ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES

ABSENCES
Regular attendance at school is vitally important to each student as it directly affects his/her progress academically and the development of positive work habits and attitudes.  There is a direct correlation between student attendance and success or failure.  The purpose of attendance requirements is to maintain academic standards for earning credit. Attendance records are an important part of each student's permanent file.  While keeping records of student attendance is a school function, the primary responsibility of insuring regular attendance at school rests with the parent and the student.

In the event of a prolonged absence because of illness, parents should call the principal's office and arrangements will be made to have work completed at home.

VACATIONS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR – FAMILY TRIPS

A family trip is when a parent or guardian considers it necessary and the student is accompanied by the parent or guardian.  All family trips must be prearranged by completeing a “trip form” signed by all of the student’s teachers.  The form must be returned to the Prinicapl’s Office before leaving on a trip.  It is necessary to have a parent or guardian contact the office beforehand to inform the school of the trip.  A total of five school days will be excused and not counted towards the cap of eight allowed.  All family trips must be approved by the administration in advance for the days not to count against the student’s total of eight.

PERSISTENT ABSENCE OR TARDINESS

Attendance laws require students to be in school all day or have a legitimate excuse.  It is important to establish consistent attendance habits in order to succeed in school and in the world-of-work.  Excessive absences will be reported to the Houghton County truant officer for any student under the age of 16.

REPORTING OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

We are required by the Health Department to report any occurrence of a communicable disease.  Please report to the school office or your child's teacher all cases of the following:

• Chicken Pox
• Flu
• Head Lice
• Foot and Mouth
• Measles
• German measles (rubella) 
• Mumps
• Hepatitis
• Scarlet Fever
• Strep Throat
• Scabies
• Whooping Cough
• Encephalitis
• Meningitis
• Pin Worm
• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)

Please do not send your child back to school without a note explaining absence.  Listed below are certain diseases with some suggestions as to how long the student should be kept out of school. These guidelines are certainly not meant to conflict with any suggested period of confinement prescribed by any physician who may see a child for a given disease.  These are listed for those cases for which there are no complications.

It is equally important to remember that these times are listed as days out of school after the disease has been diagnosed.  It is equally or more important to keep children who are becoming ill from attending school.  Very frequently many of the diseases listed below are more contagious during the period when the child is developing the disease than after he has developed the full case of the disease.  It is the feeling of the health department that children with colds or other respiratory diseases should not be in school where they can transmit this disease to other children.

Disease -- Number of days suggested out of school

• German measles -- Until rash disappears, usually 2-4 days
• Red measles -- Until rash disappears, usually 5-7 days
• Chickenpox -- Until scabs start to fall off, usually 5-7 days
• Scarlet fever -- Until rash is gone and child has been okayed by physician. (Contacts of scarlet fever who receive medication should stay out of school at least 24 hrs. after receiving medicine at which time they are usually not contagious.)
• Mumps -- While swelling lasts, usually 4-9 days
• Strep throat -- 7 days for untreated case; can be 2-3 days if treated with antibiotics and okayed by physician
• Pink Eye -- 24 hours after beginning medication or doctor's recommendation
• Pin Worms -- Doctor's recommendation

It is hoped that this information will provide some guidelines for parents in the handling of absences of communicable disease in the schools.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are expected to be in attendance on a daily basis.  Your attendance records become part of your permanent records.  The following policy applies to all students, regardless of age.

There are three basic types of absences:

1. Excused absences are those approved by your parent or guardian, such as for an illness and family vacation.  To approve an absence, your parent/guardian must either call the school on the day of the absence or the student must bring in a note the morning following the absence.  If a note is not received by the office on the first day a student returns the student will be issued an unexcused absence.  A note will be accepted the next day. After the second day if a note is not brought in, the absence will be considered unexcused.

Obtain a prearranged absence form if you know of an upcoming event that you will be absent for.  This form is available in the principal’s office, the prearranged absence form allows your teachers to know when you are expected to be absent and allows them to provide assignments to you that will assist you in making up missed content. An excused absence allows the student to make up all work missed during the absence and to receive full credit for that work.  It is the student's responsibility to get all assignments and to make up all work within the time equal to the time missed.

