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Students - Academics - Attendance
Attendance Policy
What to Do When You're Absent:
It is the parent or guardian's responsibility to call the school attendance hotline if their son or daughter will be absent.
Between 5 P.M. and 8:30 A.M. call 542-8604
All other hours, call the attendance office at 542-8504, ext. 3001
Students who have attendance problems will likely be put on an attendance contract at the beginning of the semester. If that agreement is broken, the student could be expelled.
After the 10th unexcused absence or tardy, the principal may send a completed referral packet to the Deputy Superintendent who will forward that to Child Protective Services (CPS).
Referral documentation includes:
Evidence that the school has communicated attendance concerns to the parents
An academic impact statement including grades and performance concerns
Attendance records
The student attendance policy formulated by Board of School Trustees firmly places the responsibility for regular school attendance on the student and his or her parent or legal guardian.
When absenteeism noticeably affects a student's academic or personal success or is in violation of either school board policy or state law, the school shall take such action as deemed appropriate: counsel with students and parents, require written statements from parents or guardians, suspend student, or initiate legal proceedings against students and parents.
It is the parent or guardian's responsibility to call the school attendance hotline (542-8504 between 5 P.M. and 8:30 A.M.) or the attendance office (ext. 3001) or notify the attendance office in person of the reason for the absence either in advance or before 8:30 A.M. The school reserves the right to determine if an absence is excused or unexcused.
All students are expected to attend school regularly and to be on time for classes in order to derive maximum benefits from the instructional program and to develop habits of punctuality, self-discipline, and responsibility. Much more is taught in classes than can be included in examinations. The responsibility for regular school attendance rests with the students and their parents or legal guardian.
In addition, a student who misses more than five minutes of a class is considered absent from that class for the day unless the student has an admittance pass signed by a teacher, counselor, or administrator. An early dismissal may vount as an absence if a student misses over five minutes of class. Such an absence may be unexcused and will count toward the excessive absence limits for that class.
Family vacations are not considered legitimate reasons for missing school, and may or may not be considered an excused absence from school, especially at quarter or semester breaks when exams are given. A planned absence form does exist for students to use to notify teachers that an extended absence will be taking place. It is not an excused absence from school. The school reserves the right to determine if an absence is excused or unexcused.
Students may jeopardize grade and attendance records by absence from school even if the absence is excused or exempt.
Absences may be designated as unexcused, excused, planned, and exempt. Unexcused absences are those which do not qualify as excused. Upon receiving a request for excused absence, the New Albany Floyd County Schools may designate absences due to illness, death in the family, medical or dental appointments, and other "highly extenuating circumstances" as "excused." Absences which the family schedules ahead of time may be designated "excused" only if this request form is completed, and the assistant principal designates the absence as excused.
Excused absences do count toward the allowable limit of eight absences per semester. However, unlike unexcused absences, students may make up missed work with no penalty. (Work missed during unexcused absences, such as those incurred when truant or suspended, may not be made up, and teachers will record zeroes in their grade books.)
Make-up work counted toward a student's grade in a class will be allowed only for excused absences.
Following an unplanned excused absence, students wishing to make up work must ask the teacher for such make-up work within two days after returning to school. They will be given one calendar day for each day of absence to complete the make-up work.
When an assignment made prior to an excused absence is due on the first day of that absence, students are expected to complete and turn in the assignment on the day they return to school. Tests assigned prior to an absence will be administered immediately upon a student's return to school unless other arrangements are made with the teacher prior to the student's return to school.
Before a planned absence, students must request homework assignments and complete the Request for Planned Absence form.
After a planned absence, a student must turn in homework upon return to school. Any tests that were missed need to be made up within one week of the return to school. The scheduling of such make-up tests is up to the classroom teacher.
Some absences incurred as part of classroom or other education-oriented activities may be designated as "exempt." Exempt absences are the only ones that do not count toward the eight-absence limit. For example, juniors may be granted one and seniors may be granted two exempt absences per year for visits to college campuses. Visits to local campuses are considered excused, not exempt. Of course, missed work must still be made up.
Religious retreats are also not exempt absences for attendance records. Such retreats may be counted as excused absences which count toward the eight day limit.
Perfect attendance awards are granted to students who have a perfect attendance record for the school year and request recognition.
Some out-of-school student activities will not count as absences. Service as a page in the state legislature, field trips, some college visitations and service at an election are activities that meet the perfect attendance restrictions (I.C. 20-33-2-14 through 20-33-2-17) and are considered exempt from the attendance policy.
