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Lovejoy High School Parents and Families,

Earlier this week, you received communication from Lovejoy High School regarding our procedures pertaining to student walkouts and protests. If needed, please take a moment to review the communication that was sent HERE . As stated in the previous communication, the walkout was not a sanctioned or approved Lovejoy ISD event, and was dependent on each family’s individual choice for their child.

With that said, there appears to be confusion in the community pertaining to how public schools are required to respond to walkouts.

In response to questions we have received, a FAQ has been created. We believe this will assist with answering your questions regarding student protests/walkouts. Thank you for reviewing the information below.

• Can school districts prohibit all student protests on campus?

No. Students maintain their constitutional rights while they are in school, including the right to peacefully assemble and the right to free speech. Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. Cmty. Sch. Dist., 393 U.S. 503 (1969). Schools may, however, take reasonable action to maintain a safe and functioning learning environment. See Board Policy FNA (LEGAL).

The District has a right to place reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on the expression of speech, but cannot wholly prohibit student protests.

• When can a district restrict student protests or expressive conduct?

A school may prohibit otherwise protected expression if a school official has reason to believe that the expression will materially and substantially interfere with school operations or the rights of others. This is a high threshold to meet before the District can begin to restrict student free expression.

• How should a school treat walkouts for attendance and truancy purposes?

Students do not have a First Amendment right to disrupt school operations by scheduling a walkout. Murray v. West Baton Rouge Parish Sch. Bd., 472 F.2d 438 (5th Cir. 1973). A student who is absent from class due to a walkout may be treated the same (counted absent) under the Student Code of Conduct and applicable Board policies.

• When news of a walkout surfaces, even if it is not an LISD sanctioned event, does the respective school have an obligation to keep all students safe?

Yes, while the staff of the school cannot prevent students from walking out of the school, the school/district still has an obligation to practice the best safety plan possible. This may include proactive communication to ensure the safety of the unapproved event, consulting local law enforcement, and working with district security specialists. With that said, during an unsanctioned walkout, school officials have the right to remove or discipline students if they are violating the student code of conduct.

• Why might a district not share their complete safety plan with the public?

Lovejoy ISD and Lovejoy High School have an obligation to keep all of our students and staff as safe as possible. While we may share directions with stakeholders regarding numerous events (football games, community events, homecoming), it is rarely best practice to publish the complete, internal safety plan of an event. Countless hours are spent behind the scenes by our security team, administration, and other stakeholders to ensure the highest safety standards possible. In fact, under Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code Emergency Operation Plans are confidential to further support the priority of creating a safe environment.

In conclusion, we hope the information above helped answer some questions from both a legal and logistical perspective. Specifically, the legal parameters regarding student freedom of expression are outlined in Board Policy FNA (LEGAL). We also defer to parents on whether they choose to allow their student’s participation in protests, including walk outs, which was the purpose and intention in sharing information and encouragement for families to discuss the issue at home.

Sincerely,

Dr. Zambiasi

Principal

Lovejoy High School

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Updated Bell Schedule for Next Week including Senior Exams: May 16th - 19th

Underclassman 9th-11th Exam Schedule: May 23rd-26th

LHS will have Early Release Days May 23rd-26th

Final Exam Parent/Student Information

May 16th: 9th Grade Awards Ceremony

May 17th: 10th Grade Awards Ceremony

May 18th: 11th Grade Awards Ceremony

May 25th: 12th Grade Awards Ceremony

·All awards ceremonies will take place at 9:00 am in the LHS Auditorium

·Parents will receive communication if their student is receiving an award

May 19th at 2:30 pm: Please join us in honoring our graduates while they

announce their plans beyond LHS. This event will take place in the Main Gym

at 2:30 p.m. Senior Signing Day is a day of celebration where our seniors have

the opportunity to unveil their selected college and/or future plans to LHS

students and the community.

Yearbooks can be picked up in the Commons during all lunches May 16th-19th
Extra books will be sold in the school store on a first come first serve basis May 17th-26th. The cost is $90.

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AP exam fees are now past due. Please see instructions below to clear your student's account. To verify the payment amount, please click here and enter your student's id number. Anyone choosing to pay with a credit card through this link will incur a 4.16% service charge.

To avoid fees, you may mail a check payable to:

Lovejoy High School

attn:Leopard Store

2350 Estates Pkwy

Lucas, TX 75002

You can also have your student drop off a check or cash at the LHS School Store. Please ensure that your child’s name is in the memo line of the check followed by AP Exam.

Ex. Memo Sam Smith - AP Exams

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The Lovejoy Visual Art program is excited to announce the opening of the 14th annual LJVA AP Studio Art exhibition on May 13th from 5 - 9! We cannot wait to share this wonderfully diverse and thoughtful collection of work with our family and friends. The range of approaches, processes, and personal vision behind these 13 artists' work is a beautiful testament to the mission and legacy of our Lovejoy Visual Art Program.

Please join us Saturday, May 13th from 5 - 9 pm for an evening celebrating these artists and their work while gaining insight into their process and ideation. At the exhibition, you will be able to meet the artists, hear about their work and process, and have the opportunity to purchase available work. We are also excited to invite you to participate in our yearly charity auction of original work. This year our auction will be benefiting the Vogel Alcove; a non-profit organization on a mission to help young children overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness. The Lovejoy Visual Art program believes fully in using our gifts to give back to our larger community and would love for you to join us in this yearly tradition.

