Student Professional Development Guidelines

All students must commit to and follow the Student Professional Development Guidelines during their enrollment at Paul Mitchell The School Spokane. These guidelines were established to assist in creating a safe, focused, and enjoyable learning experience.

Attendance and Documentation of Time

  1. The school records attendance in clock hours and gives appropriate attendance credit for all hours attended. The school does not add or deduct attendance hours as a penalty. The school records attendance base on WAC 308-20-040 rule: hours attended shall not be recorded in less than one-quarter hour increments. Attendance is calculated using a computerized timeclock.  This device may consist of an app that can be used on your phone, a biometric scanner in the school, or similar device. To ensure proper credit for clock hours, full-time students are required to clock in/out 4 times a day: when they arrive at school, when they leave for lunch, when they return from lunch, and when they leave at the end of the day. Part-time students are required to clock in/out 2 times a day: when they arrive at school and when they leave at the end of the day. If a student fails to clock in or out for the day on the student timeclock, the student will not receive hours.  If the student wishes to dispute any hours they feel earned, the student must provide documentation to verify attendance.  This would include the student sign in sheet, the specialty class attendance role, and/or the guest service summary.
  2. Schools shall collect and record monthly and final student reports. These reports as described in WAC 308-20-010 shall contain the cumulative number of hours the student has attended class and the number of times the student performs an activity as described in WAC 308-20-080. The hours attended shall not be recorded in less than one-quarter hour increments. Each monthly report shall include the month and the year.
    In accordance to this regulation, hours will not be edited as every punch will be rounded to the nearest quarter hour.
  3. The school is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for full time students and Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM for 3 day students.
  4. All courses require continuous attendance.
  5. The prescribed attendance schedule must be maintained each week. Alternate schedules are available to those students who qualify and based on availability. 
  6. Students may not miss Thursdays. 
  7. Students must be on time, as tardiness inhibits the learning process. Students who are late for theory, a specialty class or a guest artist class may attend the class, but must be accompanied into the classroom by an instructor. Students are never excused from mandatory theory class to work in the clinic.
  8. Students who are late or cannot attend school must contact the school and talk to the school service desk immediately. Students must call in by 8:30 AM. 
  9. Students are expected to be on time and attend every day of Core. Missing time in Core may result in the student having to withdraw from the program and retake Core. If an unavoidable, extenuating circumstance arises, the student must make arrangements with the Core Learning Leader as soon as possible. If no arrangements can be made, the student will be withdrawn from the program and asked to retake core at a later date.
  10. Students must request time off from school from the Education Leader or School Director.
  11. Students are required to be in attendance a minimum of 7.5 hours per day, 37.5 hours per week for the full-time day schedule; 5.5 hours per day for part time day students, 27.5 hours per week, 7 hours per day, 35 hours per week for the full-time day schedule; 5 hours per day for part time day students, 25 hours per week. Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day will be set according to the calendar each year. Students cannot bank hours and attend over 35 hours per week to make up for missing hours. Refer to the make up hour policy.
  12.  Lunches and breaks are scheduled for all students. All students will take 30 minutes for lunch between 12:00 noon and 1:30 PM. Students should communicate with their instructor if they have not had lunch by 1:30 PM. Night students take a 10-minute break.

Observe the appropriate breaks for your school schedule. Breaks are as follows:

Student Schedule Breaks Lunch
8 or 7 1/2 hr/day 10 min. in the morning & 10 min in the afternoon 30 min.
6 hr/day 10 min. in the morning & 10 min in afternoon n/a
5 hr/day 10 min at mid-point of schedule n/a
4 hr/day 10 min at mid-point of schedule n/a
  1. Documentation of time: Students may not leave the school premises during regular hours without an instructor’s permission. 
    1. Students who leave school premises for more than 10 minutes or those who leave early must document their time by clocking out on the time clock, signing the sign-out sheet, and having an instructor book them out. 
    2. Students who leave school premises for less than 10 minutes must sign the sign-out sheet.
    3. Day students must clock out on the time clock for lunch for 30 minutes every day. Students will not receive credit for the hour if they fail to clock in/out for lunch.
  2. Students may not clock in or out for another student. 
  3. Students must keep a record of all services each day on the “service tracking sheet,” which must be completed daily and turned in every month.

Paul Mitchell The School’s professional image guidelines help maintain a culture of professionalism and unity for Future Professionals, team members, and guests. These guidelines are similar to many dress codes found in the beauty industry and will prepare Future Professionals for their careers beyond school.

