Spanish Fork High School Attendance Policy & Procedures For 2005-2006

Philosophy of the SFHS Attendance Guidelines

Attendance is a significant factor affecting student achievement in school. Opportunities for success during and beyond school are also directly affected by a student’s attitude toward attendance in high school. In order to afford students the opportunity to be academically successful and responsible citizens, SFHS expects students to be in class, prepared, and on time each day.

The objectives of the Spanish Fork High School Attendance Policy are to: 1) Provide students with successful learning experiences in each class; 2) Teach responsible behavior by encouraging students to be accountable for their attendance; 3) Support parent efforts in promotion of student attendance, and 4) Provide a safe, effective, and uninterrupted learning environment for each student.

SFHS supports state and district attendance policies which call for fairness and provide flexibility and accountability on the part of students, parents, and the school. SFHS believes school attendance is a student-parent-school responsibility which involves all three entities in order to resolve attendance concerns prior to referring attendance problems to the district or juvenile court systems. High attendance expectations have been shown to improve academic achievement, graduation rates, responsibility, respect, school climate, and school safety. Students who demonstrate excessive attendance problems (as defined by school, district, and state policy) will be subject to actions that could result in having credit(s) withheld from their high school transcript.

Absences

Students may occasionally need to be absent for illness, emergencies, etc. In such cases, students may be excused but are responsible to make up any work missed. Students have the responsibility to arrange with their teachers for make-up work. Parents/guardians are advised not to check students out of school for anything other than emergencies, as a student’s academics can be significantly affected as a result. If a student is truant, the student forfeits the right to earn credit on any assignments, tests, or quizzes on or due the day of the truancy.

SFHS has set standards for class attendance based on research, district and state guidelines and policies that have proven to improve success in high school. On the ninth absence (parent excused or unexcused) in any single class each trimester, a student will need to make-up time in attendance school (one hour per absence over eight (8) or appeal to the principal in order to receive credit in the class. All unexcused absences are considered truancies unless cleared by: 1) a parent/guardian prior to the end of the term; or 2) the appropriate make-up time (one hour per truancy) is made up in attendance school. Parents are required to excuse an absence by calling the attendance office, within a 1 week period following the unexcused absence. After 1 week, the absence must be cleared by an administrator. Failure to clear unexcused absences will result in a loss of credit for the class regardless of a passing grade.

Tardies

Punctuality is an important life skill and tardiness is extremely disruptive to the educational process. A student is considered tardy if he or she in not in the classroom when the tardy bell rings. A student who is more than fifteen (15) minutes late will be marked (Late Tardy). Entering the classroom more than 30 minutes late will be considered an absence. After three tardies in each class, a student must attend one half an hour of attendance school to make-up each tardy over three. If a student fails to make-up tardies, credit will be lost in any class with four (4) or more outstanding tardies.

Attendance School

Once a student has received an NC (No Credit) in a class, the student may make up time in Attendance School to have the NC removed. A student must attend Attendance School for one (1) hour per absence per class, one half an hour (1/2) per tardy per class, and one and one half hour (1 1/2) per class per truancy or unexcused absence. Lost credit, not made up by the end of the term will stand as final. Attendance School starts at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, free of charge. Students are advised to arrive five minutes early as latecomers will not be allowed in. An additional session will be held on Thursdays and Friday at 6:30 a.m. at a pre-paid cost of $3.00 (used to off-set the costs of running the sessions). Students who attend sessions on fee days, but who have not paid in advance, will be charged $5.00 at the finance office. All fees must be paid prior to students receiving credit for attending the Attendance School. Attendance School will meet in the Cafeteria. In order to attend Attendance School, a student must bring homework or a book to read. No music, cell phones, games, sleeping, or talking is permitted. Violators will be asked to leave and will not be given credit for attending the make-up session regardless of the time of removal. If agreed upon between a student and a teacher in the class that they are in violation, the student may make up time with the teacher before or after school. This could allow the student to receive specific information that they missed in class because of excessive absences. Students can also make up time in the various classroom labs offered after school.

Attendance Appeals Process

After accumulating nine (9) absences or four (4) tardies in one class in a trimester, students and parents may appeal in writing to the principal. Appeals should provide details as to why absences/tardies should not count against a student’s attendance. Appeals are reserved for unusual and/or uncontrollable attendance problems (i.e., medically verifiable illness, etc.) Students who have nine or more absences or four or more tardies in a class will be expected to attend Attendance School or lose credit. The waiving of absences is rare. Appeals must be submitted to the principal no later than one week prior to the last day of a trimester. An appeals committee will meet as required throughout the trimester. Appeal forms are available in the attendance office.

Checking on Student Attendance

Student attendance and grades can be checked at home or work over the internet at the Nebo School District Web Site at www.nebo.edu. Go to the parent section, and click on “SIS Student/Parent”. To access the information you will need the student’s I.D. number and password. If you do not know your student’s information, you may contact a Spanish Fork High School Administrator, Counselor, or the Attendance Office.

Excusing/Reporting Absences and Tardies

Parents may excuse absences and tardies by sending a note or calling the attendance office at 798-4070 between 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. An excused absence clears a student from truancy, however, it does not remove the absence from attendance records. Absences should be cleared by the end of each trimester. When calling to excuse an absence or 1st period tardy, please provide a phone number where a parent can be reached if necessary to verify information. When clearing an absence or tardy with a note, parents should include the date of the absence/tardy, the date and time (if student is checking in during or after first period) the note was written, specific class periods missed (if not for an entire day), and a phone number where a parent can be reached. Fraudulent excusing of absences and tardies by students will result in school discipline.

Other

• School excused absences (field trips, extracurricular activities) do not count against attendance.
• An NC does not count against a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA)
• An NC is treated as an F for participation in extracurricular activities.
• A parent excused absence does not remove the absence.

Attendance Concern Attendance Make-up

A. Truancy or un-excused absence in any class One and one half (1.1/2) hours per truancy

B. More than eight (8) absences in any class each trimester One (1) hour per absence

C. More than three (3) tardies in any class each trimester One half (1/ 2) hour per tardy.