Student Policies

All students at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School are expected to demonstrate high standards of behavior. Students must show respect toward staff members and each other at all times. Every person in our community at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School has the right to feel welcome and respected in our school. Students who violate Bishop McGuinness policies regarding bullying and harassment in any form shall be subject to disciplinary action which may include, but not be limited to detention, suspension or expulsion. Under certain circumstances, BMCHS reserves the right to contact law enforcement.

The school reserves the right to discipline a student for actions committed off campus during the school year if they have an adverse effect on a student(s) well-being or adversely affect the student(s) ability to function within the everyday environment of the school.

Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School is committed to providing a learning environment that is free from harassment in any form. Harassment of a student by another student, parent, volunteer, or employee is prohibited. The school will treat allegations of harassment seriously and will investigate such allegations in a prompt, discreet and thorough manner. Individuals will be informed of the investigation on a need-to-know basis.

A charge of harassment shall not, in and of itself, create the presumption of wrongdoing. However, substantiated acts of harassment may also be subject to disciplinary action. Students found to have filed intentionally false charges will also be subject to disciplinary action.

Harassment occurs when an individual is subjected to treatment or environment that is hostile or intimidating because of the individual's race, creed, color, national origin, socio-economic differences, physical attributes, disability, gender, etc. Harassment will not be tolerated at any time during school, during school related activities, or otherwise involving Bishop McGuinness students. It includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

• Verbal Harassment: Derogatory comments and jokes; threatening words spoken to another person;
• Physical Harassment: Unwanted physical touching, contact, or assault; the deliberate impeding or blocking of movements; any intimidating interference with normal work or movement;
• Visual Harassment: Derogatory, demeaning, or inflammatory posters, cartoons, written words (including but not limited to text messages and social media posts, videos, or photos), drawings or gestures;
• Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances; requests for sexual favors; other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when any or all of the following occurs: Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonable interference with an individual’s academic performance or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment. Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of a student’s academic or athletic status or progress. Specific examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:
  • A student making unsolicited sexual advances and propositions to another student;
  • Any sexual advances and propositions made by an adult affiliated with the school toward a student;
  • Using sexually explicit, degrading, or inappropriate words or gestures to describe an individual or an individual’s body;
  • Displaying sexually suggestive objects or pictures which lack scientific, literary, or artistic value;
  • Telling inappropriate or sexual jokes;
  • Making reprisals, threats of reprisals or implied threats of reprisals following a negative response to sexual advances.
• Cyberbullying/Sexting Cyberbullying is defined as willful harm inflicted on another person through electronic media. Any student who sends, solicits, or possesses sexually suggestive or explicit texts or partial or fully naked picture(s) of a person (“sexting”) or attempts to be harmful or cruel to another student or individual by sending or posting offensive material (including words, videos, or images) using a cellphone, the Internet, or other electronic device, may be subject to disciplinary action. Bishop McGuinness reserves the right to take action on such incidents regardless of whether they occur on school property, during a school-sponsored activity, or completely outside of school. Serious incidents may be turned over to law enforcement authorities for prosecution. Students cannot take a picture or record any other student, staff member, coach, or teacher without their permission. There may be consequences if a student is found to have secretly recorded or have taken a picture of another person without their consent.

Students are strongly encouraged to report harassment to the school counselors. If you feel you are the victim of harassment or have observed harassment, please report the incident using the Harassment Complaint Form (must be logged into school Gmail account) or in person to a teacher, counselor, school staff member or administrator.

Regarding the filing of a claim of harassment and the resulting review, the following procedures will be followed:

• The student may first choose to tell the individual causing the harassment that his/her conduct is offensive and must stop. If the objectionable behavior does not cease immediately, the student should report the harassment to a counselor, faculty member, staff member, or administrator;
• The student alleging harassment is asked to submit the Harassment Complaint form found on the school website. The claim will be reviewed thoroughly, involving only the necessary parties, and appropriate actions will be taken;
• No persons, including complaining parties and witnesses, who exercise their right to complain under this policy shall be subject to retaliation or the threat of retaliation in any form. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, adverse actions directed against an individual on the basis of, or in reaction to the exercise of rights accorded by this Policy, that affect a person’s advancement, scholarship or educational performance, as well as the person’s social or emotional well-being.

