ATTENDANCE POLICIES:

28. ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Compulsory student attendance is a requirement of PA School Code (the laws of the state of Pennsylvania). The Ridgway Area School District’s Board of Directors are required by law to adopt and enforce policies and procedures regarding the daily and regular attendance of school aged pupils who are enrolled in the schools of this district. It is the belief of the Board of Directors, Administration, Faculty and Staff that the educational opportunities provided to the students of RASD is predicated upon daily and regular school attendance.

Proficient and advanced student achievement and successful completion of PA Standards/RASD Goals and Assessments requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation in well planned instructional activities under the direction of highly qualified teachers. Furthermore, daily and regular school attendance is important in order for students to participate in class activities and to be exposed to the full range of knowledge and experiences necessary to successfully meet course objectives. There are many instructional activities such as demonstrations, presentations and discussions that cannot be made up. Finally the development of good attendance habits prepare students to become responsible and competent employees/post secondary students/service personnel and citizens.

Regular, daily attendance is the responsibility of both students and parents. It is essential for students and parents to know the attendance policies and procedures that are outlined in the District’s policy manual (available at http://www.ridgwayareaschooldistrict.com) and the 2006-2007 Student Handbook.

The school is responsible for your child:

1. During the instructional hours of the school day.

2. During the instructional hours of the school day on school district property

3. On school district vehicles (owned, rented, leased, or contracted)

*bus stop activity will depend on situation

4. At school district events held before, during, or after school hours and that are directly
observed and supervised by school district staff (field trips, dances, etc.)

When a student is absent from school:

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the respective main office before 8:30 am and inform them of the reason for the absence.

The student shall submit an acceptable excuse in a timely manner (3 SCHOOL DAYS AFTER THE ABSENCE). When a high school student has not submitted an excuse the day of their return, the student will be called to the main office and presented with a reminder notice, which the student is responsible for taking home to his/her parent/guardian. Excuses that are not submitted by the due date shall be recorded as an illegal absence. Acceptable excuses shall include the student’s name, the dates of the absence, the reason for the absence, and should be signed by the parent/guardian.

ACCEPTABLE	UNACCEPTABLE
- illness/quarantine	- personal business (work/hair appointment/shopping)
- recovery from an accident	- oversleeping
- death in the family	- missing the bus
- impassable roads	- car problems
- court attendance	- hunting
- educational field trips	- senior skip day***
- family education trips*	- senior pictures
- religious holidays	- general excuses****
- out of school suspension
- school sponsored activities which cannot take place after school
- permit/driver’s exam
- college visit**
- other reasons approved by the board

It is strongly recommended that when a student’s absence results from a medical appointment/court appointment that the parent/student secures the medical/court appointment excuse, from a physician, attorney, etc., at the time of the appointment.

*Family education trips: Special permission to take an extended (2-4 days) trip during the school year must be requested to the principal in advance (at least 5 school days) of the trip. Special permission to take an extended (5 days or longer) trip during the school year must be requested to the School Board in advance (at least 30 days) of the trip. The student must turn into the respective main office an excuse from the parent requesting the leave, at least five school days prior to the trip. The student will be given a Vacation Release Form from the main office, which must be signed by all teachers, the student, and the parent. The student is responsible for returning the signed form to the respective main office prior to the trip. The principal will sign the completed form when the student’s records (attendance, disciplinary and academic) have been reviewed. Students who have a history of attendance issues, discipline issues, and/or who are in academic jeopardy may not receive approval from the respective building administrator to take an extended “family education trip”. Administratively approved “family education trips” of 2-4 days shall be recorded as excused/acceptable absences. The middle/high school administration shall approve one “family education trip” per student per year. High school students are required to submit a written essay regarding their trips. The guidelines for the essays will be distributed to the student at the time of the vacation request. The essays are due back to the principal the day the student returns from the trip. Family education trips that are not approved by the principal or School Board may result in the student’s absence being recorded as illegal.

**College Visits: College visits are acceptable absences for students during their junior/senior year of high school. The principal shall excuse college visits on a case by case basis.

***Skip Days: Skip days are not condoned by the administration and should be strongly discouraged by parents/guardians. When the administration is made aware of skip day activities, the local authorities shall be notified. With your cooperation we may prevent a tragedy from occurring.

