ATTENDANCE JB

ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL

The Hamblen County Board of Education recognizes that absenteeism is a hindrance to the efficient education of students. Realizing that punctuality and regularity of attendance is necessary for progress of a student at school, the board has adopted the following attendance policy. The parents, guardians, or other persons having charge and control of a child are held responsible for the child’s school attendance.

ATTENDANCE/TARDINESS/EARLY DISMISSAL

Our intent is to clearly establish teaching and learning tasks as the priority activity in Hamblen County Schools. This emphasis will mean that class interruptions must be limited only to emergencies. Any outside interference with the continuous progress of teaching and learning will be considered an interruption. Emergencies exist when conditions arise that make it impossible or impractical to delay class interruptions until the next change of classes.

Furthermore, in order for students to benefit from the strong emphasis on instruction, they must attend class regularly and be on time. Please review the attendance policy below.

I. Sign-out Procedures

A. Elementary school students are to be checked out by the parent or guardian through the school office.

B. Middle School

1. Middle school students will not be allowed to sign out unless a parent or guardian comes personally to the school office to sign them out.

2. Parents should take note of the times during which students may be dismissed for nonemergencies. Those times are during the change of classes or at the student’s lunch period.

3. Students who are to leave with anyone other than a parent or guardian must have a signed note from the parent.

C. High School

All students will be allowed to sign out under the following conditions:

1. The parent or guardian may come to the office to sign the student out. Parents should take note of the times during which students may be dismissed for nonemergencies. Those times are during the change of classes or at the student’s lunch period.

2. Parents must call the main office prior to the time that a student is to leave.

3. A note signed by a parent or guardian must be sent to the office with the following information on that note: a. Student’s name

b. Grade level

c. Phone number where parent can be reached so that the school official can confirm that the student has parental permission to leave school. ALL REQUESTS MUST BE VERIFIED. IF THE PARENT/GUARDIAN CANNOT BE REACHED, THE STUDENT WILL NOT BE GIVEN PERMISSION TO SIGN OUT EARLY. If students and parents will use this procedure, we can avoid both unnecessary class interruptions and parents having to wait on a student.

4. Students who are 18 years old or older must also have parental permission to leave school.

II. Excused and Unexcused Absences

A. Absences, Grades K-5. Absences will be classified as either excused or unexcused as determined by the principal or his designee in charge of attendance. When a student is absent, the school will be contacted by the parent/guardian. Upon return to school the student must present a note signed by the parent/guardian. (Notes should be valid in the judgment of the principal or his designee.)

A student is excused for the day or days absent, but not from the responsibility for the material covered in class. It is therefore the responsibility of the student, not the teacher, for make up work in all subject matter covered during his/her absence.

Absences will be excused for:

1. Personal illness (Parent/guardian signed note will be accepted for seven days for each semester; after seven days a physician’s statement will be required.)

2. Death in the immediate family (Such absences should not exceed three days.)

3. Illness of parent/guardian requiring temporary help (A physician’s statement will be required.)

4. Recognized religious holidays

5. Court summons (Only time actually in court will be excused.)

6. Doctor or dentist appointment (A medical statement will be required.)

7. Parent/guardian request for absences, a maximum of five full days per year (Thereafter, dismissals by parent/guardian request will be unexcused.)

8. Absences approved by the principal (If, after consulting with the parent/guardian, the principal agrees that the absence is legitimate, the absence may be excused.)

Absences for any reason other than those listed above will be unexcused.

B. Absences, Grades 6-8. Absences for Grades 6-8 will be classified as either “excused” or “unexcused as determined by the principal or his designee in charge of attendance. When a student is absent the school will be contacted by the parent/guardian. Upon return to school it is the responsibility of the student to present a note signed by the parent/guardian in order to receive an excused absence for day(s) out of school.

A student is excused for the day(s) absent, but not from the responsibility of the work assigned or completed during the days absent. It is the responsibility of the student, not the teacher, for make-up work in all subject matter covered during the absence.

