Attendance Policy
Students must be physically present in school for a minimum of 2 hours to be counted as present for attendance purposes each day.
For each day a student is absent, parents/guardians must complete an Absence Notification Form on our school’s website and all supporting documentation must be uploaded at the time of submittal.
Parents are responsible for reporting the absence to the school within three (3) days of the student’s return to school. Documentation submitted more than 3 days after the student’s return to school will not be accepted and the absence(s) will be deemed unexcused.
Students with excessive absences will be referred to the administration/Attendance Review Committee. Absences will ONLY be excused for the following reasons:
- Student illness
- Student medical appointments
- Death in the immediate family
- Observance of religious holidays
- Subpoena by law enforcement agency
- Outdoor suspension
- Family leave time for Military-Connected students
- Appointments for a therapy service provided by a licensed health care practitioner.
- Documented absences beyond the control of the parent/guardian of the student, as determined and approved by the principal or the principal’s designee.
Documentation related to the condition will be required. Any absence that does not fall into one of the excused absence categories is to be considered unexcused.
Students are not to receive credit for make-up work when an absence is unexcused. Grade of “Zero” must be issued. The student shall have three (3) school days from the day they are absent to submit make-up work for excused absences. Make-up work turned in after 72 hours will result in a Zero. It is the responsibility of the student to request assignments from the teachers.
A student may not participate in any scheduled extra-curricular school events on the same day when absent from school. Truancy Be aware that fifteen (15) or more unexcused absences in a 90-day period will result in the student being considered truant and will be reported to the Federal and State Compliance Office.
A meeting between the administration and the parent/guardian will be scheduled and a referral will be issued. Students who are considered truant will not be allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities, field trips, interscholastic competitions including sports and/or performances, or commencement ceremonies (Senior Graduation/8th Grade Promotion Ceremony) for the remainder of the school year. In addition, students may have their grade withheld.
Tardies
All tardies are considered unexcused. Students arriving after the commencement of school report directly to the school’s Tardy Center coordinator. After being processed, the students will be issued a pass indicating they have an unexcused tardy and will be sent to class. Students with excessive tardies will be referred to the administration/Attendance Review Committee. Consequences for tardy infractions per 9 weeks: - 1-5 unexcused tardies – Warning - 6-8 unexcused tardies – School-issued lunch detention - 9-11 unexcused tardies – After school detention and parent contact - 12-13 unexcused tardies – Saturday detention and parent contact - 14 + unexcused tardies – C.S.I. (1 day) and parent contact
*Tardy infractions will reset at the start of every quarter
Early Dismissal
For a student to be dismissed early, parents, guardians, or any other adults (21 years or older) must come to the Main Office to request an early dismissal.
Students will not be released to persons whose names do not appear on the emergency contact card kept on file in the Main Office. A photo ID must be shown to release students from the premises. No student under the age of 18 is allowed to sign themselves out. Early dismissals count as absences and will affect the student’s attendance record for the classes missed. Students are responsible for all missed assignments.
Early dismissals will only be excused with a doctor's note. This note must be submitted using the Absence Notification Form within 3 days of the early dismissal. Assignments and tests will receive a zero (0) if they are not excused.
Students with excessive early dismissals will be referred to the administration/Attendance Review Committee and will be required to submit medical documentation to excuse classes missed and avoid earning a Zero on assignments missed. Early dismissal for students 18 years or older who wish to sign themselves out are for emergencies only. An email to the administration from the parent/guardian with a copy of the parent/guardian driver’s license is required. The parent/guardian may also be contacted for verification. Early dismissals for students 18 years or older are only permitted two (2) times per quarter and are at the discretion of the administration.
Students will not be dismissed past 2:00 p.m. There are no exceptions
SEVERE CLAUSE VIOLATION
Severe Clause Violation In a severe clause violation of the Student Code of Conduct or any other school policies and procedures, the parent/guardian will pick up the student. Any infraction within the Severe Clause will result in further administrative action. Severe violations include, but are not limited to: fighting, profanity, stealing, defiance of school personnel, assault upon a staff member, continuous disruptive behavior, any posting of videos or pictures pertaining to the school’s students or faculty, as well as possession and/or use of drugs, tobacco, electronic cigarettes (vapes), alcohol, and weapons.
