Information Center

Per our District Student Cell Phone Use Policy that was implemented in March 2025, cellphones, headphones, earbuds, and smart watches are not to be used during class time. They may be used during lunch and passing time. Parents are encouraged to communicate with the main office if there is an emergency and needs to be communicated to the student. Students receiving special services including IEPs and 504 should contact their teachers regarding information that may allow for electronic devices.

Below are the phone policy consequences for the classroom:

• 1st offense: Verbal Warning

• 2nd offense: Taken from student- Return device after class

• 3rd offense: Taken from student- Phone taken to main office: Family pick up

• 4th offense: Taken from student- Device plan put into place with admin and student

Social Media Use

We would like to remind families that social media use is not regulated by the school, but rather by the individual student. However, when online behavior crosses into the school environment and impacts our students or staff, administration will take appropriate action. The Hopkins School District has clear policies in place that prohibit cyberbullying, harassment, and other inappropriate online behaviors. If a student's online activity negatively affects anyone in our school community, the student will be held accountable in accordance with our disciplinary procedures. Potential consequences may include: placement on a restricted cell phone usage plan during school hours, phone not being allowed at school, or suspension, depending on the severity of the incident. We strongly encourage caregivers to partner with us in monitoring and guiding students' use of social media and cell phones. Together, we can help ensure a safe, respectful environment for all.

To support learning and reduce digital distractions, YouTube Shorts will now be blocked on student devices at all times.

Additionally, social media will now also be blocked on student devices outside of school hours. Previously, social media has always been blocked on school devices during the school day but was available outside of school hours. With this update, social media and YouTube Shorts will be blocked across all student devices—both during and outside of school hours.

The purpose of this change is to ensure student devices remain educationally focused tools that enhance learning, support age-appropriate use, and minimize distractions.

Students will continue to have access to approved educational websites and tools needed for instruction.

We encourage families to actively supervise your student’s device use and to create and maintain a home media plan that reflects your family’s values and routines. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a free Family Media Plan tool to support this work. For families of K–8 scholars using school‑issued iPads, the Jamf Parent app is available to help you manage app access and device use outside of school.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting safe, focused, and effective technology use for learning. Should you have any questions about appropriate access to content our Digital Literacy Specialists are available to assist in your school.

These will start on September 8th and students will receive plenty of communication around these practices.

1. Students who are late to school after 8:40 will be directed into the auditorium. Unless they have a planned, excused absence, they will remain there until the last 15 minutes of Block 1. This is to encourage students to get here on time. If this occurs 3 times or more, additional interventions will be put into place. A student will have a ‘AUD’ comment in their infinite campus if this occurs.

2. Hot breakfast will end at 8:40. Students arriving after the start of the school day that would like a breakfast will be offered a “Breakfast Grab and Go” starting at 8:45 am.

3. During the rest of the day, we will continue to enforce tardy sweeps. If a student is tardy to class, they will be swept to the Royals Reset Room (RRR space). The first time in a day will be a warning. Their second time will result in remaining in the RRR space for the day working with a staff member on their work for classes. Additional interventions may be assigned for continued tardies. We want to ensure our students are getting to class on time and are ready to learn.

Attendance Reporting

A parent/guardian/caregiver must report all absences and attendance information to the attendance office at 952-988-4530 or submit using your Infinite Campus Parent Portal before 10:00 a.m. Be sure to include your student's name, grade, and the reason for absence. Failure to report absences may require the parent/guardian/caregiver to call or provide documentation for the reason for the absence within 48 hours.

Students Leaving Early

If your student would like to use our prayer time during the day, they will need to fill out the paper copy of this form. Passes will begin to be checked starting on September 8th. During the first week of school, the form must be completed by their parent/guardian. Families will be contacted to confirm information and expectations. Students will not be permitted to participate in prayer time without the completed and confirmed form.

Hopkins High School has vape detectors installed in every restroom as part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all students, staff, and visitors. Safety is a top priority at HHS, and we expect everyone in our building to follow all school expectations. While we have seen a significant reduction in vape usage due to our monitoring efforts, our goal is to make our school 100% drug-free. As part of this ongoing effort, we will continue to respond to vape detections by identifying and searching students who are present in the restroom at the time of the alert. Any guests found in violation of our policies will be removed from the building and may face a no-trespass order. We ask parents and guardians to speak with their students about the dangers of drug and tobacco use, and the importance of not bringing these products into school. While we do not aim to dictate behavior outside of school, we require that once individuals enter the building, all school rules and expectations are respected. This message applies to both HHS students and the guests who care about and support them.

There has been an update to HHS's exchange student program for the 2026–2027 school year. Beginning next year, we will exclusively partner with CIEE and AFS for all incoming exchange student placements. After reviewing our current processes and experiences, we selected these two organizations because of their strong involvement in school communities and their commitment to offering meaningful global learning opportunities, both for visiting students and for HHS students through scholarship and cultural exchange programs. This streamlined partnership will help ensure consistent communication, strong support for host families, and a high-quality experience for our school community.

If your family is interested in hosting an exchange student or learning more about these organizations, please contact the agency directly, or HHS School Counselor Ms. Samantha Bratrud at samantha.bratrud@hopkinsschools.org.

October 20: Picture retakes
December 1: Senior portraits due, and Early bird pricing for Senior Yearbook Ads ends. All upload instructions and links to order are available at https://tinyurl.com/HHSYB2027

AP World History, AP European History, and AP African American Studies students are taking a trip Spring Break 2027 to Egypt! This trip is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors in those classes. You can view the itinerary and sign up by going to www.explorica.com and entering in tour ID: Heimlich-3756. We will have a trip interest meeting Thursday, 10/1 at 5:00pm at HHS in W112. Students, you can always stop by Ms. Heimlich’s room, W112, with any questions. Families, you can email with any questions at jennifer.heimlich@hopkinsschools.org

Ecuador Expedition June, 2028

Hopkins' science teachers are launching an international trip this summer that your students can be a part of! Students have the opportunity to join science teachers, Jessica Mesa and Karlee Duehn, on a 10-day Ecuador Expedition this June for a service learning and Amazonian adventure!

Join us for a Parent Presentation next week, Tuesday, September 22nd at 5:30 PM to learn more about the itinerary, accommodation, safety, and how your student can enroll.

While in Ecuador, your student will work on meaningful community projects like building schools, trek in the Amazon and meet local community members that will teach cooking classes, dance lessons and language courses. A trip like this will build the kind of confidence, leadership, and perspective that lasts a lifetime so don't miss out! Click here for more information.

Interested in joining? Can’t make it in person? Learn more on the trip's webpage HERE: https://hopkins-ecuador-june-2027.netlify.app/

For any questions: reach out to Jess Mesa at jessica_mesa@hopkinsschools.org or Expedition Coordinator, Frances Gibson at frances@campsinternational.comkk