Upper School Parent and Student Handbook 2023-2024

To ensure a clean and healthy house (residence hall), each floor will be cleaned daily. Every student will share in this responsibility with the assignment of specific duties being scheduled by the head of house and directed by the faculty member and prefect on duty.

Rooms should be kept clean and organized. Rooms and furnishings, except those students bring themselves, are the property of the school and should be in the same condition at the end of the year as when students accepted them.

Rooms are subject to inspection at any time and must meet the following standards:

• Students are expected to make their beds and keep their rooms clean.
• Rooms must be arranged so that a clear line of sight and access to doors and windows exist.
• Students will abide by and maintain a Standard Room Arrangement. Seniors will be permitted to rearrange at the discretion of the Head of House.
• Furniture, including beds, mattresses, and bureaus, may not be moved from room to room and may not be stacked unless approved by the Head of House. Mattresses may not be placed on the floors.
• Additional furniture must be approved by the Head of House on an individual, case-by-case, basis.
• Trunks and hand luggage will be stored in designated areas.
• Bicycles, bar-bells, weights and chinning bars will not be kept in the houses.
• Cell phones are permitted in the houses if used appropriately. Cell phones may be used during Night Study Hall. However, students must remain in good academic standing and this status is determined by the Head of House. 
• Personal audio devices may not be used during Night Study Hall unless special permission is granted by the Head of House.
• Appropriate posters may be placed on walls in such a way that walls and paint will not be damaged (no tape or nails or tacks). All wall decorations are subject to the approval of the Head of House and the Student Life Office. Posters depicting inappropriate images such as drugs, alcohol, nudity, or of an insulting or insensitive nature, etc. will be not be approved for wall decorations. Students will be expected to remove these posters immediately when confronted by a Darlington employee.
• Tapestries, draperies, flags, or other hangings may not be hung from the ceiling, light fixtures, air units, windows, or doors.
• String lights are prohibited.

Fire regulations prohibit a room’s wall space being totally covered (no cloth hangings, including flags, tapestries, draperies, and banners, are permitted).

The following electronic devices are allowed: radios, clocks, toothbrushes, stereos, hair dryers, computers, electronic tea kettles, and razors. Televisions and electronic gaming systems (Nintendo, XBox, etc.) are permitted only with approval of the Head of House. Each common room is equipped with a full kitchen for the use of all students in the house. In addition, each dorm room is allowed to have one Energy Star-rated mini refrigerator which can be used by the residents of that room. Heads of House will monitor the use of this appliance and, at their discretion, can remove it from the room.

Self-balancing scooters, more popularly known as hoverboards, are not permitted on campus or in any Darlington School-owned building. Hoverboards include self-balancing scooters, battery operated scooters, and hands-free segways. 

Candles, incense, potpourri,  lighters, matches, and fireworks are prohibited from houses.

Cooking in dorm rooms is not permitted. All food preparation should take place in common rooms. Hot plates and other heated cooking appliances are not permitted in dorm rooms.

All food should be kept in sealed plastic or metal containers.

Firearms and life-threatening objects or substances are prohibited from campus.

No pets are allowed with the exception of fish. No fish tank may exceed two-gallon capacity. Fish tanks must be kept clean or they will be subject to removal by the Head of House. The students are responsible for taking the fish tank with them during all school breaks. 

Students and their parents are financially accountable for any and all damages for which they are responsible.