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Students, it is very important that we practice safe driving habits at all times on our campus. We kindly ask that you follow the speed limit, traffic rules, and stay off your phone. Please park in the correct parking spot that is assigned to you. Also, make sure to be considerate to other drivers on the road. Keep in mind that there are several people walking across our campus to their vehicles, athletic facilities, and school buildings. Let's all do our part to keep each other safe while behind the wheel.

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Lovejoy Families,

If you haven't already, please complete our Intent to Return to Lovejoy ISD form, this information will help plan for a successful school year and prepare for adequate staffing. The form can be found here.

We are looking for responses from all Lovejoy ISD families.

Thank you for your help and support. It’s great to be a Leopard!

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Who may attend: All students entering 7th-12th grade who plan to be in athletics, majestics, cheer, color guard, and/or band in the 2023-2024 school year

**Parents are encouraged to attend with their child

When: May 23rd, 2023 from 3:30pm to 8pm

Where: Lovejoy High School Gymnasium

For more information click the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BVyRt4qgLl8I4TvEdGjY6QDKEqEYImZq/view?usp=sharing

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If your student needs a VOE for driver's permit or license, please send requests to Marisa_Davis@lovejoyisd.net and pick up at the front desk.

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Updated Bell Schedule for Next Week including Senior Exams: May 16th - 19th

Senior Exam Exemption Policy

May 19th at 2:30 pm: Please join us in honoring our graduates while they

announce their plans beyond LHS. This event will take place in the Main Gym

at 2:30 p.m. Senior Signing Day is a day of celebration where our seniors have

the opportunity to unveil their selected college and/or future plans to LHS

students and the community.

Current Lovejoy High School students will receive a total of three free transcripts per school year. Once a student has requested three transcripts, the cost will be $3 per additional electronic transcript.

Please click here to pay transcript fees. All transcript fees are due by May 22nd.

Go to bephoto.com.
On homepage, click view and order images.
Scroll through the gallery until you get to Seniors 2023 Lovejoy from June 2022.
It will ask for an online code, type in your student’s school I.D.

Senior Panoramic Photos can be ordered on the Goldbeck website at www.goldbeckcompany.com

The timeline of events for Seniors can be found here.

Seniors who attended elementary school in Lovejoy ISD have been invited to breakfast at their elementary campus on Tuesday, May 16th at 8:30 am.

Puster Elementary

Hart Elementary

Lovejoy Elementary

Baccalaureate, Sunday, May 21st at 3:00 PM. See the Senior Booster Website for more information and to RSVP to the Booster Club for this event: Click Here

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Lovejoy High School's National Honor Society completed their Group Service project this past week. Partnering with Children's Health, each of its almost 600 members made blankets or busy books for kids who are battling an illness. Over 600 items were collected to give to these worthy children. NHS members also completed their Individual Service Project and cumulatively served over 9000 hours to their community. The 2023-2024 NHS officers are holding examples of the blankets that were made this year. The trash bags in the back are all filled with blankets demonstrating the hard work from all the NHS members. From left to right are Mia Reaugh - Historian, Campbell Lester - Secretary, James Brunson - President. Not pictured is Emma Nelson - Vice President. Congratulations to all our NHS members and thank you for helping your community.

The Men's Lacrosse team played in the Super Regional round of the playoffs down in Houston and came away with victories in both games. They will now be moving on to the Championship Round this weekend in Coppell. The semi-final game is @ 2:30 pm at Lesley field against TMI Episcopal. If they win that game they would then play for the State Championship on Sunday @ 10:00am at Coppell High School. Thank you for your support of these young men as they represent Lovejoy!

May Newsletter:

https://4.files.edl.io/813c/05/05/23/195837-41a5bc30-3f26-4bf5-9148-b07d8d6142dd.pdf

https://issuu.com/lovejoyisd/docs/lovejoy_isd_2023_summer_activities

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Consider joining LHS PTSO this year. Our goal is to ENRICH, CONNECT and SERVE the staff, parents and students of Lovejoy high school. As a PTSO, we try to show the staff of LHS our appreciation and gratitude for their hard work everyday. Your membership dues and leopard donations go directly to to helping our teachers know they are appreciated. It's an easy way to show the staff THANK YOU. Scan the QR code on the graphic or click on this link: http://www.ptolhs.membershiptoolkit.com

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 10:30

Please join us Tuesday, May 16th at 10:30 AM at Lovejoy High School in room G104 near the gym for our last membership meeting of the year.

There is pertinent legislative action that could damage the legacy of excellence that we expect from Lovejoy. In keeping with our guiding principles, the Lovejoy Council of PTOs will advocate for fiscal responsibility regarding public education funding. The information below will give details on what is happening in Texas state legislation. We encourage our parents to be fully informed. We have a voice and deserve to be heard. Our children’s education depends on it.

Please check back regularly on the website for updates, as the bills are evolving regularly. https://lovejoycouncil.wixsite.com/councilpto/at-issue

StuCo and PTSO are hosting a shaved ice truck to help with the mental load our students face as they prepare for finals. Join us on May 17th from 11am to 1pm to help distribute the shaved ice and novelty bars. No experience required! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094ba4a829a2ffc70-stuco#/

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The Lovejoy ISD Community News website is intended to facilitate connections and raise awareness of local events, activities, fundraisers and organizations that might interest Lovejoy families. The information featured on the Community News website is submitted by community members. Lovejoy ISD is not affiliated with the organizations and does not claim to endorse them.

Community News Webpage: https://www.lovejoyisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1601749&type=d&pREC_ID=1729844

Click HERE to view the 2022-2023 Spring Semester Events