****General Excuses: When an excuse is submitted with a general reason such as “out of town”, “an appointment”, “family emergency”, etc., the building principal/attendance secretary will be contacting the parent/guardian to gain further explanation and information.

· Students are responsible for getting the assignments that they missed from their teachers.

Homework will not be collected until the student has missed 2 consecutive school days.

· Routine Medical Appointments:

-Make every effort to schedule routine medical appointments after school hours.

-If required to make appointments during the school hours, please do so at a time that will have the

least impact on your schedule.

-For urgent appointments, you will be excused in accordance with travel time and the time of

your appointment. For example if you have an appointment in Ridgway at 10:00 am, your are

expected to report to school, be excused at 9:45 am and you are expected to return to school

following your appointment, unless a doctor specifies otherwise.

-The high school administration does verify doctor’s appointments.

Early Release:

-Early releases from school should be for urgent reasons such as medical appointments, court

appointments, etc. To be excused early, the student must submit to the main office a written note

from his/her parent/guardian that indicates the reason for the early dismissal, the time, the date,

and be signed by the parent/guardian.

When a student is late to school:

Regular daily attendance habits are as important as students arriving to school on time. Chronic tardiness can be construed as a form of truancy. Truancy is a violation of Public School Code relating to compulsory school attendance.

Students may be considered EXCUSED LATE under the following circumstances: illness, accident, emergency situation, medical, dental, health related appointments, court appearances etc. All other excuses shall be deemed as illegal.

Tardy To/Truant From School: Being tardy/truant from school results when a student arrives to school late. There are three levels of being tardy to/truant from school.

Level I (Tardy to Homeroom) is when a student arrives late to school during homeroom (High School 7:45-7:55 am). The student should report to homeroom and will be recorded as late. The student will earn a discipline referral equivalent to 1 strike, “tardy to homeroom”.

Level II (Truant from School) is when a student arrives after homeroom at 7:56 am and before 11:00 am. Students who are truant to school should report to the office and get a blue slip. Based on the note the student submits, the office will determine whether the student’s truancy from school is excused or unexcused. Such circumstances as oversleeping, missing transportation, non emergency situations will be considered unexcused. Student who are late and unexcused will earn a discipline referral equivalent to two strikes, “truant from school”. The student will receive a 2% grade reduction for each class missed, which will be deducted from their final nine weeks grade.

Level III (Truant from School) is when a student arrives to school after 11:00 am. Students who are truant after 11:00 am should report to the office and get a blue slip. Based on the note the student submits, the office will determine whether the student’s truancy from school is excused or unexcused. Such circumstances as oversleeping, missing transportation, non emergency situations will be considered unexcused. Students who arrive late after 11:00 am will be marked absent for ½ day of school and the ½ day absence will be counted as either maroon or white. Students who arrive late after 1:00 pm will be considered absent for a whole day of school. Students who are late and unexcused earn a discipline referral equivalent to three strikes, “multiple same day truancies from class”. The student will receive a 2% grade reduction for each class missed, which will be deducted from their final nine weeks grade.

Truant From Class/Lunch: The student is five or more minutes late to class or lunch without an excuse or pass. Students who are truant to class or lunch receive a discipline referral for 2 strikes and 2% points from their final nine weeks grade (pertains to the class that they were truant for).

Truancy Prevention Program

The purpose of the Truancy Prevention Program is to encourage regular attendance at school and to reduce the number of truant students in the school district. The Program will attempt to prevent truancy by identifying students who have four (4) or more illegal absences, have six (6) or more unexcused absences, or have displayed a pattern of questionable absences (as determined by the school district), and/or have displayed a pattern of truancy. An illegal absence shall include absence of a day, a class, or any part of a class for the purpose of this Program.

Once a student is identified as a potential truancy problem the student will be listed as a member of the “target group”. The Probation Department will be notified by the school district. A probation officer will call the parents to investigate the problem of irregular attendance and offer assistance through the Program.

If the parents agree to participate in the Program they will be offered services which may include a meeting with probation and school officials, notification of future absences, or other services offered at the school. If the student who is enrolled in the program continues to have illegal, unexcused, or questionable absences, a probation officer and designated school official will visit the student’s home to offer further assistance and escort the student to school when possible.

