High School Attendance Policy
Attendance Policy
Students who have good attendance achieve high grades, enjoy school more and are much more attractive to prospective employers after leaving high school. In fact, many employers consider good attendance to be as important as good grades and the Missouri State Department of Education is encouraging employers to check on this before hiring people. Frequent absences from regular classroom learning experience disrupt the continuity of the instructional process for everyone.
1. The benefit of regular classroom instruction is lost and cannot be entirely regained, even by extra instruction or make-up work.
2. Make-up work takes teacher time that would otherwise be spent with regular instruction thereby cheating other students of learning opportunities.
Admit Slips And Daily Absences
1. There Will Be No Excused Absences…
Just Absences
2. The parent/guardian is asked to notify the school by phone by 10 a.m. if their student will not be in attendance during the school day. The student must obtain an admit slip from the principal’s office before being admitted to class. These slips should be picked up as soon as the student arrives at school. If a student is late to class because they are getting an admit slip it will usually result in an unexcused tardy. It is the students’ responsibility to see that each teacher whose class they have missed signs the admit slip. A student who misses five days consecutively without contacting the school will automatically be dropped from the attendance roll and reported to the State Department of Education as a dropout. A student will only be allowed to re-enter once without Board approval.
Make-up Work
Except for special cases approved by the Principal, the amount of time allowed for making up work missed during absences will be the same as the amount of time missed. A student will be required to take tests scheduled and announced prior to a period of absence on the day he or she returns to school. Tests scheduled and announced during a student’s absence will be treated the same as other make-up assignments.
Students must assume the initiative in asking for make-up assignments and seeing that they are completed within the allotted time. Should the student fail to contact the teacher(s) and make arrangements for work missed or fail to make up missed assignments in the allotted time, a percentage grade of zero shall be recorded by the teacher(s) and the teacher(s) shall be absolved of any responsibility for the student’s negligence in this matter. Teachers may request that the student stay after school to do make-up work since doing it during the regular day can cause the teacher to neglect regular classroom instruction.
Semester Absences
Six (6) Semester Limit
1. Students that are absent more than the six (6) days per semester will receive no credit for each class in which they are absent more than the 6 days per semester. Students that do not qualify for professionally approved exemptions listed below may be dropped from the rolls of Blue Eye R-V School.
Exceptions To Six (6) Day Limit
The following absences will be subtracted from the 6-day limit.
1. WRITTEN verification (must include date of visit and signature of physician or dentist) that the student was under their care and excused from school.
2. If an immediate family member was hospitalized, written verification from the hospital that the student was present will meet the exemption.
3. Required attendance at a legal proceeding, written verification from a judge or court officer including date of proceedings and official signature will meet exemption.
4. All other absences will be considered unexcused.
Written Notices Given
1. On the 3rd and 5th absence, a letter will be sent home notifying the parent/guardian of the student’s absences.
2. After the 6th unexcused absence, an appeals letter will be sent to the parent/guardian informing them of appeals procedures. If a 7th unexcused absence, the building SRO will report the truancy to the Stone County Prosecutors office.
Students who go over the policy only by a few class periods will be required to make up the missed seat time after school before being eligible for extra-curricular activities and school events including dances.
Attendance- at school is mandatory. Know the difference between tired and not feeling well and sick. You have 6 days per semester. Anything over that you will be on a contract to get credit back. If you fall below 90% attendance for the year you will have to attend summer school to regain credit.
Appeals Procedure
No attendance policy can cover all circumstances. Therefore, an appeals process is necessary for extenuating circumstances. Students who exceed the maximum number of absences have the option of appearing with their parents/guardians before the Absentee Review Board consisting of the building principal, counselor, one board member and two teachers. The Review Board will consider the reasons for the excess absences and decide whether a special exemption is warranted.