Religious retreats are not exempt absences for purposes of perfect attendance. Students may not miss more than four periods of school for the year to qualify for perfect attendance. Reporting more than five minutes late to school counts as one of these periods.
Vacations, medical appointments, funerals, weddings, or reunions count against perfect attendance.
Requests to release students from school prior to 2:26 create a disruption to the learning environment. Excused early dismissals are those dismissals that are verified in writing by a medical professional, counselor, etc…or those dismissals approved by the building principal for extenuating circumstances. If a student has to leave school at any time during the school day, the following procedures are to be followed:
1. A note from the parent or guardian is to be brought to the attendance office on the day of the early dismissal request before 7:35 a.m. It should contain the student’s name and grade, reason for early dismissal, and time for early dismissal.
The student’s name and time leaving school will be placed on the day’s attendance sheet under early dismissals. This is to keep teachers informed of the whereabouts of the student.
At time for dismissal, the student is to sign out in the senior high attendance office where he or she will receive a permit to leave school form.
After receiving the form the student must leave the building within five minutes.
The student must return the form to the attendance office when he or she returns to school.
Any student who misses over five minutes of class for an early dismissal will be considered absent.
Anytime a student misses any portion of the school day (early dismissal, tardy, appointments during the day) the student will be marked tardy for accurate record-keeping. If the period of time exceeds on half of the student day, the student will be marked half-day absent.
If a student is less than five minutes late to school, he or she is to report to class. If more than five minutes late, the student should sign in at the senior high attendance office and receive a late arrival pass before proceeding to class.
A student who misses more than five minutes of a class period is considered absent from that class for that day unless the student has a pass. Such an absence will be unexcused and will count toward the excessive absence limits for that class.
Students who drive to school and are tardy to school may have their driving privileges revoked. When a student is tardy for the fourth time, driving privileges will be revoked for one week.
If more than five minutes late to a class, the student may be considered truant. Under some circumstances, student may be counted both truant and absent. The school is the final authority on truancy.
This policy is effective for a nine week period. After nine weeks, the policy starts again. If a student is tardy to class, the procedure is as follows:
• 1st: Recorded
• 2nd: Recorded
• 3rd: Detention assigned by classroom teacher. Detention must be served within one week
• If the detention is not served, an SAL is assigned and the parent is contacted.
• 4th: 2 days detention or on day SAL if detention is not served within a week
• 5th: one day SAL
• 6th: 3 days detention or OSS if not served within a week tardies to first period
TARDIES TO FIRST PERIOD
All tardies to first period are counted the same - no matter if the student is 2 minutes late or 2 hours late. This policy is in effect for a nine week period. After nine weeks, the policy starts again. If a student is tardy to class, the procedure is as follows:
• 1st tardy: recorded by office and/or teacher.
• 2nd tardy: recorded by office and/or teacher.
• 3rd tardy: 1 hour detention assigned by teacher and/or office (if detention is not served, the student
will receive an in school suspension and lose his or her driving privileges for one week).
• 4th tardy: 2 days detention. If student does not serve detention after one week, he or she will be assigned SAL and lose driving privileges for 2 weeks)
• 5th tardy: one day SAL and loss of driving for 3 weeks
• 6th tardy: 3 days of detention after school. If detention is not served then 1 day Out of School
suspension will be assigned by office and driving privileges suspended for the 4 weeks and student will be placed on a discipline contract
• 7th tardy: 2-3 days Out of School Suspension or possible expulsion
There are situations where a tardy could be waived. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following
• doctor's appointment with doctor’s statement
• court statement
• traffic accident that can be verified by a police officer
• family emergency that is called in by the parent or guardian
*If a student drives to school while under a driving suspension from school, he or she will be suspended out of school.
TARDY TO SCHOOL DEFINITION/SIGNING IN LATE PROCEDURE
• Students who arrive at school after 7:45 are to report to the office to obtain a pass that will permit them to the classroom. The tardy will be documented in the office.
• Students arriving late to first period between 7:40 and 7:44 are to report to first period. The first period teacher will record the tardy.
• Excused tardies are those that are verified in writing by a medical professional, counselor or those that have been approved by the building principal due to extenuating circumstances.
This is a school year policy. Truancy involving skipping one or two classes during a school day and carries the following consequences:
1st Offense 1 hour detention or four demerits for each period missed.
2nd Offense Same
3rd Offense Assigned 1 day of SAL (Parent conference)
4th Offense Assigned 1 day SAL.
5th Offense Assigned 2 days SAL.
6th Offense Assigned 1 day OSS and a Parent Conference, Student is placed on a probationary contract.
