Attendance

ATTENDANCE REGULATIONS

Students are allowed to take up to five (5) educational family travel days per school year. These days are considered legal absences only if the educational travel forms have been completed and submitted prior to the date of travel. Addi­tional educational travel days will be considered an illegal absence, unless approved by the ad­ministration under extraordinary circumstances. Travel days without the use of the travel form will be considered illegal absences.

Other unlawful or illegal absences result from the following:

1. Parent/guardians keeping a child home for reasons that are not included as “legal” by these regulations. For example, student absence from school to care for younger siblings or a parent is not considered a legal reason for school age children not to attend school.

2. Leaving school during hours without authoriza­tion.

3. Absence from a class period without authoriza­tion.

4. Truancy/absence from school without permis­sion of parent/guardian and school administra­tion for “legal” reasons.

5. Absence through parental neglect.

6. Absence with failure to present a written ex­cuse.

If your child is unlawfully absent from school, the district will notify you by mail after each occurrence. If your child accumulates three (3) unlawful absences, you will be notified by certified letter from the Superintendent’s office. The district will also work with you to set up a Truancy Elimination Plan for your child. Any unlawful absences after that subjects parents to a fine up to $300 + costs or a sentence to complete a parenting education class. In default of the pay­ment of such a fine and costs or completion of the parenting program, parents shall be sentenced to the county jail for a period not exceeding five (5) days.

In addition, any child who has attained the age of thirteen (13) years and who is habitually truant from school without justification shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of up to $300 for each offense or shall be assigned to an adjudication alternative program. That child could also have his/her operator’s (driver’s) li­cense privilege delayed when they reach driving age. Juveniles who are unlicensed are prohibited from applying for a learner’s permit for 90 days on the first offense and six months on the second offense, commencing on their sixteenth birthday.

Early dismissals are issued only in case of ur­gency. Requests must be made in writing by the parent or guardian. Official appointment forms from medical offices also suffice. Written requests should be submitted to the attendance office on the morning of the scheduled appointment. The school reserves the right to refuse permission for early dismissals and will do so if the reasons are not sufficiently urgent. For example, a student may not be excused to go shopping, even if they have a written excuse.

In the Middle School, truancies, persistent tardi­ness, cut days and classes, or alteration or forgery of parent/guardian signature on the excuse card or special excuses will result in disciplinary ac­tion ranging from a detention to suspension from school. Any forged excuse card will also result in the absence becoming an unlawful day.

Students who are late (tardy) to the Middle School must report and submit to the office a signed excuse card and receive a late pass to go to class. Students arriving late because of a late bus should report immediately to the office. Any student not in his or her homeroom by 7:30 a.m. shall be marked tardy even if they arrived to school on time.

Medical appointments, administratively ap­proved professional appointments, and tardies due to illness shall be considered legal absences/ tardies. After two illegal tardies to school, conse­quences shall be as follows:

• Tardy #3 - 1 Day of Restricted Lunch

• Tardies #4-6 - 2 Days of Restricted Lunch for Each

• Tardies #7-9 - 1 Day of After School Deten­tion for Each Tardies #10-12 - 2 Days of After School Detention for Each

• Excessive tardies to school beyond 12 will result in further disciplinary ac­tion.

After two tardies to class, consequences shall be as follows:

• Tardies #3-6 - 1 Day of Restricted Lunch for Each

• Tardies #7-9 - 2 Days of Restricted Lunch for Each

• Tardies #10-12 - 3 Days of Restricted Lunch for Each

• Excessive tardies to class will result in fur­ther disciplinary action.

Students returning to school following an ab­sence should bring a written excuse with them within (3) days of their return to school . An absence of 5 consecutive days requires a doctor’s excuse. After 5 days of absence from school, consecutive or non-consecutive, a written notification is sent home

After 10 days of absence a certified letter is sent home informing the family that any and all additional absences will require a doctor’s excuse regardless of their duration. Please note that travel days are included in the 10 day total. 

Upon returning to school after an absence, stu­dents should first check in with their homeroom teacher. Collection boxes for excuse notes are located in the Middle School Lobby. Students should drop excuse cards into the collection boxes at some point during the AM homeroom period. If an excuse card or written note is not presented to the attendance officer within three (3) school days upon returning to school, the day(s) absent will be marked as unlawfully or illegally absent. Please note it is not required that you send your child’s note on a yellow district excuse card. Written notes of any kind will be accepted. However, the yellow district excuse card can be obtained in the main office or the guidance office at any time.

Student absences should be reported daily to the middle school attendance line at 354-1566. During extended periods of absence, please call your child’s school counselor. One day’s notice is required to collect assignments and materials from all of a student’s teachers. Requests for missed work due to absence will be honored after a child misses (3) consecutive school days.

ATTENDANCE OFFICER

Grade 7&8 Mrs. Berry 

Attendance Station Hours:

 7:15 am - 3:30 pm