The responsibility of Bishop McGuinness High School is to:

• Establish practices designed to create a school environment free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying.
• Make all administration, faculty, staff, coaches, lay coaches, students, and parents aware of this policy and the commitment of the school toward its strict and consistent enforcement;
• Remain watchful for conditions that create or may lead to a hostile or offensive school environment;

Students are responsible for:

• Conducting themselves in a manner which contributes to a respectful, safe school environment;
• Avoiding any activity or behavior that may be considered discriminating, harassing, intimidating, or bullying;
• Immediately discontinuing such conduct if he or she has been spoken to as one who is perceived as engaging in conduct that is discriminatory, harassing, intimidating, bullying, or unwelcome;
• Report all incidents of discrimination or harassment to a counselor, a faculty member, staff member, or administrator with whom they feel comfortable.

Involvement is an important aspect of student life at Bishop McGuinness. Extracurricular activities not only add to the enjoyment of school life, but also permit development of broader insights and experiences in the academic, cultural, political, athletic and social areas.

Extracurricular activities enhance the high school experience and enrich the community. Participation in some form of athletic and other extracurricular activity by Bishop McGuinness students approaches 90%.

90 Christian Service hours are a graduation requirement, and all students will be expected to remain current during their time at Bishop McGuinness. 

At the beginning of each semester, an inventory will be done for each student. If he or she is short the number of required hours, he or she will have three weeks to reach the required number. If at the end of the three week probation period the student is still short, they will be athletically ineligible until the desired number is reached.  During this time, the student may practice, but not compete, against another school.

At Bishop McGuinness, eligibility is the responsibility of the student athlete. A student will not be permitted to participate in extracurricular or athletic competition when failing academic course work.

Semester Grades

• A student must have received a passing grade in five subjects counted for graduation during the last semester of school.

• If a student does not meet the previous standards, participation may begin after the first 6 weeks of the next semester if passing all subjects at that time.

Student Eligibility During a Semester

• Academic eligibility is checked on a weekly basis on the last day of the school week beginning with the third week at the beginning of each semester. The participant must be passing each individual class to maintain eligibility. If a participant has a failing grade, eligibility will be regained when the cumulative grade for the semester is passing. While academic eligibility is determined on a weekly basis, semester grades are considered separately for eligibility purposes for the next semester.
• Once grade checks begin, a student failing any subject(s) will be on probation for one week. During this time, the student may continue to practice and play in any scheduled event, but will become ineligible to participate in succeeding weeks if failure in the same course or any course is recorded during the next week’s grade check. (A student may not be on probation two consecutive weeks.)
• Once ineligibility occurs, the penalty begins on the Monday following the grade check that recorded the continuing or subsequent failure. Academic ineligibility continues until the following Sunday. If on the next week’s grade check the participant or athlete is now passing all subjects, eligibility is regained. At times, a test or other work will be turned in during the week or even on grade check day, but it as not been graded in time to refigure eligibility. The participant is still considered to be failing or on probation until the material is graded and if it does raise the overall grade to passing levels, the activity sponsor or Athletic Director will correct the situation. The individual sponsor or coach and the academically ineligible student athlete are to arrange a schedule for practice sessions which best serves the needs of the student athlete to regain eligibility. As a general rule, a student athlete will not be permitted to be excused from a class or classes for which they are on probation during hate regular season. Exceptions may occur for the playoffs.