Absences will be excused for:

1. Personal illness (parent/guardian note will be accepted for five days each semester; after five days a physician’s statement will be required to receive an excused absence)

2. Death in the immediate family (should not exceed three days)

3. Illness of parent/guardian, requiring student to be absent (written note from parent/guardian required))

4. Recognized religious holidays

5. Court summons (actual time in court only)

6. Doctor/dentist appointment (medical proof required)

7. Out of town trip (counted as part of five excused days allowed each semester)

8. Church-related trip

9. Hardship absence approved by principal (family vacations are discouraged during the regular school year)

C. Absences, Grades 9-12

1. Excused Absences. Following are listed the absences which are excused. An excused absence means that a student’s absence was lawful, that he/she had a legitimate reason, according to the laws and regulations of the attendance policy, for missing school. However, even though an absence is excused, it may still be used to deny credit in a course.

a. Illness with doctor’s excuse

b. Illness with parent’s excuse(5 parent notes/call-ins for each 90-day term)

c. Death in family

d. Religious holiday

e. Medical/dental appointments

f. Court appointments

g. Absence approved by principal

2. Unexcused Absences. Following are listed the absences which are unexcused, along with the code letter which will be used in processing the absence. Unexcused absences are those which are not considered appropriate absences under the attendance laws and policies. Most of these absences are also unlawful. (Those absences marked with a “u” are, with some exception, always unlawful.) Unlawful absences may result in the student being denied credit due to excessive absences. IMPORTANT: Unlawful absences may also result in placement in an alternate learning program (ALP), out-of-school suspension (OSS), or referral to the juvenile court for judicial enforcement of the attendance laws.

a. Truancy (u)

b. Cutting class (u)

c. Out of town

d. No excuse submitted (u)

e. Out-of-school suspension

f. Not checking out in office (u)

g. Missed the bus*

h. Trouble with auto*

i. Unexcused tardy

j. Check in (unexcused

k. Check out (unexcused)

l. Day missed due to enrolling after first day of school (u)

m. Absent with parent’s permission (in some cases may be “u”)

n. Not checking in at office (u)

*These are unexcused because bus transportation is provided.

III. Excused and Unexcused Tardies

(Students are considered tardy if they arrive in the classroom after the bell rings.)

A. Excused tardies

1. Late bus

2. Illness with doctor’s note

3. Death in family

4. Religious holiday

5. Medical/dental appointment

6. Court appointment

7. Principal approval

B. Unexcused tardies (Grades K-5)

Tardy # 3 Parent contact by mail

Tardy # 6 Loss of perfect attendance status

Tardy #10 Parent contact by attendance teacher

Tardy #15 Referral to juvenile court

C. Unexcused tardies (Grades 6-12)

Students who are tardy to first period will receive two warnings before penalties are assessed. Additional tardies for first period and all tardies for other periods will be assessed as follows:

Tardy #1 One hour detention

Tardy #2 Two hour detention

Tardy #3 Three hour detention (parent contact required)

Tardy #4 One day placement in ALP (parent contact required)

Tardy #5 Two days placement in ALP (parent conference required)

Tardy #6 Student will be subject to further ALP placements, office referrals, and/or juvenile court

IV. Absences, Make-up, and Student Grading

A student will be considered present if the student is present at least 26 minutes of a middle school class period or at least 70 minutes of a high school class period. Any high school student who has a passing average, no more than two excused absences, no ALP, no OSS, no unexcused absences, no unexcused tardies, and no Alternative School placement during the nine weeks will have two points added to the nine weeks average in which they meet the previously stated criteria.

Any assignments missed due to any absence should be made up as quickly as possible. This will make the assignment most beneficial as it is completed in its proper context and scope. Further, it is most helpful to the teacher in making assessment of student progress. The number of days missed is the number of days the student will be given to complete the assignment. For example, a student who misses Monday and Tuesday and returns Wednesday will turn in the work due on Monday and Tuesday at the beginning of a class on Friday. Failure of a student to turn in assignments within these guidelines will result in zeros being recorded for the missed assignments. These zeros cannot be waived in figuring a student’s final grade and will count as much as the assignments would have counted. An exception to this is that a student on suspension must have missed assignments ready to turn in upon their return to class. Any high school student who is proven to be truant from a class or for the school day is not eligible to make up missed assignments or tests. Missed high school term exams may be made up only with a doctor’s excuse or prior approval of the principal.

