Attendance Policies

WHAT TO DO IF A STUDENT HAS BEEN ABSENT:

Within five days of returning to school, the student must present a written note, stating the reason for the absence, signed, and dated by the parent/guardian with a daytime phone number. All notes should be submitted to the Attendance Office. Notes submitted after five days must be approved by an Administrator. Absences are classified as excused based on the following reasons:

• Personal illness of the student.
• Medical and dental examination and/or treatment of the student when such appointments cannot be scheduled other than during school hours.
• Student participation in school-sponsored activities taking place during school hours.
• With prior approval of the principal, seniors may be excused for college admission visitations or to apply for post-graduation jobs.
• Death of immediate family member.
• Required court appearance.
• Observation of a religious holiday.
• Emergency conditions in the student’s home that require special help from the student in caring for the sick or injured; however, regular use of this excuse or requests for absences for an extended period of time should be referred to the principal or to the Student Services Department for evaluation.
• When in the judgment of the parents the roads or walkways in their neighborhood are unsafe to use.
• Approved prearranged absences. The principal uses professional judgment in making a determination based on the reasons stated in the written request for the prearranged absence. Such factors as the educational value of the proposed experience and the impact of the absence on the student’s academic progress will be given consideration in determining whether a prearranged absence is approved or disapproved.
• Reasons of extenuating circumstances to be judged by the principal/designee. Parents may appeal the principal’s judgment along the organizational line of the school system. Final appeal would be addressed to the School Board only after having exhausted all appeals at the various administrative levels.
• A reasonable effort will be made to notify by telephone the parent(s) of any pupil who fails to report to school on a regularly scheduled day and for whom no prior notice has been received.

Absences will be classified as unexcused based on the following reasons:

• All-day truancy
• Class truancy
• Disapproved prearranged absence.
• Failure to produce an appropriate explanation for an absence.

Daily absences will result in the following:

Students and the parents of students with chronic attendance issues will be referred to the Truancy Officer.

Tardy Policies:

IF A STUDENT ARRIVES AFTER 7:45 am:

School Tardies – Student arrives after 7:45 am

• Students reports to the Main Office for pass.
• Pass provided to enter classroom.

Class Tardies – If student arrives to class after tardy bell rings to being class period

• Teachers changes the student attendance from absent to tardy in the HUB before the end of the class period.

A student has five days to submit a written explanation for an excused tardy. A student is considered unexcused unless a signed excuse is brought from the parent/guardian within five days and presented to the Attendance Office for verification. Corrections are then made to students’ attendance.

Types of excused tardies are:

• Emergency situations arising from unusual weather conditions.
• All tardies from late buses.
• Attendance to a valid medical appointment.

Tardy Consequences:

STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO BE ACROSS THE DOOR THRESHHOLD WHEN THE BELL SOUNDS ARE CONSIDERED TARDY.

• 1st/2nd offense – Warning – Teacher will call home on the second offense.
• 3rd/4th offense –Student Assigned Lunch Detention (Students who are a No-Show for Lunch Detention will automatically be assigned to Extended Day without a valid excuse.)
• 5th/6th offense – Student assigned to Extended Day (Students who are a No-Show for Extended Day will automatically be placed on No-Fly List for the remainder of the school
• 7th/8th offense – Student assigned Extended Day and name added to the No-Fly List. (Students who are placed on the No-Fly list for obtaining their 7th tardy will remain on the list for the remainder of the quarter.)
• 9th offense and Above –Student assigned to Extended Day

Lunch Detention

• 9th Grade - 12th Grade students who are assigned lunch detention will attend all regularly scheduled classes for that day. For their scheduled lunch assignment, they will report to an assigned lunch detention room to eat.

Extended Day is as follows:

• 9th Grade – 12th Grade Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:15 pm to 4:15 pm. Transportation will be provided if your student lives within the Freedom High School zone. (Students who arrive to Extended Day more than 10 minutes late will be considered absent.)

Academic Intervention Services (AIS):

• Students who are assigned to AIS will not attend any of their regularly scheduled classes for that day. Instead, they will spend the entire school day in the designated AIS room and will receive instructional support from teachers for all the core subjects.

Pass Restriction List:

• Students that are on the Pass Restriction list will not be able to obtain a pass out of class, except in the event of an emergency. (Students who are placed on the Pass Restriction List due to being a No-Show for Extended Day will remain on the list for the remainder of the school year or until their Extended Day has been served.)

Extended days are as follows:

9th Grade – 12th Grade Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Cutting class is looked upon as an unexcused absence and will be treated as such. Students need to be cognizant that cutting class can put their grade in jeopardy. NO extracurricular activities can be attended the day of the extended day.

• 1st Cut – Lunch Detention, parent contacted.
• 2nd Cut – Extended day, parent contacted.
• 3rd Cut – Extended day, parent contacted.
• 4th Cut – AIS or principal’s conference with parent and student.

Class cuts are cumulative for the year and will not be reset.