All significant parties who might influence a student to improve will be notified in the event of an eligibility concern. This includes the individual student, as well as his or her teacher, activity sponsor, coach, Athletic Director and parents. The normal procedure for notification begins with the teacher notifying the student and reporting the failure at the proper time. The activity sponsor or head coach for that event or sport then is made aware of the student’s status. The assistant principals and counselors are given a list of failures for that week.  The activity sponsor, head coach or his or her designated assistant is to notify the parents or guardians before practice time on Monday. Sometimes teams are gone from school on Friday and it may be Monday before parent notification can be accomplished. However, failure to notify does not postpone application of the penalties. When a teacher fails to turn in a grade check form on time, those students will be recorded on the grade checks for the following week. If an athlete is currently ineligible, they will continue to be ineligible until information is obtained that eligibility is regained. The intent is to avoid penalizing as student with out sufficient notice to remedy a deficiency.

The Principal/President and Athletic Director are the only persons able to make exceptions concerning student eligibility. The Athletic Director will inform the coach when the athlete has regained eligibility.

Students will be encouraged to utilize tutorial period during times of academic duress.  Students must be in attendance at lest four out of the six periods in the school day to be eligible to participate that day.

If a student drops a class after the first three weeks of the semester, he or she will be ineligible for a three-week period. A student regains eligibility at the end of the three week period if he/she is passing all subjects. If the change is initiated by a teacher and or  the administration, with the parents’ consent, an exception may be made by the Principal/President.

OSSAA guidelines state, “A student who is disqualified during a game or contest because of a flagrant or unsportsmanlike conduct shall be ineligible until reinstated by the Principal. It is recommended that a disqualified student forfeit the right to participate in at least one contest before he/she is reinstated by the Principal. A student whose flagrant or unsportsmanlike conduct consists of fighting, cursing or using foul language toward a game official will be automatically suspended from participating in a minimum of the next two regularly scheduled games or contests on the same level of competition that his or her team plays. Fighting is defined, but is not limited to, any player or non-player (bench personnel) striking an opponent with arms(s), leg(s), foot (feet), or other object(s), attempting to strike an opponent, biting or instigating a fight by committing an act(s) that causes an opponent to retaliate by fighting related to an OSSAA sponsored activity in which the players and non-players are participating. The fighting rule will apply to pre-contest and post-contest sponsored activities. It is mandatory that all sponsors and head coaches remind his or her team that fighting during the post game hand shaking ceremonies or conducting them in an unsportsmanlike manner after the game will be severely penalized. The head coach and team will be subject to additional suspension penalties beyond the normal penalties imposed on fighting and unsportsmanlike acts that occur during the contest.”

Immunizations are required for all NEW students for the 2017-2018 school year. Families with continuous enrollment in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City prior to the 2017-2018 school year are accepted with their current immunization status.

Every new student enrolled in a Catholic school in the state of Oklahoma shall be immunized against vaccine preventable diseases caused by infectious agents in accordance with the immunization schedule adopted by the Oklahoma Department of Health Services. A student who fails to present the required evidence shall not be accepted for enrollment.

The only exception to the forgoing requirement is a medical exemption signed by a licensed physician (M.D. or D.O.) authorized to practice in the State of Oklahoma.*

Procedures for a Child Needing a Medical Exemption (or for students of continuously enrolled families prior to 2017-2018 school year). Parents are required to submit a waiver request for immunization exemptions in writing (Oklahoma Department of Health Form #216A). Parents are referred to schools to obtain the forms. A physician must sign medical exemptions. Parents should then return the entire form to the school. School officials must review the form to ensure that it has been properly completed, is legible, and signed. A copy of the form or statement must be kept on file in the student's cumulative record and a copy must be sent to the Immunization Service for approval. Parents should be informed that their child might be excluded from school in the event of an outbreak of a disease for which their child is exempt.

