Effective implementation of any attendance policy requires all participants to be informed and to fully understand its purpose, procedures and the consequences of noncompliance. To ensure that students, parents, teachers and administrators are notified of and understand this regulation, the following procedures shall be implemented.
A. Student Notice:
- The procedure will be included in the school's handbook on student conduct and discipline and will be reviewed at the start of the year.
- If a student is absent and/or tardy, a designated staff person will review the attendance regulation with him or her.
B. Parent/Guardian Notice:
- Parents/Guardians will receive a copy of the district attendance policy and this middle school regulation by mail prior to the beginning of the school year.
- When a student is absent, designated staff members will notify the student's parent(s) or guardian(s) and review the attendance procedures with them.
- School newsletters and publications will include periodic reminders of the components of this attendance regulation.
C. Faculty/Staff Notices:
- The district will provide a copy of the attendance policy and this regulation with an announcement letter to the faculty and staff upon its adoption.
- All faculty and staff will meet at the beginning of each school year to review the attendance policy and this regulation to clarify individual roles in its implementation.
II. Attendance Expectations and Consequences
A. Daily Attendance Procedures
- Attendance is taken daily in each class. It is essential that students be on time.
5100-R.2
5100-R.2
- Attendance data will be analyzed periodically to identify patterns or trends in student absences.
- Students reporting to school AFTER homeroom will go directly to the nurse and
sign in. Parents are expected to contact the nurse’s office in the morning if their son/daughter will be absent. If the school has not been contacted, the nurse will attempt to contact the parents/guardians of the absent student.
B. Make-Up Work
Anytime a student is absent from instruction, it is the expectation of the Middle School Instructional staff that the missed instruction will be made up through a method decided by the teacher or team. Any student who misses a class for any reason will be reminded by the teacher upon the student’s return to school of the student's responsibility to immediately contact all teachers and set plans to make up the work missed. Students will be given ten school days from their return to instruction to satisfactorily complete the make-up activity for that absence.
C. Absence Limits
When a student is tardy the teacher will hold the student accountable by:
a. counseling the student;
b. contacting the parent; or
c. ultimately referring the student to the Assistant Principal
When a student reaches 5 absences which have not been made up and when he/she reaches 10 absences in a full-year course (or when a student reaches 3 absences in a one semester course), the Assistant Principal must be notified by the teacher, who will in turn notify the parents regarding the situation.
The Assistant Principal and/or the school counselors will review with the student the impact of the incomplete work and missed instruction and class discussion on their academic achievement. Students will be reminded of the relationship between time on task and academic success.
D. Truancy/Cutting Class
Students who purposefully miss class will not be given an opportunity to make up a test, quiz or other graded classwork which occurred while they were absent. A zero will be entered into the gradebook. Periodic "hall sweeps" will be conducted to identify students who are cutting class.
5100-R.1
5100-R.1
E. Long Term Absences
A student's parent(s) or guardian(s) should make arrangements with the office for tutoring as soon as the student's physician determines that the student's illness will cause him or her to be out of school for more than 10 consecutive school days.
F. Appeal Process
All student absences are to be treated equally. Students will have the opportunity to share with an appeal Board extenuating circumstances for work not satisfactorily made up within the ten school days from their return to school. The appeal Board will consist of a building administrator, a counselor, and a faculty member. Decisions of this appeal Board may be appealed to the Middle School Principal. All communications to and from the appeal Board shall be made in writing.
Policy Adopted: January 29, 1997 Wayne Central School District
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