Absences are either excused or unexcused. Students are considered excused for the first 10 days of absences by bringing a signed and dated note from his parent/legal guardian stating an acceptable reason for his/her absence. Two half-day absences are considered a full day's absence in this calculation.
The 11th day and all subsequent day's absences will be considered unexcused unless excused by a licensed physician. School work cannot be made up if the absence is unexcused. According to the Ohio State Code, absences from school are excusable and work can be made up for the following reasons:
1. Personal Illness
2. Illness in the family
3. Quarantine of the home
4. Death of a relative
5. Observation of a religious holiday
6. College, military or career Day
7. Delegate to a conference
8. Needed at home to perform necessary work directly
and exclusively for parents or legal guardians (applies to students over 14
years of age only)
9. Court appearance with court documentation only (parent note will not
be accepted)
All other absences approved by building principal in advance may be considered.
The following are considered unacceptable excuses:
1. Shopping trips, paying bills, babysitting, working.
2. Hair, Nail, Tanning bed appointments.
3. Missing the bus.
4. Hunting trips.
5. Vacations.
6. Drivers License appointments or classes
7. Other reasons not meeting the criteria
listed under excused absences.
Once a student has accumulated 5 unexcused days absent, his parents will receive a notice from the county attendance officer. The notice will advise the parents concerning compulsory school attendance laws and serve warning regarding the Scioto County Truancy Procedures.
After 10 days unexcused absence, the county attendance officer will notify Juvenile Court of the offense and will continue making contact with the parents and child to appear for a hearing before the court Officer or shall notify the parent by mail of the consequences of continued truancy.
After the accumulation of 15 days of unexcused absence, the attendance officer will be directed by the principal to file a complaint in Juvenile Court. Unruly charges will be filed against the parents.
The child and parent will then be required to appear before Juvenile Court for a hearing and further judicial proceedings.
Consequences of such action against the student may include his being assigned a probation officer for supervision. Charges filed against the parent could result in a fine or other more serious consequences.
Absence Procedure
Parents/Guardians are required to telephone the school office if their son or daughter is unable to attend school. The call should be made on/or before 9:30 am the day of the absence. Phone number- 820-3445.
ATTENDANCE - COURSE CREDIT
The loss of instructional time is the important issue in determining whether a student will receive credit for a class. Test scores may reflect a passing grade but the student could still fail to receive credit due to the loss of instructional time caused by excessive absence.
To receive credit for a full year class, students must not miss more than 30 periods of classroom instruction. (Excused or unexcused)
To receive credit for a semester class, students must not miss more than 15 periods of classroom instruction. (Excused or unexcused)
Any student must be present in class for a minimum of 26 minutes of instructional time to be considered present for that class period.
Any 18 year old who accumulates 35 days of absence will be automatically expelled from school.
OBTAINING AN ADMIT TO CLASS AFTER AN ABSENCE
The absentee upon returning to school is required to bring a note from his/her
parents stating the reason for the absence. The note should be brought
to the principals office to obtain an excused/unexcused
slip. This slip is to be presented to each teacher that day.
Any student that does not provide a valid excuse for his/her absence must still obtain an absence slip. If a valid excuse is presented on the following day, the absence will be changed to excused; however, one day of grace is all that is given. An absence of over three days duration must be excused by a doctor's statement.
An absence which is not judged excused is a serious offense. Truancy is considered an unexcused absence. Since truancy is a violation of Ohio State Law, it will be punished according to the building disciplinary code. This may result in detention, suspension, Saturday school, or referral to juvenile court. A student who received an excused absence slip will receive an incomplete in the grade book until the work has been completed to the satisfaction of the teacher involved. Generally, the amount of time given to make up work will be equal to the length of time missed. Work missed due to an unexcused absence will not be allowed to be made up.
Tardiness
A student will be counted as tardy if they arrive between 7:35 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Students who are tardy should report to the office immediately upon arrival. After 3 tardies per six weeks discipline will be administered at the discretion of the administration. Discipline will be administered on a gradual progression.
1/2 Day Absences
When a student reports to school after 8:30 a.m. but before 11:00 a.m. he/she will be counted 1/2 day absences. If a student obtains an early dismissal and leaves school after 11:00 a.m. he/she will be counted 1/2 day absences.
Full Day Absence
When a student fails to report to school before 11:00 a.m. he/she will be counted as a full day absent. When a student obtains an early dismissal and leaves school before 11:00 a.m. he/she will be counted as a full day absent.
Early Dismissal
To obtain an early dismissal a student must bring a written note signed by the parent/guardian with a telephone number of where the parent can be reached the day before the early dismissal is to take place. In an emergency, parents/guardians may pick up the student without prior written notice. A release will be signed by the parent. An 18 year-old will follow the same policy. When receiving the pass to leave, the student is responsible for presenting the pass to those teachers whose classes will be missed. These absences will be excused/unexcused as with regular absences from school. Excusable absences are like the ones mentioned above under attendance. Unacceptable excuses include shopping trips, needed at home (except for emergencies), hunting trips, babysitting, leaving early to get clothes for practice after school, leaving early to eat or get ready for an after school function, etc.
COLLEGE, MILITARY, CAREER DAY REQUEST
College, military and career day request forms must be obtained from the guidance counselor at least 5 days prior to the visit. A senior is permitted three (3) visits. A junior may be permitted one (1) visit. The form must be signed by the parent and college admissions office and returned to the high school office the following morning. No visits will be allowed if a student has missed more than ten days of excused and/or unexcused absences.
ANTICIPATED ABSENCE
If some family responsibility or necessary absence from school is forseen, parents should contact the school prior to the absence. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the individual teachers and secure assignments ahead of time, not after the fact. Such absences are unexcused and makeup work is at the discretion of the individual teachers. Students are to notify the office and fill out the appropriate form at least one week in advance of the proposed absence.
Last updated:
Tuesday, September 27, 2005 1:56 PM