News

Our 2024-2025 Student/Parent Handbook is now available in the Campus Life section of our website. 

Please take a moment to review this year’s handbook. The most significant updates this year are the timeline for making up missed work following an absence and consequences for suspensions. We also have exciting news about our new accreditation partner and His House updates, including our revised Student Feathers and Parent Feathers. Below you can find the details of these updates.

• Late in the Spring, St. Cecilia was one of the first schools in the Diocese of Lafayette selected for Lumen Accreditation. Approved by the State of Louisiana, Lumen Accreditation is offered through the Institute for the Transformation of Catholic Education at The Catholic University of America. Catholic school communities are called to be more than successful, they are called to be faithful. Because faith and reason are authentic pathways to knowledge and wisdom, a Catholic accreditation goes beyond academics to develop students who are faithful to God by striving to serve the highest cause, to seek the highest good, to follow the more excellent way, and to inspire others to do the same. Since joining, at least 10 other schools have been accepted, including our feeder school, St. Thomas More.
• In the past two years, we have launched our Bluejay Feathers for employees and students. These Feathers serve as a set of essential rules designed to establish a positive, respectful, and productive school culture. These guidelines promote a positive and effective learning environment that supports both academic and personal development for all students. In our handbook you will find our newly revised Student Feathers as well as our Parent Feathers.
• Our suspension policy has been revised to be more equitable and less arbitrarily punitive to students. Under the previous policy, the conduct grade penalty could range from a 7 point deduction to a 10 point deduction, depending on where the student's grade fell at the time of suspension. In addition, the severity of a suspended student's academic penalty was entirely dependent on the volume of work assigned during the suspension period. The goal of suspension as a consequence is changed behavior, not academic deductions that are nearly impossible to come back from. The new policy allows for consistency across the board and is, mathematically, less harsh on a student's academic grades.
• Please note that all vendors have our most current branding available. All former logos have been grandfathered for three years, beginning with the current school year.
• The make-up period for extended absences in junior high have been reduced from two weeks to one. To account for this change, we have doubled the amount of make-up center opportunities available. We found that procrastination was taking a toll on keeping up with current work upon return to school, so this change was necessary to better support students.
• We have added a section specific to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). This can be found on page 59 of the handbook.