Common attendance issues and what the notices mean: (It should be noted that these notices are automatically generated by Prosoft in an effort to assist the District with meeting the compulsory attendance laws of Pennsylvania, School Code and School Board Policy. The attendance officer shall mail one copy of the letter registered and one copy of the letter regular mail. According to the local magistrate, this provides the parents/guardians with sufficient notice regarding their child’s attendance circumstances and it clearly indicates that the school district has made reasonable effort to notify the parent/guardian. )

Three Day Illegal Absence Notice: The District is required by law to issue such a notice to the parents of students of compulsory school age (under 17 years of age), when the student has been illegally absent (“I”- has not submitted an acceptable excuse) from school for three days (the three days may be consecutive or nonconsecutive). In the event that the student receives one additional illegal absence and every illegal absence thereafter a criminal complaint is lodged with the magistrate without further notice and a copy of the letter will be sent to the Probation Department (School Code of Pennsylvania sections 1326-1338). To avoid the issuance of such a notice, students should attend school on a daily and regular basis and if absent the student must submit acceptable excuses in a timely manner (within three days of the absence).
Six Day Unexcused Absence Notice: The district issues such a notice to the parents of students who are enrolled at RHS but who are no longer of compulsory school age (17 years of age to 21 years of age), when the student 17 years of age or older has been unexcused (“U” – has not submitted an acceptable excuse) from school for six days (the six days may be consecutive or nonconsecutive). Because Board Policy requires students who are 17 years of age or older to attend school, the School Board attendance policy addresses the regular school attendance of students who are no longer of compulsory school age. Attendance Procedures for students 17 years of age and over:

-7^th unexcused absence: student is referred to Principal; parents are

contacted and a course of action is determined.

-8^th unexcused absence: student is referred to Guidance

-9^th unexcused absence: student is referred to Principal

-10^th unexcused absence: student may be asked to withdraw; be referred to Alternative Education; be
recommended to the school board for expulsion

To avoid the issuance of such a notice and the subsequent consequence of poor attendance, students should attend school on a daily and regular basis and if absent the student must submit acceptable excuses in a timely manner (within three days of the absence).

15 Day Absence Notice (All students enrolled in the District’s schools): The District is required by law to issue such a notice to the parents of students of compulsory school age (under 17 years of age) and the parents of students who are no longer of compulsory school age (17 years of age and older), when the student has been absent (excused or unexcused) from school for a total of fifteen days on two or more occasions. This notice requires that a parent notify the principal’s office if there are valid reasons for the number of absences and a signed statement from a physician confirming that due to a medical condition the student’s frequent absences will be greater than those of a student without similar medical conditions. A signed statement from a physician DOES NOT relieve a parent/student from submitting an acceptable excuse for each absence. If a doctor’s statement or other acceptable evidence is not presented, future absences will be classified as illegal. SEE THREE DAY ILLEGAL ABSENCE NOTICE.
85% Attendance: All students, in order to receive credits for course work, must be in attendance for 85% of the instructional time during each nine week grading period. The teacher’s class roll book serves as the official class attendance record for the student. Students who are absent from school are counted as absent on a period by period basis.

Students are permitted to be legally absent (provided that acceptable excuses are submitted) for three maroon days or three white days during a nine week grading period without penalty. When a student’s absences on maroon or white days reach four or more he/she is required to submit a medical excuse for the fourth maroon or white day absence and each subsequent maroon or white day absence. Medical excuses must be submitted within three days of the absence.

Students who are absent on four or more maroon days or whites days and who have not submitted a medical excuse shall receive a grade of no higher than a 60%. A medical excuse for the fourth or more maroon day or white day absence must be provided prior to the report cards being issued in order to prevent academic failure. Medical excuses will not be accepted for the nine weeks, after the issuance of report cards. For example, medical excuses will not be accepted during the second nine weeks for the first nine weeks to retroactively change grades. This is the maximum number of absences permitted during a grading period to prevent academic failure. This should not be confused with the 15 days absence notice per school year or the three day illegal notice.

Appeal Procedures: Students who have attendance issues relating to 3 day illegal notice, 15 day absence, and/or 85% attendance may file a written appeal to the School Attendance Committee. The attendance committee is comprised of two teachers, one from the middle school and one from the high school, a counselor and a school principal. Students who are absent for more than 15% of the instructional day and/or periods in a subject matter area may file a written appeal to the School Attendance Committee for credit and/or exemption from the 85% attendance rule due to extraordinary circumstances.