AF Amistad High School Family Handbook 2017-2018 | 16  In an emergency, call the school – If you or your family is having an emergency that requires a change in your child’s transportation plans, please call the school immediately to make arrangements. The school does not accept transportation change requests by telephone except in the case of an emergency. If your child normally rides the bus and you wish to pick him or her up from school and you have not notified the school in writing that morning, you must meet your child at the school at dismissal time. Arrival and Dismissal Scholars should not arrive at school earlier than 7:25 am as AFAHS does not have staff available to supervise scholar safety at that time. School doors open at 7:25 am. At dismissal, scholars should either leave the school building or attend a school-sponsored afterschool activity. In inclement weather, scholars may wait in the vestibule at the Dixwell Avenue entrance of the school until 5 pm (Monday – Thursday) or 2:30 pm (Friday). Buses will pick up and drop off scholars at the rear of the building, on the Sherman Avenue side. As a result, we ask that parents/guardians who are dropping off and/or picking up scholars to utilize the Dixwell Avenue side of the school. Please note that AFAHS will not “hold” scholars to be picked up past 5 pm Monday – Thursday and 2:30 pm Friday. In the rare event that a family needs to pick up their scholar early from school, the scholar will only be released to an authorized guardian or emergency contact listed on the scholar’s Beginning of the Year forms or otherwise updated by parent/guardian. It is the family’s responsibility of update guardian/parental and emergency contact information as necessary. Staff will ask to see photo identification if they do not know the identity of the adult. Scholars Who Walk For scholars who walk to and from school, and for scholars who may be walking from the public transportation stops, a number of streets may need to be crossed. Families should instruct scholars to use all of the appropriate crossing lights at each intersection, and to cross each intersection only when it is safe to do so within the designated crosswalks. Parents are urged to call the local police department for questions or concerns. Scholars who walk to and from school act as representatives of the school. The same standards of behavior outlined in this document apply while scholars are traveling to and from school. Student Hall Passes As a high school that allows for free transitions between classes, AFAHS does not walk students from class to class, nor does it have designated daily “bathroom breaks” in the sense of a middle or elementary school. To achieve structured independence, AFAHS has several types of passes which students use to indicate where they have been and where they are going. This allows for