ATTENDANCE POLICY

ATTENDANCE

The Board of Education, Administration, and Faculty of Blue Valley believe that regular attendance is an important contributing factor to academic success.

The Board of Education, Administration, and Faculty of Blue Valley believe that regular attendance is a right, not an imposition, and therefore require regular and punctual attendance of students.

Students need to fulfill assigned requirements as scheduled and know that make-up work cannot take the place of being in the classroom during the discussion of the lesson.


ABSENCES

Parents should make every effort to ensure regular attendance.

Parents must notify the school attendance center by telephone between 7:30 am and 9:00 am if their child/ren will be absent, and state the nature of the absence, if not the absence will be considered unexcused.

Three consecutive unexcused or any five unexcused absences during a semester shall be handled as truancy and must be reported to the County Attorney's office.

After the fourth absence per quarter in the same class parents will be notified by letter. On the sixth absence per quarter in the same class parents will be requested to come in for a conference to review the student's attendance history and classroom performance.


MAKE-UP WORK

Make-up work will be provided for students in cases of excused absences.

Students will be allowed one day to make up work for every day missed up to a maximum of five days during an excused absence.


PLANNED ABSENCES

If a student knows of an anticipated absence(s) that will require them to miss more than one period he/she must report to the office to have their planner stamped "Prior" for personal absences only.

Since the planned absence is secured prior to the absence, the collection of future work is the responsibility of the student and parents. Each teacher has their own policy for turning in work. It is the student's responsibility to complete and turn all work in on time.

No planned absence will be excused during finals (first and second semesters).


SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

No priors are required.

Students are required to make arrangements with individual teachers for turning in assignments.


EXCUSED ABSENCES

The principal has the final authority to determine whether individual absences are excused or unexcused.

If a student is absent from school, he/she must report to the office immediately upon their return with a written note from his/her parent or legal guardian and have their planner stamped excused or unexcused.

This planner will serve as a permit for the student to return to class and must be presented to the teacher at the beginning of the period. It is the student's responsibility to present the planner to the teacher and see that all work is made up.

If a student fails to present their planner when returning to class, that absence shall be considered unexcused by the teacher.

Examples of excused absences:

  • Doctor's appointments

  • Illness (extended absences of 5 or more days require a doctor's note)

  • Funerals

  • Family Vacations (one week prior notification from parents with administrator and teacher approval)


UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

If a student has an unexcused absence or fails to get a planned absence when required, the student will receive a zero for all class periods missed.

Examples of unexcused absences:

  • Oversleeping

  • Missing your ride

  • Reocurring car trouble

  • Shopping

  • Paying fines

  • Errands

  • No notification of absence by 9:00 am the day of the absence

  • Others the administrator may deem unexcused.


NO CREDIT

A student will not receive credit for a class if they have been gone from that class twenty days (ten days per semester) of unexcused absences.

An appeal may be made. Areview committee consisting of a principal, a teacher, and a board member will consider the appeal. They will give their recommendation to the Board of Education for a final decision.


TRUANCY

Each building principal is designated as the respective school truancy officer to report cases of truancy to the County Attorney's Office.

A child is truant if:

  • The student is subject to the compulsory attendance law but is not enrolled in a public or private school.

  • The student is subject to the compulsory attendance law and has unexcused absences for either three consecutive days or five or more days in any semester.

LEAVING SCHOOL

Students may only leave school grounds when permission is granted by the principal and parents are notified.

TARDIES

If a student is tardy to school, they must immediately report to the office and request a tardy permit. This admit will be marked excused or unexcused depending on the reason for the tardy.

If a student is late to class, they must immediately report to that class. All tardies will be recorded in the grade book. Each teacher will handle the situation to ensure students are in class on time.

Students with three or more tardies during any quarter will be required to serve detention after school to make up the lost time.