Professional Image: All Future Professionals must adhere to the following professional dress code while in attendance:

  1. All Future Professionals may wear black, white, or gray clothing.
  2. All tops must have sleeves.
  3. Clothing should be professional and clean.
  4. Shoes should be professional, practical, and comfortable.
  5. Hair and cosmetics should be styled or applied prior to arriving at school.
  6. Dresses, shorts, and skirts must be no shorter than 4 inches above the knee.
  7. Any non Paul Mitchell logos should be smaller than 2 inches.
  8. Capes and aprons should be all black or black with a Paul Mitchell logo.
  9. Name tag - as provided by the school. All future professionals are required to wear a nametag while in attendance. Replacement name tags can be purchased for an additional fee
  10. Baseball hats, visors, caps or beanies, and headwraps may be worn. 
  11. Accessories may be worn in any color.

The following is a list of unacceptable dress for all Future Professionals in attendance:

  1. Foot thongs, beach sandals, croc-style sandals, and slippers.
  2. Non Paul Mitchell images or text on clothing.
  3. Tank tops, spaghetti string tops, belly shirts, and crop tops.
  4. Sweatpants. 
  5. Leggings and biking shorts cannot be worn as bottom.
  6. Sunglasses.

Future Professionals who fail to comply with the Future Professional dress code may be coached and may receive an advisory.

Sanitation and Personal Services

  1. Future Professionals must keep workstations and classroom areas clean, sanitary, and clutter-free at all times.
  2. Future Professionals must clean their stations in the clinic classroom, including the floor, after each         service. 
  3. Hair must be swept up immediately after a service is completed, before blow-drying.
  4. Clinic stations must be cleaned at the end of the day, prior to clocking out for the day.
  5. Future Professionals may receive services on Tuesday through Thursday. To receive a service, Future Professionals must do the following prior to starting the service:
    1. Notify a Learning Leader.
    2. Be scheduled off the service books by a Learning Leader.
    3. Pay for service supplies including perms, color, lightener, rinses, conditioning, treatments, manicures, nails, etc. 
    4. Personal services are considered rewards and scheduled for students who are up to date with all projects, tests and practical skill assessments. School assignments and successful learning are the priority.

Communication Guidelines and Professional Conduct

  1. Visitors are allowed in the service reception area only. Visitors are not allowed in the classrooms, student lounge, or clinic classroom area.
  2. Only emergency calls are permitted on the business phone. Future Professionals may use the Future Professional phones for a limited time. Please keep your calls to three (3) minutes or less.
  3. Cell phones are permitted in assigned areas of the school.
  4. Future Professionals may not visit with another Future Professional who is servicing a client.
  5. Future Professionals may not gather around the service desk, service reception area, or offices. 
  6. Food, drinks, and water bottles are allowed only in the lunchroom.
  7. Paul Mitchell The School Spokane is a smoke-free campus.
  8. Stealing or taking school property or another’s personal property is unacceptable, and is grounds for  termination.
  9. School administration has the right to access and inspect a Future Professionals locker at any time, refer to the locker policy.

Learning Participation Guidelines

  1.  Peer teaching and tutoring are encouraged. Taking credit for another’s work or cheating during exams is unacceptable and is grounds for termination.
  2. Future Professionals will be expected to maintain an average of 75% on all theory tests and assignments.
  3. Future Professionals may not be released from required theory class to take a client.
  4. Only service desk personnel may schedule or change client service appointments.
  5. All services must be checked and the service ticket initialed by a Learning Leader.
  6. Future Professionals are expected to be continuously working on school-related projects, assignments, clinic practical worksheets, reading theory, or test preparation during school hours. 
  7. Future Professionals will receive clock hours during the times they fully participate in their learning experience.
  8. When Future Professionals are not scheduled with service appointments or are not scheduled to attend theory or a specialty class, they may focus on the following:
    1. Completion of practical skill assessments through CourseKey
    2. Completion of theory review worksheets
    3. Performing a service on another Future Professional
    4. Listening to or reading school resource center materials, including educational videos, Listening to or reading school resource center materials, including educational videos,
  9. Future Professionals must comply with school personnel and Learning Leader’s assignments and requests as required by the curriculum and Future Professional guidelines and rules.
  10. Future Professionals may not perform hair, skin, barber, or nail services outside of school unless authorized to do so by school administration. Conducting unauthorized hair, skin, barber, or nail services outside of school will be reported to the state board and may result in your inability to receive a professional license. 
  11. Future Professionals are responsible for their own kit and equipment and may use a clinic station drawer only while working at that clinic station. All kit, equipment, tools, and personal items must be secured in the Future Professionals assigned locker. Paul Mitchell The School Spokane is not responsible for any lost or stolen articles.
  12. Parking is allowed in assigned parking areas only or cars may be towed at the owner’s expense.
  13. If a Future Professional fails to complete the practical skill assessments or required weekly theory hours they will be placed on the Back on Track List. Future Professionals have one week to get caught up before they receive a coaching advisory.
  14. If a Future Professional fails to pass the Core written and/or practical exam on their second attempt, they may be asked to withdraw from the program and re-start in the next Core class start date
  15. Theory Class: The school requires a Future Professionals to complete all theory hours as part of their graduation requirements. Refer to the graduation requirements