Welcome back to school RedHawkS! 

We are excited for the 2025-2026 school year!

New Cell Phone Policy:

To help all students stay focused and ready to learn, Renton School District has developed districtwide guidance for the use of cell phones in schools.

We have spent this week explaining the policy to students and teaching them how to meet expectations. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 4, we will begin enforcing our “No Cell, Bell to Bell”

policy.

Note: This policy also includes smart glasses, earbuds, headphones. Smart watches may be worn, but not used for communication.

RHS Process:

Students will be reminded about the No Cell, Bell to Bell expectation at the start of each period, every day. After that, a student will be reminded one time if their device is out. After that, we’ve asked teachers to call the main office, and a pouch will be brought to the room and the student will place their device in the pouch for the remainder of the day. Families will be notified that their student’s device has been placed in the pouch and the student will keep the pouch. Students will be able to unlock the pouch at the end of the day. For ongoing challenges, we will partner with families to develop a plan.

Our goal is to create distraction-free learning environments while also helping students build lifelong digital habits that support their success in school and beyond.

Please visit our Cell Phone Guidance website for further details, frequently asked questions, and to explore helpful resources for families.

One Lunch Trial:

In order to prioritize student and staff connections, activities, and collaboration, Renton High School will pilot a one lunch schedule during trimester 1. If you weren’t aware, Renton High School is an open campus at lunch. This means that students may choose to leave campus at lunch. It is critical that all students represent the very best of Renton High when in the community, demonstrating our values of Pride, Tradition and Excellence. It is also critical that all students return to campus on time in order to continue to maintain our one lunch schedule. And, off campus privileges may be revoked for any student(s) who demonstrate challenges with adhering to these expectations.

Schedule Change Requests:

Your request must be submitted by 2:30 pm on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 for schedule change consideration using the linked Google Form.

When filling out the form, please use complete information (such as your name as documented in Skyward). Otherwise, it would take your counselor longer to process your request or we may simply deny your request. Do not email your counselor for a schedule change.

FAIR TICKETS:

FREE Washington State Fair tickets were handed out to students this week. If your scholar(s) didn’t get their ticket, please have them come by the main office. The fair is in Puyallup and runs from August 29 to September 21.

Renton School District has partnered with Providence Healthcare and Hazel Health to provide access to quality mental health care services for all students, at no cost to families. The partnership has already made a difference in its first year with more than 2,200 virtual therapy sessions completed!Families can also create a Hazel account for in-home virtual sessions for help with depression, stress, anxiety, bullying and more. Learn more and create your family account at https://my.hazel.co/rentonschools/info

Read more about this free service at our Hazel Health webpage.