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Attendance Policy

It is the administration’s belief that attendance of class is crucial to and a key indicator of a student’s success academically.  It is the administration’s expectation that students attend class on a regular and consistent basis.  While it is understandable that there are instances that are unavoidable that may cause a student to miss school, we ask that these be kept to a minimum. The Board of Education in Coloma expects the attendance policy to be followed uniformly and consistently in all school buildings.

 

STUDENT ABSENCES

There are two types of absences: excused and unexcused. Excused absences include; illness, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, family emergency, situations beyond the control of the student, circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s safety or health, or other reason as approved by the principal.  All other absences are considered unexcused.  Pre-arranged excused absences must be approved by the principal. The school may require documentation explaining the reason for the student’s absence.

 

In the event of any absence, the student’s parent or guardian is required to call the school at 269-468-2400 before 9:00 a.m. to explain the reason for the absence. If a call has not been made to the school by 10:00 a.m. on the day of a student’s absence, a school official will call the home to inquire why the student is not at school.  If the parent or guardian cannot be contacted, the student will be required to submit a signed note from the parent or guardian explaining the reason for the absence.  Failure to do so shall result in an unexcused absence.

 

Notification after 5 Absences:  When a student accumulates 5 absences (excused and/or unexcused) in a semester, the student/parent will be sent a letter documenting the days absent.

 

Loss of Credit Due to Absences:  During the semester, a student who accumulates more than 8 total absences (excused and/or unexcused in a class will lose credit in that class.  If a student wants to receive credit s/he must make up that time (to reduce to 8 absences at a minimum).

 

Exempt Absences:  Absences that do not count toward the eight-day absence level include:

  • School approved absence* (field trips, college visit, athletic competition, etc.)
  • College Visit – Juniors and Seniors are allowed 2 college visits per school year totalling 2 days absent.  College visits must be pre-arranged with the high school office and a verification form must be obtained from the office prior to the college visit.
  • Serious injury or long-term illness with doctor verification.  Defined as missing at least 3 consecutive days of school and providing a doctor’s note upon return stipulating that the student was to be home or under a physician’s care for the duration of the injury/illness.
  • Suspension from school (when assigned work has been satisfactorily completed)
  • Bereavement of an immediate family member.

 

TARDINESS

All tardiness is considered unexcused except for those excused by the principal for 1st hour or tardies excused by high school staff with a written pass for hours 2 – 6.  A student is considered tardy to class if s/he is not in his/her assigned seat when the bell rings to signify the start of class.  Makeup time for unexcused tardies must be served outside the instructional day (before or after school).  Tardiness beyond 20 minutes will be recorded as absence for the entire period.

Tardies per Semester (per class): 1st tardy – warning, 2nd tardy – 15-minute detention, 3rd tardy 30-minute detention, 4th tardy – 2-30-minute detention (Parent Meeting with Assistant Principal), 5th tardy – 1-hour detention, 6th tardy – 2-hour detention (Behavior Intervention Plan), 7th tardy - unexcused absence for that class.

 

MAKE-UP WORK/MISSED WORK

If a student is absent, he/she will be permitted to make up any missed work, including homework and tests.  The student will be permitted the same number of days as he/she was absent to turn in the make-up work.  The student is responsible for obtaining assignments from his/her teachers.  Assignments due the first day of absence are due the first day of return from absence.

 

Most missed work can be gathered via email contact with the teacher directly or through Google Classroom however, students who miss 3 or more consecutive days may have a parent request missed work by calling the office.  Please allow 24 hours for teachers to gather homework before picking up requested work.

 

If at any time you have any questions regarding absences, please contact the high school office at 468-2400.