7th Offense As required by probationary contract
This is a school year policy, and does not reset at any time during the school year. Truancy involving skipping the entire day or a half day of classes carries the following consequences:
1st Offense Assigned 1 day SAL for each full day of skipping (not exceed three days.)
2nd Offense Same
3rd Offense Same, or Out of School Suspension; legal letter sent
4th Offense Out of School Suspension; attendance contract; parent conference
5th Offense Out of School Suspension
6th Offense Expulsion
Class “skip days” are unexcused and may result in a suspension. Furthermore, the school retains
Absences from school fall into one of five categories:
Excused-When parents and the school agree that an absence is excused, students may make up missed work. An excused absence counts toward excessive absence limits and may be made up in Tuesday/Thursday Excessive Absence Make-Up.
Unexcused-Unexcused absences are counted toward the excessive absence limits; work may not be made up.
Truancy-Truancies are unexcused absences, and they are counted toward the excessive absence limits; work may not be made up.
Out-of-school Suspension or Expulsion-Such absences are unexcused, but they are not counted toward the excessive absence limits; work may not be made up unless it would cause a student to fail the class.
Exempt-Exempt absences are counted as days of attendance for the student. Work must be made up per the policy below.
Policy for full-day absence
4th absence (excused or unexcused) first legal letter
6th absence (excused or unexcused) Parent conference
8th absence (excused or unexcused) Second legal letter – pull work permit
Make-up work counted toward a student's grade in a class will be allowed for excused and exempt absences. It is the student’s responsibility to ask the teacher for make-up work within two days after returning to school following an absence. Students are allowed one calendar day for each day of absence to complete the make up work. Parents may request that student’s homework be sent home in the case of an extended illness.
Major student work assigned in advance is due as assigned and is exempt from the standard make-up policy. When an assignment made prior to an absence is due on the first day of that absence, students are expected to complete and turn in the assignment on the day they return to school. Tests assigned prior to an absence will be administered immediately upon a student's return to school unless other arrangements are made with the teacher prior to the student's return to school.
After a requested planned absence, make-up work is due immediately on return to school.
Students in partial attendance are responsible to secure homework from missed classes.
Students who are truant or suspended out of school may NOT make up missed work.
If a student needs to be excused from Physical Education for injury or illness a note is required from your parent or guardian. This note is to be presented to the health office. Time missed due to a medical excuse will have to be made up or a loss of participation points will be deducted from the student’s grade.
Students may jeopardize grade and attendance records by absence from school even if the absence is excused or exempt.
Absences may be designated as unexcused, excused, planned, and exempt. Unexcused absences are those which do not qualify as excused. Upon receiving a request for excused absence, the New Albany Floyd County Schools may designate absences due to illness, death in the family, medical or dental appointments, and other “highly extenuating circumstances” as “excused.” Absences which the family schedules ahead of time may be designated “excused” only if this request form is completed, and the assistant principal designates the absence as excused.
Excused absences do count toward the allowable limit of ten absences per semester. However, unlike unexcused absences, students may make up missed work with no penalty. (Work missed during unexcused absences, such as those incurred when truant may not be made up, and teachers will record zeroes in their grade books.)
Make-up work counted toward a student’s grade in a class will be allowed only for excused absences.
Following an unplanned excused absence, students wishing to make up work must ask the teacher for such make-up work within two days after returning to school. They will be given one calendar day for each day of absence to complete the make-up work.
When an assignment made prior to an excused absence is due on the first day of that absence, students are expected to complete and turn in the assignment on the day they return to school. Tests assigned prior to an absence will be administered immediately upon a student’s return to school unless other arrangements are made with the teacher prior to the student’s return to school.
Before a planned absence, students must request homework assignments and complete the Request for Planned Absence form. The planned absence form needs only to be filled out if the days absent exceed 1 day.
After a planned absence, a student must turn in homework upon return to school. Any tests that were missed need to be made up within one week of the return to school. The scheduling of such make-up tests is up to the classroom teacher.
Some absences incurred as part of classroom or other education-oriented activities may be designated as “exempt.” Exempt absences are the only ones that do not count toward the ten-absence limit. For example, juniors may be granted one and seniors may be granted two exempt absences per year for visits to college campuses. Visits to local campuses are considered excused, not exempt. Of course, missed work must still be made up.
Religious retreats are also not exempt absences for attendance records. Such retreats may be counted as excused absences which count toward the eight day limit.
