Updated Electronic Device Policy
The district has adopted an updated personal electronic device policy for the 25-26 school year. Students in grades 7-12 will be asked to put all personal electronic devices (cell phones/watches/ear buds) in a school issued pouch that is to be placed in their school issued backpack from 8:15 AM until 3:42 PM. Students in grades 9-12 can access their personal electronic devices from the start of the lunch period until 1:00 PM. Students that fail to comply with the new policy will have their personal electronic device confiscated and turned into the office and progressive disciplinary action will be taken. There will be more information shared out on school social media as well as at the beginning of the school year kickoff event.
7-12 Food & Drink Policy
In order to comply with FDA guidelines as well as promote healthy decisions and lifestyles, we will continue to work on limiting food and drink in the building for students during the 2025-2026 school year. Students MAY NOT bring in outside food or drink into the classroom and/or any food or drink brought into the building must be consumed before school starts at the beginning of the day or before classes resume following lunch.
7-12 Student Tardy Policy
In order to get students to class on time and begin lessons, the HPS tardy will continue to be the following:
Weekly Tardy List Ran Monday AM from Previous Week
Detentions / ISS Assigned by Assistant Principal
All to Be Served by End of Current Week
Discipline Progression
0-4 Tardies - Grace Period
5-9 Tardies - 30 Minute Detention
10-14 Tardies - 60 Minute Detention
15-19 Tardies - 1 Day ISS
20-24 Tardies - 2 Day ISS
25-29 Tardies - 3 Day ISS
30+ Tardies - TBD
Any unserved discipline will be doubled after a week of it being assigned by HPS administration.
New 7-12 Homeroom Period
Starting this school year, all students in grades 7–12 will end their day in a designated homeroom classroom. This new structure was developed through collaboration between a teacher committee and the HPS administration. The final 22 minutes of each school day have been intentionally designed to provide meaningful support and enrichment for all Hershey 7–12 students.
During this time, students will engage in a variety of activities, including:
ACT test preparation
Character development lessons using Mike Smith’s Harbor video series
Weekly grade checks and opportunities to complete missing work
Skill-building in organization, planning, and goal setting
Targeted academic intervention
Homeroom competitions and games to foster community and engagement
Designated reading time to support and strengthen literacy
This dedicated period is intended to help students grow academically, socially, and emotionally as they prepare for success both in and beyond the classroom.
HS & JH Student of the Month
All students in grades 7-12 will be eligible for Student of the Month honors. Each month there will be individual grade level winners who will then be voted upon by the staff for the overall student of the month for both the junior high and high school. Both monthly grade level winners and overall winners will be recognized on HPS social media.
Zero Hour S&C for Graduation Credit
We will be offering a Zero Hour Strength and Conditioning class for credit again during the 25-26 school year. The class will begin at 7:00 AM and run until 7:51 AM Monday - Friday. Students will have 24 minutes to prepare for the day and get breakfast prior to the tardy bell ringing at 8:15 AM. If you are interested in your son or daughter taking part in this, please contact HPS 7-12 Guidance Counselor Jolene Pettera.
Panther Power Hour
For the 25-26 school year, we will be continuing our after school program, "Panther Power Hour", for all students who need extra work time or students who need to work on credit recovery. This will be a designated time from 4:00-5:00 PM after school 3-4 times per week where students can work under the supervision of a HPS staff member on credit recovery, missing assignments, and/or test makeups. This will provide students a great environment, supervised by a teacher, for them to make improvements in their educational journey!
