals yearly. We participate in the USDA School Lunch, Breakfast and Commodity Food programs. Since the passage of Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA), all students may now eat breakfast and lunch for free. Despite free meals, families are still encouraged to complete a Student Benefits Application to determine if they qualify for other fee waivers. When completing the Student Benefits Application, families must consent to disclose the application information for use as an application for other fee waivers.

Please note that Jeffco Public Schools will participate in the HSMA program as it currently exists through December 2025. Changes to the program may occur based on the election results in November. If ballot measures to raise additional revenue for the program do not pass, fewer schools will be eligible to participate starting January 2026. If changes are necessary, they will be communicated to families as soon as possible after the election. 

For additional information, please contact the Food & Nutrition Services office at 303-982-6748.

We respect your student's right to inquire and express any concerns they may have. We encourage families to address grievances at the local school level whenever possible.

We believe in addressing family concerns, complaints or grievances promptly and we welcome constructive feedback, as it helps us improve the quality of education and management in our schools. While we have confidence in our professional staff and aim to support them, we also take all concerns seriously. If a complaint is madedirectly to Jeffco Public Schools, the Board of Education or an individual Board member, it will be referred to the school administration for review and response.

If you have a concern, complaint or grievance, please report it immediately using our standard process.

• Family contact their student's school to address their need or concerns.
• If the issue is unresolved, the family may contact the Family Response Service Team (FRST) at 303-982-FRST (3778) or frstteam@jeffco.k12.co.us.  
• If the family need is unresolved, the matter will be referred to an Assistant Director or Director of FRST to reach a resolution.
• If the issue cannot be resolved, FRST will help the family start the formal grievance process as outlined by District Policy KE.

Philosophy

Jeffco Preschool Programs provide a childhood experience filled with play, including adventure, investigation, exploration and friendship. We believe that each child is a unique individual and that all children can learn. Our programs strive to ensure families and children feel at home and part of a warm, supportive and inclusive community.

Instructional Approach

We believe in teaching the whole child with attention given to all areas of development, including social-emotional and content knowledge. With student interest and experiences guiding decision-making, the standards-based curriculum is brought to life in play. Teachers create a caring, equitable and inclusive community of learners where information is available through various materials and experiences.

Children are naturally curious about their environment, so play is an essential component of our programming. In an ever-evolving, purposefully designed environment, children experience self-directed learning opportunities where they practice skills aligned with their needs and development. Play promotes a language-rich environment that fosters problem-solving skills, self-regulation and cognitive and social competencies alongside learning of content knowledge.

Preschool lays the foundation for our children to become critical thinkers, gain the necessary executive function skills to be academically successful and continue their educational experiences with confidence and enthusiasm. We want our children to not only be successful in their future academic career but to look back at their experiences with a sense of belonging and fondness for their time spent in preschool.