Students with a minimum average of 50 will be permitted to make up all work due to absences, with the exception of truancy. Make-up work will be graded as late work and will reflect the grade of 70/D.

Students who participate in recognized school functions or events are not to be counted absent, but they are responsible for work missed under the above guidelines of the make up policy.

Middle school students must follow these guidelines for make up work:

1. All work made up for grades must fall within the excused/unexcused absence guidelines.

2. All excused absences with a parent note, up to five each semester, will be honored at full credit for all completed work turned in by the student.

3. Physician statement absences will be honored as excused absences, with make up work honored at full credit.

4. All make up connected with an unexcused absence will be given to the student upon request from the student, but will be graded as late work and will not be graded with full credit.

5. Students will have one day for each day missed (up to three days) to pick up their missed work, complete it, and turn it in to the teacher for a grade.

6. Students who will be out of school for more than three days must make arrangements to have work picked up at school.

7. Students leaving school before the end of the school day will be required to bring in any previously assigned work to the teacher before leaving or the work will be considered late work and graded according to late work guidelines.

A middle school student who follows these guidelines in turning assignments may have that absence waived for promotion purposes.

At the end of each term, all high school students will take all exams.

High school students who have a passing average, two excused absenes or less, no ISS no OSS, no unexcused tardies, and no alternative school placement during the term will receive two points to be aded onto their term average.

V. Student Responsibility

It is the student’s responsibility to periodically check with teachers concerning his/her absences. Students are encouraged to keep record of their absences. Any error or discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the teacher immediately. The teacher’s attendance record is the official record for consideration of credit or for determining perfect attendance. If a student is told by a teacher that he/she has lost credit due to excessive absences, he/she should obtain from that teacher a list of the days missed.

A. Excessive absences of students in Grades K-5 may limit progress to the point that promotion is questionable. If parents choose to appeal this decision, a written request must be made to the School Attendance Committee.

B. Middle school students cannot receive credit for a class if they miss more than 10 days per semester within a school year regardless of the grade received. However, a class absence can be waived for grading purposes if missed assignments are turned in within the guidelines listed in Section IV (JB, pg. 4 of 9).

C. High school student absences

1. Students who have five absences in a class will be sent a letter informing the parents of the absences. Students who have more than 10 absences in a class per term will not receive credit for the class. If students transfer from one class to another class, their attendance will follow the students.

2. Students who have more than 10 absences in a term may submit a written request to the school attendance review committee for an appeal. The only absences that will be waived are those with medical excuses that have not been altered in any way or those due to death in the immediate family. (Immediate family members include parents, brothers, sisters, and grandparents.)

3. If dissatisfied with the decision of the school attendance review committee, the student and parent(s) or guardian(s) may, within five days, make a written request for an appeal to the Hamblen County Attendance Review Committee (HCARC) (approved by the board of education annually in August). Options of the HCARC are:

(a) Referral to counseling and/or intervention programs if the absences are not due to extenuating or hardship circumstances

(b) Expulsion of the student for the remainder of the term, with loss of all credit

(c) Waiver of the absences due to hardship or extenuating circumstances

4. ALP, OSS, or school functions are not counted toward the daily absentee count.

5. Students who have five or more unexcused absences within a 90-day term may be petitioned to juvenile court.

VI. Procedures for Unexcused Absences

A. Parents of elementary students will be notified by letter or phone when their child receives the third unexcused absence. Pupil Personnel Department staff will contact parents after the fourth unexcused absence. A student will be petitioned to juvenile court or face other disciplinary action after the fifth unexcused absence. Students with excessive absences may be referred to the HCARC (previous Section V.3.) at the discretion of the principal.

B. A middle school student may face disciplinary action for any unexcused absence and will be petitioned to juvenile court or face other disciplinary action after the fifth unexcused absence. Students with excessive absences may be referred to the HCARC (previous Section V.3.) at the discretion of the principal.