Each trimester, a student will be allowed eight (8) absences in any class.  It is the student’s responsibility to request make up work from the teacher and to complete and turn the work in to their teachers in a timely manner.  

*On a student’s ninth (9th) absence, the student will be required to achieve at least a C on the final exam to have his/her grade calculated for the trimester.  If the student does not attain a C grade on the exam, the student will receive no credit for the course.  

Redemption clause for excused absences:  A student can avoid the requirement to achieve at least a letter grade of a C on the final exam by making up time during a Saturday School session.  This option is available to students who have more than eight (8) absences but not more than ten (10) absences.  One Saturday School session will count for one day of makeup time.  Failure to attend the required number of Saturday School sessions will result in the student being required to achieve at least a letter grade of a C on the trimester exam.  Students will have the opportunity to make up (2) absences by attending two of the three offered Saturday Schools.

Any student with more than eight (8) absences will be required to achieve at least a C on the final trimester exam if they fail to make up time during Saturday School.  If the student does not attain a letter grade of a C on the trimester exam, the student will not earn credit for the course affected.

Extenuating circumstances may be taken into consideration for such things as extended illness or injury which would then require a written explanation from the doctor explaining the reasons for the absence and the specific dates that the student could not attend school.

Attendance Review Committee:

At any time, a student, parent or staff member may request that an attendance review committee be formed to intervene on a student’s behalf. This may occur whenever there is concern that a student’s lack of attendance is affecting her/his academic performance or there is the possibility of loss of credit due to a student’s failure to make up absences.  The purpose of the Attendance Review Committee is to review the student absentee record and submit a recommendation to the administrator who serves as the Committee’s chairperson.  The make up of this committee will include, at a minimum, an administrator and counselor; in addition, the committee may include teacher(s) of the class(es) in question, and/or relevant, contact people from outside agencies such as probate court.  Request for an Attendance Review Committee may be made through the main office.

1. Unexcused absences will be issued for the following reasons.

• Absences not excused by the parent or guardian.
• Any time you leave the building for appointments or you are feeling ill you must get permission from the office before you leave.  If you leave the building during the school day without permission from the office, you will be considered unexcused for that time. This includes leaving school without permission during lunch time and not returning to school for afternoon classes.  
• If you are in the building but fail to report to class, you will be considered unexcused for that class.
• If you are more than ten minutes late for a class without a valid pass, it will be counted as an unexcused absence.  
• A student must be in class a minimum of 67 minutes to be considered present.

1. Sanctioned absences are those when you are not in a class because you are participating in an authorized school activity or function. A sanctioned absence from class is available only for school-sponsored activities.  There is no penalty for sanctioned absences and is not counted toward the eight (8) allowable absences per trimester.

TARDY POLICY

In order for classes to begin on time and use the full period of instruction, all students are expected to be in their scheduled classes on time.  A tardy is when the student is not present in the room when the bell rings to start class.  Students are permitted to have two tardies per marking period before any disciplinary action is taken.

*The first three tardies in a class will be handled by the classroom teacher.  On the fourth tardy and any additional tardies the student will receive a noon detention for that day or the next day.  Noon detentions will be held by teachers in their classroom on a rotating basis.  If a student does not attend an assigned noon detention further disciplinary action will be taken.  If a student demonstrates persistent tardiness, additional disciplinary measures may be handed down which may include morning detentions, Saturday School and possible suspensions.

If a teacher detains a student or is the cause of the student being late for the next class the teacher will issue a pass to that student and no tardy will be noted.

PASSES

Students leaving a class session must possess a pass from a teacher, counselor, or administrator.  

The student must return to their assigned class to sign in before the end of the hour unless prior permission was received.  Students are not to be in places other than the destination stated on the pass.  Passes to leave a class should be given only for emergencies and are subject to the approval of the classroom teacher.  Students not following the proper procedures will lose pass privileges.