Regular school attendance is essential to learning. It is important for you to be prompt for all your classes. Successful students are seldom absent or tardy. Students must attend school if they wish to participate in after school or evening activities.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES: Success at school requires regular and punctual attendance. School doors open each day at 8:25 a.m. and instruction begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. Parents/guardians are required to have their child/children at school regularly and punctually except in the case of illness, disability, or death in the family.

Reporting Absences: When it is necessary for a child to be absent from school, the parent or guardian is required to call school before 8:30 a.m. to report the absence. Please leave the following information when reporting an absence:

a. Name of the person leaving the message;
b. Relationship to the child;
c. Child’s name;
d. Reason for the absence.

• If the school does not receive a parent/guardian phone call, state law requires the school to contact the parent/guardian to verify the absence.


• DO NOT send notes to school following an absence, only a phone call is required.


• The school strongly discourages absences from school for vacations or trips during school attendance days. However, if your child will be out of school for any extended length of time (two or more days), please call the school office with this information prior to the actual dates of absence. (Providing assignments in advance for students may not always be possible.)

Tardiness: Any student who arrives in the building after 8:30 a.m. is tardy and must sign in at the school office. Tardy students who enter door 5 off Oak Center Drive will be issued a late slip, asked to report immediately to their first period class, and the tardy documented in the main office by school personnel. Being tardy to school has a serious detrimental effect on a child’s academic achievement. It is also a disruption to the learning environment for other students who have arrived on time and are already prepared in the classroom. Students tardy to school will not be allowed any make-up privileges for missed work and will be subject to disciplinary action.

Early Dismissals/Late Arrivals: The school encourages each student to remain in regular attendance for a full day. If a child must leave school early or arrive late due to medical appointments please provide a signed parent/guardian or physicians note indicating arrival and/or departure times. Parents/guardians must enter the school office to pick-up/drop-off a student and sign him/her out of the building. Students will only be released to parents, guardians, or individuals designated in writing by the custodial parent/guardian. Parents/Guardians will be required to show a picture ID before any student is released from our care.

After School Hours: Students may not re-enter the school building or loiter on school grounds after normal school hours. If a child forgets materials at school we require a parent/guardian to sign-in in the main office, escort their child to their locker, and sign-out upon leaving the building.

Arrival and Dismissal PROCEDURES: As a rule, students are not allowed to enter the building before 8:25 a.m. Students who are involved in before school activities or have the approval from a teacher or activity sponsor will be allowed entry before 8:25 a.m. School dismisses at 3:20 p.m., or at 11:30 a.m. on scheduled early dismissal days. Students are required to exit the building at the appropriate locations in an orderly fashion. Students walking home must walk directly home following the safest route and crossing streets at corner stops. Students riding a bus must walk directly to their assigned bus, board and follow the school expectations regarding proper bus behavior. Students involved in after school activities must report immediately to their activity sponsor or coach. School rules and regulations apply to students at all times and all places when traveling to and/or from school.

ADDITIONAL ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Truancy

A truant is defined as a child who is absent without valid cause. A chronic truant is defined as one who is absent without valid cause for 10% or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days (weekends and holidays do not count in this 180 day period). When it is determined that a child is truant, the parents or guardians are informed of their legal responsibilities, and the school will take appropriate disciplinary action.

Vacations

We strongly encourage families to take vacations during school non-attendance times. In the event your child will be absent from school due to a vacation, please contact your child’s teachers as soon as possible to make arrangements regarding missed assignments. Upon return to school students will be expected to submit all missed course work and receive information on any other missing assignments.

Teachers are not expected to re-teach material missed during a student’s time away from school. We consider the time spent in the classroom essential to the overall educational experience. While we understand that there are occasions students must miss school due to family obligations, we ask that you help us in our mission to emphasize the value of education by making sure your child’s absence from school is kept to a minimum.