Attendance
Attendance
As soon as you return to school after any absence, you must bring a completed excuse blank to the office. If absent three days because of illness, a doctor’s excuse must be presented upon return. The state requires that a doctor’s excuse always be presented for the following illnesses: conjunctivitis, ringworm, scabies, strep throat, or other ailments dictated by the school nurse. The excuse blank is to be completed by your parent. It is to be returned within three days of your return to school.
Unlawful Absences
After three unlawful absences, the school authorities are required by law to notify your parent of such unlawful absences and to prosecute your parent or guardian. This usually results in payment of a fine and the costs of prosecution. The State Department of Public Instruction has ruled personal illness, quarantine, death in the family, and exceptional urgent reasons as legally excused absences. Generally all other excuses will be classified unlawful. Unlawful absences could result in zeros for missed work.
Tardiness
If you’re not in your Homebase by 7:40 am, you will be considered tardy. If you have difficulty opening lockers or if you have business in the office or with a teacher, report first to your Homebase. Notes from parents explaining tardiness are not necessarily valid excuses but if you bring one with you when arriving late, it will be given consideration. Oversleeping, failure to be awakened in the morning, doing errands before school, missing the bus, etc. do not constitute satisfactory reasons for tardiness. Students arriving after the designated starting time should report directly to the main office where a record will be kept of all tardy dates.
After a student receives (5) office write-ups, he/she will receive after-school detention to make up for lost instructional time. The detention will last until 4:00 pm. In the event that a student continues to be tardy, the discipline consequences will be more. Excessive tardiness can also result in ISS and removal from co-curricular activities.
Truancy
Truancy is staying out of school without your parent’s knowledge. Truancy is against the law; it is an unlawful absence. If you are truant from school, you may be required to serve an in-school suspension. Students and parents will be subject to fines up to $300.00 (Act 29, 11/17/95) and a suspension of the student's ability to apply for a driving permit.
Special Early Dismissal
If your parent would like for you to be dismissed from school before the regular time for special or urgent reasons, he or she must send a written request for such early dismissal. The written request must be presented in the main office first thing in the morning on the day of the request. You must have a special pass slip from the office before a teacher will excuse you from class. The teacher whose class is being left must sign the special pass slip. The slip must be returned to the main office before the student may leave the building. A parent wishing to pick up a student is required to meet the student in the main office, show valid picture ID and sign the student out. Only the person’s name appearing on the written request and emergency card may sign out their child. Students will not be allowed to use the phone to get permission to walk home. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Educational Trip
If you wish to take an educational trip with your family (consistent with the family trip policy which allows a maximum of five missed days per year) which requires time off from school, you must:bring a completed “Educational Trip” form to the office at least two weeks before you plan to leave (the form can be found on the school website). Teachers will be emailed dates of your absence and schoolwork will be given to you prior to your family trip. Follow up with your teachers.
- do all assignments during your trip
- hand in assignments to your teachers the day you return to school
- arrange to make up missed tests and quizzes
- unlawful absences could result in zeros for missed work and tests and citations from the district magistrate