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STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND EXCUSES (File: JH)

One criterion of a student’s success in school is regular and punctual attendance.

Frequent absences may lead to poor academic work, lack of social development, and possible academic failure. Regular attendance is of utmost importance for school interest, social adjustment, and scholastic achievement. No single factor may interfere with a student’s progress more quickly than frequent tardiness or absence.

According to state law, it is the obligation of every parent/guardian to ensure that every child under his/her care and supervision receives adequate education and training and, if of compulsory attendance age, attends school.

Each year the Board establishes the school attendance period by adopting a school calendar. Students are expected to be in attendance in accordance with the district adopted calendar.

Parents/guardians will be expected to take the responsibility for determining whether it is safe to send their child to school due to severe weather.

Continuity in the learning process and social adaptation is seriously disrupted by excessive absences. In most situations, the work missed cannot be made up adequately. Students who have good attendance generally achieve higher grades, enjoy school more, and are more employable after leaving school. For at least these reasons, the Falcon School District 49, El Paso County, Colorado

Board believes that a student must satisfy two basic requirements in order to earn full class credit: 1) satisfy all academic requirements, and 2) exhibit good attendance habits as stated in this policy.

Excused Absences

The following shall be considered excused absences:

1. Absences because of temporary illness or injury.

2. A student who is absent for an extended period due to physical, mental, or emotional disability.

3. A student who is pursuing a work-study program under the supervision of the school.

4. A student who is attending any school-sponsored activity or activities of an educational nature with advance approval by the administration.

5. Absences by those who are in the custody of court /law enforcement authorities.

6. Those determined by school administration to be excusable, such as doctor’s appointments or juvenile court appearances.

The district may require suitable proof regarding the above exceptions, including written statements from medical sources and agencies.

Unexcused Absences

An unexcused absence is defined as an absence that is not covered by one of the foregoing exceptions. Each unexcused absence shall be entered on the student’s record. The parents/guardians of the student receiving an unexcused absence will be notified orally or in writing by the district of the unexcused absence whenever possible.

In accordance with the law, the district may impose academic penalties which relate directly to classes missed while unexcused. The administration shall develop regulations to implement appropriate penalties. Student and parents/guardians may petition the Board of Education for exceptions to this policy or the accompanying regulations provided that no exception shall be sustained if the student fails to abide by all requirements imposed by the Board as conditions for granting any such exception.

After an accumulation of 4 unexcused absences, secondary students will be placed on an attendance contract that will include parent input when possible. Students earning more than 4 unexcused absences per month or 10 unexcused absences during any school year may be referred for truancy. Elementary and middle students may be considered for retention.

Any student who has been absent from class for 6 consecutive weeks or more in any one school year, except for reasons of expulsion, excused long term illness, death, is considered a “dropout” and shall be reported to the Department of Education by the school district. However, if the student is in attendance at the end of the school year, or enrolled in another school, home study course, or on-line program, such student is not considered a dropout and shall not be reported.

Make-Up Work

Make-up work shall be provided for any class in which a student has an excused absence unless otherwise determined by the building administrator. It is the responsibility of the student to pick up any make-up assignments permitted on the day returning to class. There shall be 2 days allowed for make-up work for each day of absence.

Make-up work shall be allowed following an unexcused absence with the goal of providing the student an opportunity to keep up with the class and an incentive to attend school. However, this work will receive only partial credit, which is the consequence for an unexcused absence.

Tardiness

Tardiness is defined as the appearance of a student without proper excuse after the scheduled time that a class begins. Because of the disruptive nature of tardiness and the detrimental effect upon the rights of the non-tardy student to uninterrupted learning, penalties shall be imposed for excessive tardiness. Parents/guardians shall be notified of all penalties regarding tardiness.

In an unavoidable situation, a student detained by another teacher or administrator shall not be considered tardy provided that the teacher or administrator gives the student a pass to enter his next class. Teachers shall honor passes presented in accordance with this policy.

TRUANCY (File: JHB)

If a student is absent without a signed parental excuse or if the student leaves school or a class without permission of the teacher or administrator in charge, the student shall be considered truant. A “habitual truant” shall be defined as a student of compulsory attendance age who has four unexcused occurrences of absences during any school year. Absences due to suspension or expulsion shall not be counted in the total of unexcused absences.

In order to reduce the incidents of truancy, parents of all students shall be notified in writing at the beginning of each school year of their obligation to ensure that all children of compulsory attendance age attend school. Parents shall be required to acknowledge in writing awareness of their obligations and to furnish the school with a telephone number or other means of contacting them during the school day.

The school shall establish a system of monitoring individual unexcused absences. When a student fails to report on a regularly scheduled school day and school personnel have received no indication that the parent/guardian is aware of the absence, school personnel or volunteers under the direction of school personnel shall make a reasonable effort to notify the parent/guardian by telephone.

When a student is declared habitually truant, the school shall require a meeting between the student’s parent/guardian and appropriate school personnel to review and evaluate the reasons for the student being habitually truant. Such meeting shall be held not later than 10 school days after the student’s fourth unexcused absence.

Penalties

A student shall be given notification of his/her first truancy offense. The student may be subject to disciplinary action which includes a three-day in-school detention or he may be suspended from school for three days. Additional truancies shall be grounds for detention, suspension, and/or expulsion.

No credit shall be permitted for any student for any class or portion of a class during which time the student was truant.