Each exemption submitted to the Immunization Service is reviewed for validity and accuracy. If the exemption is determined to be invalid, the form or statement will be returned to the school along with a letter explaining the reason why the exemption is invalid. If the exemption is valid the form is returned to the school marked with an approval stamp. The Immunization Service does not keep a copy of the exemption certificate

Oklahoma's immunization law does not require a new exemption form to be filed every year. It is the policy of the Immunization Service to accept exemption forms filed when the child entered the school system. Exemption forms should accompany children when they transfer between schools. Schools should not keep the exemption form of a transferring student. If a student transfers into Oklahoma schools from another state, an exemption form must be completed to comply with Oklahoma law. If an exemption form has been misplaced, a new form should be completed, but if an exemption form is on file, an additional form is not needed unless vaccine requirements change for the grade level of the child, such as when new vaccines are added for students entering the 7th grade to which the students does not have a previous exemption. If a parent needs a copy of a previously filed exemption form, they must obtain it from the school. If a copy of the original exemption is not available, the parent must complete a new form. The Immunization Service does not provide copies of previously filed exemption forms for parents. The exemption process must be completed, approved and on file at the school prior to the first day of school or students will not be admitted.

*See Dignitas Personae from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, ethnicity, national origin, or disability in the administration of its educational policies, or athletic and other school-administered programs, including student admission.

Bishop McGuinness recognizes the importance of a healthy mind, body, and spirit in relation to the academic success of students.

Bishop McGuinness is “dedicated to the education of the whole child, spiritual, intellectual and physical.

”All aspects of our school curriculum teaches students that their bodies are a gift from God, and that we are all called to take care of ourselves in many ways, including healthy eating and exercise.

The link between nutrition, physical activity and learning is well documented.  Healthy eating and activity patterns are essential for students to achieve their full academic potential, full physical and mental growth, and lifelong health and well-being.  Healthy eating and physical activity are essential for healthy weight, are also linked to reduced risk for many chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes. Bishop McGuinness along with parents have the responsibility to help students learn and establish lifelong healthy eating and activity patterns.  Well-planned and effectively implemented school nutrition and fitness programs have been shown to enhance students’ overall health, as well as their behavior and academic achievement in school.

The Guidelines and standards for the marketing of food and beverages on campus during the school day as required by federal regulation [7 CFR Part 210.31 (c) (3) (iii)]. Federal regulation [7 CFR Part 210.11 (a) (5)] defines school day as "...the period from midnight before, to 30 minutes after the end of the school day."

All freshmen students are enrolled in a health and wellness class for one semester where they are given knowledge so that they can develop skills for lifelong health and well-being through mental, physical, social and emotional attributes. Through the class, they will be able to demonstrate healthy choices to reduce health risks, including total body fitness and the relationship between nutrition and fitness to achieve optimum body mass. Standardized fitness testing includes evaluating the student performance for the five elements of fitness. Student scores are compared to national data.

Students are encouraged to participate in related elective courses including:

• Leadership Class –  Students are directed to hone healthy decision making skills.

Students are required to enroll in one semester of a physical activity course or a team sport to further encourage the proper implementation of exercise for fitness and social benefits of physical activities. Physical activity courses students have the option of enrolling in include:

• Recreational Sports
• Weight Training
• Dance- Levels 1-3 and Dance Company (placement based on experience and mastery)
• Tai Chi

Students are further encouraged to participate in related club and extra-curricular activities including:

• Public Health Week is promoted through the school cafeteria with additional posters, and menu nutrition information and examples.
  • Student representatives will organize an awareness campaign to promote Public Health Week.
  • Health and Wellness Class will participate in a poster campaign to promote these topics.
  • Clubs are encouraged to address similar programs within their calendars.
• Olympics – This cross-class Irish Tradition includes healthy competition among all students in many categories including athletic events, community fundraisers, a cooking competition, and the annual Harvest Canned Food Drive, where students are challenged to collect a variety of healthy canned food items for distribution to low-income families in the metro-area in conjunction with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
• Intramural Sports -- down scaled competitive sporting events for all students, regardless of their athletic talents, often as an introductory exposure to the sport for some students.  Examples of past events planned as interest dictates:  Frisbee Golf, Soccer,Cricket, Volleyball, and Football.
• Cross-Country Team Sports/opening running.  Team members, coaches, families and friends are welcome to run with the cross country team during their summer and training runs.

