Definition of Absences:
A. A student shall be considered absent in a class when s/he has missed more than 10 minutes of the class period.
B. A student shall be considered tardy in a class when they have not met the classroom teacher’s requirements in terms of classroom readiness.
C. An Excused Absence is when the school has received a call/note from a parent/guardian with sufficient information to determine that the absence is for an acceptable reason and upon returning to school the student completes a leave form and gains signatures from teachers. Excused absences will be recorded as an E (excused) or Y (planned). An excused absence allows the student the right and the responsibility to make-up missed work. The guideline for makeup work will be two days allowed for each day missed, and such work will be counted toward the course grade.
An Excused Absence is defined as:
School Activity/Trip
Verified Illness
Family Emergency
Death in the Family
Medical Treatment
Court appearance
Other appropriate reasons as determined by the principal, such as but not limited to educational activity, emergency and unavoidable absences for religious reasons.
D. An Unexcused Absence is when the school determines that the call/note received from a parent/guardian is not an excusable reason to be absent from school or a call/note has not been received. Unexcused absences will be recorded as U (unexcused). Absences as a result of suspension are unexcused, but are not included in the number of unexcused absences causing removal from class. An unexcused absence gives the student the right to complete missed work in a reasonable time, generally defined in the case of an unexcused absence as one day following the student returning to school. All work due on the day missed will need to be turned immediately upon the student returning or no credit will be given.
E. Truancy is when the parent/guardian is not aware of or does not approve of an absence OR the student has missed a class or left the school without authorization. Truancies will be recorded as an R (truant) on a student’s attendance record. In the case of a truancy missed work may receive no credit.
F. Tardiness is also unacceptable as not only is the student missing out on valuable learning time, but they also interrupt the learning of others when they arrive late. Students will accrue the equivalent of an absence for every third tardy they receive in a specific class.
General Procedures Concerning Excessive Absences
Establishing good attendance habits is essential for success in the world beyond school. In order to reinforce this in the school setting the following policy has been adopted.
A. Students are allowed up to 5 unexcused absences per semester in any given class. Once this has been exceeded students will need to make up such time engaging in meaningful educational activities in such course matter or no credit will be given towards graduation. The students may remain in the class and earn a grade as long as they do not cause a significant disruption to the education of others.
B. In order to regain credit in a course, students must engage in meaningful educational experience in that subject matter through the credit recovery program offered Monday-Thursday from 3-4 p.m. and on selected Saturday mornings from 8-11:00 a.m.
C. The formal appeal process will consist of a written petition to the principal followed by enrollment in the credit recovery program and finally a presentation to an appeals committee for credit reinstatement. All work and a record of attendance will be reviewed to determine if credit will be restored.
D. When excessive absences which result from special circumstances occur special arrangements will be made to ensure the student is able to regain credit if all work is completed in a timely manner. Such arrangements must be made via the problems solving process. If such absences occur or are anticipated, students and their parents/guardians are encouraged to contact the Director of Student Services.
Removal of a student from class
Removing a student from class for excessive unexcused absences will still be an option if the student’s behavior causes a significant disruption to the educational process of others.
Credit Recovery Program
When students are experiencing difficulty in a class or have been removed from class they may be enrolled in the credit recovery program. The students will be placed in the program via a problem solving meeting or through a petition for entry to regain credit lost due to excessive absences. The program will be offered Monday – Thursday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. and will offer a variety of educational opportunities.
Electronically delivered courses will be utilized when a student has been removed from the class or when it is necessary for the student to regain credit despite the completion of work missed in a class.
Students placed via a problem solving meeting will have the opportunity to complete alternate assignments, make-up work or engage in enrichment activities offered via the electronic delivery of a course. A log of work completed and level of competence reached will be kept and reviewed periodically by staff.
Privilege Suspension
Students failing a course and not making an effort to engage in learning activities will not enjoy many of the privileges offered to our students. This may include participation in school trips, dances, access to the pop and snack machines, access to the drop in computer lab, etc.
A list of such students will be generated each three weeks and students will be sent letters to notify them of the suspension of such privileges. Privileges will be reinstated when the student can provide Student Service Personnel evidence that they are now working to their potential.
- First Adoption:
- 2020-05-11
- Reviewed Dates:
- November 14, 2021