Attendance

(Complete copies are available in any school office)

Description of Strategies to Meet Objectives

The School District will:

a.      Establish and maintain a positive school building culture by fostering a positive physical and psychological environment where the presence of strong adult role models encourages respectful and nurturing interactions between adult role models and students. This positive school culture is aimed at encouraging a high level of student bonding to the school which in turn should lead to increased attendance.

b.      Maintain accurate recordkeeping via a Register of Attendance to record attendance, absence, tardiness, or early departure of each student.

c.      Develop early intervention strategies to improve school attendance for all students.

Determination of Excused and Unexcused Absences, Tardiness, and Early Departures

Based upon our District’s education and community needs, values, and priorities, the School District has determined that absences, tardiness, and early departures will be considered excused or unexcused according to the following standards:

a.      Excused: An absence, tardiness, or early departure may be excused if due to personal illness, illness or death in the family, impassable roads due to inclement weather, religious observance, quarantine, required court appearances, attendance at health clinics, approved college visits, approved work programs, military obligations, or other such reasons as may be approved by the Board of Education. Excuses must be received within five school days to be considered an excused absence.

b.      Unexcused: An absence, tardiness, or early departure is considered unexcused if the reason for the lack of attendance does not fall into the above categories (e.g., family vacation, shopping, hunting, babysitting, hair cut, obtaining learner’s permit, road test, oversleeping, tanning appointment, working, fishing).

Notice of Students who are Absent, Tardy, or Depart Early Without Proper Excuse

A designated staff member shall notify by telephone the parent/person in parental relation to a student who is absent or departs early without proper excuse. The staff member shall explain the District’s Comprehensive Student Attendance Policy, the District/building-level intervention procedures, and, if appropriate, the relationship between student attendance and course credit. If the parent/person in parental relation cannot be reached by telephone or answering machine, the staff member will provide such notification by mail. Tardies to school without proper excuse will be reported to parents by mail.

On the 10th absence or multiple thereof, or at any time deemed necessary by appropriate school officials, or if requested by the parent/person in parental relation, a school conference shall be scheduled in order to address the student’s attendance. The student may also be requested to attend this conference in order to address appropriate intervention strategies that best meet the needs of the student.

Student Attendance/Course Credit (Grades 9-12 only)

The District believes that classroom participation is related to and affects a student’s performance and grasp of the subject matter and, as such, is properly reflected in a student’s final grade. For purposes of this policy, classroom participation means that a student is in class and prepared to work.

Consequently, for each marking period a certain percentage of a student’s final grade will be based on classroom participation as well as the student’s performance on homework, tests, papers, projects, etc. as determined by the building administrator and/or classroom teacher.

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Consistent with the importance of classroom participation, unexcused student absences, tardiness, and early departures will affect a student’s grade, including credit for classroom participation, for the marking period.

Transfer students and students re-enrolling after having dropped out will be expected to attend a prorated minimum number of the scheduled class meetings during their time of enrollment.

Students will be considered in attendance if the student is:

a.      physically present in the classroom or working under the direction of the classroom teacher during the class scheduled meeting time (65 minutes out of 90 minute class); or

b.      working pursuant to an approved independent study program; or

c.      receiving approved alternate instruction.

Students who are absent from class due to their participation in a school-sponsored activity are to arrange with their teachers to make up any work missed within two days or receive a zero for missed work. Attendance at school-sponsored events where instruction is substantially equivalent to the instruction which was missed shall be counted as the equivalent of regular attendance in class.

Students absent from class for an educational reason (i.e. instrumental music lessons, field trip, etc.) will not be considered absent from class. All classwork must be made up. (The principal shall determine which school activities will not count as an absence for loss of credit.) Arrangements must be made in advance for make-up work.

Students absent from class will receive a zero for work missed. Work must be made up within two school days. When work is not made up, the zero will stand as the grade.

Upon returning to school following a properly excused absence, tardiness, or early departure, it shall be the responsibility of the student to consult with his/her teacher(s) regarding arrangements to make up missed work, assignments, and/or tests in accordance with the time schedule specified by the teacher.

To ensure due process, the implementation of this general attendance policy will be as follows:

(a)   After the 2nd absence in a half-credit course and the 5th absence in a full credit course, the teacher will notifiy the student of Paragraph c (below).

(b)   After the 4th absence in a half-credit course and the 8th absence in a full credit course, the teach will speak to the student, telephone and send a letter home to the parent, and notify the principal.

(c)   On the 7th absence in a half-credit course and the 14th absence in a full credit course, the student will be denied credit for the course. Once a student is denied course credit the student must remain in class and be in good standing in order for the principal to approve summer school. The principal has the final say in placement of the student.

Note--Challenging a Course: Students challenging a course are exempt from the denial of course credit section of this policy.

Disciplinary Consequences

Unexcused absences, tardiness, or early departures will result in disciplinary sanctions as described in the District’s Code of Conduct. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, school suspension, detention, and denial of participation in interscholastic and extracurricular activities. Parents/persons in parental relation will be notified by District personnel at periodic intervals to discuss their child’s absences, tardiness, or early departures and the importance of class attendance and appropriate interventions. Individual buildings/graded levels will address procedures to implement the notification process to the parent/person in parental relation.

Athletes’ Attendance Rule

On the day of an athletic contest, a student must be in school by 11:30 am in order to participate in the event. On the day after an athletic contest the athlete must attend school. If the athlete does not attend school the day after the contest, the athlete will be ineligible for the next contest. Only legal absences (doctor’s excuse) and tardies will be accepted as proof for next contest eligibility.

The following statement defines the Red Creek Central School District’s rules, regulations, and policies as they pertain to a student’s eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities.

Students in Grades 9-12 may be declared ineligible for participation in extracur- ricular activities for failing one or more subjects (Incomplete and Unsatisfactory are considered failing grades). Extracurricular activities are those recognized as athletic or noncredit bearing. This includes interscholastic athletics, clubs, intramurals, class and school- sanctioned activities, i.e., dances, school plays, and sporting events.

Students and parents are strongly encouraged to carefully review the Parent/Student Handbook for further details of the policy and procedures.