Ongoing training and encouragement for BMCHS Cafeteria staff to use personal interaction with students going through the food lines to promote the elements of a healthy meals election. This is offered to every child, regardless of their participation in the Free & Reduced Meal program for both broad/general education and to be sure program participations’ meals are appropriately purchased.

Parents, Alumni and Community members are welcome to access the track for their own walking and/or running programs as the school activity schedule allows.

Administration/Faculty fitness programs include exposure to all of the above mentioned opportunities. In addition, after-school activities such as dance classes, 30-minute aerobic fitness programs and yoga, have been offered from time to time, as interest dictates. The Principal’s Pedometer Challenge to encourage 10,000 daily steps was implemented 4 years ago, and several staff members still utilize their personal pedometers to measure their own fitness activities both inside and outside of the school day.

Education workshops focused on physical, emotional, and nutritional well-being will be made available to all members of the community.

Continue to insure the prominent placement of Nutrition Themed posters throughout the cafeteria.

Information, including topics and schedules of the above mentioned items are included in the weekly e-newsletter distributed to families and alumni, as well as posted to the school’s website and daily announcements, as appropriate.

Additional messages related to these topics are included within regular communication vehicles from principal including Teacher/Faculty in-service.

Offer school meal menus (lunch and breakfast) that meet the meal patterns and nutrition standards established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, School Nutrition Program

Continue to strive to meet the USDA’s nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold to children at school during the school day. The standards, required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, will allow schools to offer healthier snack foods to children, while limiting junk food.

Request product information from food vendors to insure that healthy and nutritious food products, snack and beverages are available to students.

Request from food vendors, nutrition information to determine which foods are high in total fat, saturated fat, trans-fat and sodium.

The Guidelines and standards for the marketing of food and beverages on campus during the school day as required by federal regulation [7 CFR Part 210.31 (c) (3) (iii)]. Federal regulation [7 CFR Part 210.11 (a) (5)] defines school day as "...the period from midnight before, to 30 minutes after the end of the school day."

Guidelines for Smart Snacks

Please see the USDA “All Foods Sold in Schools” Standards for all rules and regulations regarding snacks in schools.

Community Involvement

The members of the wellness committee include the principal, the cafeteria manager, the wellness counselor, a teacher, the chaplain, two appointed students and a community parent. Parents, teachers, and students will be given the wellness policy as a guide.

Spiritual Guidance

The chaplain serves to nurture the spiritual growth of students and faculty at Bishop McGuinness. Students and faculty have regular opportunities to attend mass and confession on campus, and may meet with the chaplain as needed for support and guidance.

Measuring Implementation

The principal is the person charged with operational responsibility for ensuring that the school fulfills the wellness policy. The principal along with the wellness counselor will lead the discussion with the committee regarding the progress/lack of progress made in meeting each goal.

Review + Revise

The Wellness Committee exists to promote the school’s stated mission of addressing the needs of spirit, mind and body for each student who attends Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School. The Director of Wellness, is charged with the preparation of agendas and scheduling each bi-annual committee meeting. The Director of Wellness is also responsible for ensuring the implementation of the school wellness policy as written, here. The committee meets at least twice each year for this purpose, or more as activity dictates. Attendance is taken and meetings are documented, with information to be kept with the Principal’s secretary.

The public will be notified of the yearly policy review report regarding the progress toward implementing the school wellness policy through the school newsletter and communication from school Principal. Recommendations for any revisions to the policy will be submitted to the Committee and inserted as appropriate. Click Here to view the 2022 Triennial Wellness Policy Assessment Report.