The school reserves the right to determine if the absence is excused or unexcused. Commonly accepted reasons for an excused absence are:
1. Personal illness;
2. Death of a close family member;
3. Medical/dental appointments which cannot be scheduled outside the school day;
4. Travel for a limited time period involving new educational experiences for a student which is requested, on an infrequent basis, by parent or guardian at least one week in advance of the proposed absence. A prearranged absence form should be obtained from the attendance office;
5. Celebration of religious holidays by a student and parents or guardians; and
6. Other highly extenuating circumstances which will be determined by the principal or his/her designee either in advance or on the day of the absence.
Unexcused absence definition:
"Long weekends" and vacations without prior approval
Moving days (change of residence)
Transportation problems
Medical or dental appointment without a doctor's written statement
Appointments for nonessential activities such as haircuts, shopping, etc
The following absences are exempt and will count as days of attendance for a student:
1. Service as a page or as an honoree of the Indiana General Assembly;
2. Service on a precinct election board or as a helper to a political candidate or a political party on the date of a general, city, town, special, or primary election. The student must have the written permission of parent or guardian and must verify performance of such services;
3. Appearance as a witness in judicial proceedings, under subpoena;
4. Service on active duty with the Indiana National Guard for not more than ten days in a school year-the student must verify by providing a copy of the official orders;
5. Military intake procedures;
6. Attending a school for religious instruction upon request of parent or guardian and approval of FCHS principal;
7. Participation in out-of-class school-sanctioned activities with prior approval of FCHS principal or designee;
8. Visiting a college juniors are allowed one day; seniors are allowed two days. Visits to local colleges and universities should be scheduled on non-school days or after school. Any local college visit will not be exempt.
It is the parent or guardian's responsibility to notify the school attendance office by phone or in person of the reason for the student's absence, either in advance or on the day of the absence. Messages may be left on the attendance hotline, 542-8603, between 5:00 P.M. and 8:30 A.M., or the attendance clerk may be called at 923-8811, ext. 3001, after 8:30 A.M.
Every school day missed will be counted toward the excessive absence policy except finals’ week. If a student misses at that time, he receives a grade based on the attendance policy for finals' week.
Participation in a school extra-curricular or co-curricular event is not a valid reason for missing an exam or assignment without the prior permission of the teacher giving the exam or assignment.
When a student is absent during final examination week due to travel or other avoidable circumstances, a teacher will not be expected to prepare and administer a final examination either in advance or after the end of the testing period. Unless the student's absence from the final examination is for personal illness, a death in the immediate family, or other unavoidable circumstances, he or she will receive a failing grade on the final examination. This grade will be averaged for the semester in the same manner as the grades for all other students.
All excused absences, unexcused absences, and truancies will be counted toward the excessive absence limits. Out-of-school suspensions and expulsions will not be counted toward excessive absence limits. A student may petition the assistant principal for special consideration for particular absences (waiver.)
This petition for special consideration must be made within 10 school days after the absence(s). Any request made after the specified ten day period will NOT be considered. The parent or guardian should notify the school at the onset of the absence. The decision to approve or deny the petition will be made by the assistant principal, and all affected parties will be informed of the decision.
The Assistant Principal for Student Development may consider an extension for make up of excessive absences in the following circumstances:
1. The absence was an excused absence; and
2. The absence occurred after the last TEAM session or was more than one day during the week of the last TEAM session.
The Assistant Principal for Student Development will approve petitions for absences due to
Illness/injury-diagnosis and verification of the inability to attend school, in person or in writing, by a medical doctor must accompany the petition;
An appointment with a doctor that could only be made at that specific time during the school day. Recurring appointments that could be arranged outside of the school day might not be waived.
Hospitalization or surgery-verification, in person or in writing, by a medical doctor must accompany the petition;
Required religious observances-verification, in person or in writing, by the primary church official (e.g., minister, priest, rabbi) must accompany the petition. Absence of students on their days of religious observances will not count against their perfect attendance records, but must be included in attendance reports.
Funeral/bereavement of close family member: parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, or cousin.
Probation/court appearance/required counseling-verification, in writing, by the official responsible for such activity, must accompany the petition.
A waiver is automatically denied if an altered or falsified doctors’ note is submitted as documentation. The school may demand that the student produce a “Certificate of Incapacity” if that student has excessive absences.
If the student and parent or guardian are not satisfied with the decision of the Assistant Principal for Staff Development, they may appeal that decision to the Appeals Committee within five school days of receipt of that decision.
The Appeals Committee will consist of the Principal or his or her designee, a counselor, and a teacher. The committee will render a decision on all properly submitted petitions, and all affected parties will be notified of the decision. The decision of the Appeals Committee is fin