C. Any student 15 years of age or older who becomes academically deficient or deficient in attendance will be reported to the Tennessee Department of Safety for driver’s license revocation. A student will be deemed academically deficient if he/she has not received passing grades in at least two full unit subjects or their equivalency at the end of the grading term. A student will be deemed deficient in attendance when he/she drops out of school or has 10 consecutive or 15 days total unexcused absences during a single term. Suspensions will be considered unexcused absences. A copy of the notice sent to the Tennessee Department of Safety by the attendance teacher or the superintendent will also be mailed to the student’s parent or guardian.[1]

VII. Excessive Absences of Students 18 Years of Age

Although these students are no longer compelled to abide by the Compulsory School Attendance law, students who have reached the age of 18 will be in regular attendance. Students who are 18 years of age or older and whose attendance will prevent them from receiving credit will be referred to the HCARC.

VIII. Marketing/Co-op Work Attendance Requirement

All marketing/co-op students are required to be employed in order to be eligible for early school release. Failure to report dismissal or termination of employment within five school days will result in loss of work experience credit. The student must report back to school within five school days for appropriate placement.

IX. Attendance Accounting Policy - General Information

The purpose of this attendance policy is to provide a uniform method of attendance accounting in Hamblen County and to assist in ensuring accuracy and equity among schools, particularly as it relates to the distribution of funds for educational purposes.

A. A school year for instructional purposes will consist of nine attendance periods of 20 days each of classroom instruction for a total of 180 days. Any school system may schedule more than 180 days of classroom instruction if it so desires, but in such case the ninth attendance period will be the period extended.[2]

B. Attendance accounting will begin with the first day of the scheduled 180 days and will continue each day throughout the school year. Only three abbreviated days will be allowed as full time attendance of the 180 days of instruction as follows:

1. The first day in which students report to school of the 180 days of classroom instruction

2. The last day of school prior to the Thanksgiving holiday

3. The last day of school of the 180 days of classroom instruction[3]

C. The actual time that pupils are required to be in school will be at least 7 hours.

D. A pupil in Grades K-12 who is in attendance a major portion of the state required minimum school day (3 hours and 31 minutes for Grades 1-12) will be counted as being in full time equivalent average daily attendance for that day. A student who is in attendance less than 3 hours and 31 minutes will not be counted in attendance for any portion of that day.

E. For students in Grades 9-12 determined to be in attendance, the FTEADA will be calculated and reported on a prorated basis for general education (academic) and comprehensive vocational programs based upon the time the student spends in the respective programs. For example, students may participate in 1, 2, or 3 hour vocational blocks and will be counted as: 1 hour = 1/6 FTEADA; 2 hours = 2/6 FTEADA; 3 hours = 3/6 FTEADA. The remaining portion of the day if in attendance will be counted as general education (academic).[4]

F. Make-up Days: A maximum of 13 days may be missed for snow before any make-up is scheduled.

G. “A school sponsored activity” must be school planned, school directed, and staff supervised. Mass exodus or early dismissal or late arrival of all students or any segment of students will not be permitted for any reason except for emergencies such as inclement weather or other unavoidable situations, unless instructional time is made up in full.[5]

H. Truancy or unexcused absence is defined as an absence for an entire school day, a major portion of the school day, or the major portion of any class or activity during the school day for which the student is scheduled.[6]

I. Students’ attendance records will be given the same level of confidentiality as other student records. Authorized school officials for legitimate educational purpose only may have access to student information without the consent of the student or parent/guardian.[7]

J. With approval of the State Commissioner of Education, the Board will determine annually whether or not to use flexible scheduling for kindergarten students.

K. Interviews with pupils by persons other than professional staff of Hamblen County Schools must have the approval of the school principal/designee and the pupils’ parents. If such interviews are conducted by officers of the law or representatives of the Department of Human Services, they must have prior approval of the principal, and the student will have the right to refuse to talk to these persons while at school.

X. Attendance Supervisor’s Attendance Responsibilities

The attendance supervisor will oversee the entire attendance program, which will include:

A. All accounting and reporting procedures and their dissemination

B. Alternative program option for students who severely fail to meet minimum attendance requirements

C. Ensuring that all school age children attend school

XI. Principal’s Attendance Responsibilities

The principal will be responsible for ensuring that:

A. Attendance is checked and reported daily for each class

B. Daily absentee sheets contain sign in/sigh out data indicating students’ presence or absence for the major portion of the day