ATTENDANCE | Administrative Guideline Manual

5200 - ATTENDANCE

The Board of Education requires all students enrolled in the schools of this District to attend school regularly in accordance with the laws of the State. The District's educational program is predicated upon the presence of the student and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation. The regular contact of students with one another in the classroom and their participation in a well-planned instructional activity under the tutelage of a competent teacher are vital to this purpose.

Excusable Reasons for Absence

The District accepts only the following as reasonable excuses for time missed at school. Each absence shall be either reported to the student absence call-off line or a written excuse dated and signed from parent/guardian or physician. The excuse shall be submitted to the Building office and filed as part of the student's school record.

A phone call or written excuse for absence from school may be approved for one (1) or more of the following reasons or conditions:

Personal Illness

The Principal may require a doctor's confirmation if s/he deems it advisable.
Illness in the Family Necessitating the Presence of the Child

The Principal may require a doctor's confirmation and an explanation as to why the child's absence was necessary.
Quarantine of the Home

This is limited to the length of the quarantine as fixed by the proper health officials.
Death in the Family

This is limited to a period of three (3) days unless a reasonable cause may be shown for a longer absence.
Necessary Work at Home Due to Absence or Incapacity of Parent(s)/Guardian(s)

Any absence arising because of this condition shall only apply to a child over fourteen (14) years of age and shall not extend for a period longer than five (5) days and can be renewed for five (5) additional days. At no time, shall such excuse permit a student to be absent from school for a period of more than ten (10) consecutive days.

At the discretion of the Superintendent or his/her designee, a student may be excused for a longer period of time than ten (10) days if a child's parent or guardian has recently died or become totally or partially incapacitated and there is no older brother or sister living in the home who is out of school. In such cases, the Superintendent or his/her designee may request a certificate of a physician attesting to the physical condition of the parent or guardian.
Observation or Celebration of a Bona Fide Religious Holiday

Any student shall be excused for the purpose of observing or celebrating a bona fide religious holiday consistent with his/her creed or belief.
Absence During the School Day for Professional Appointments

Parents are to be encouraged to schedule medical, dental, legal, and other necessary appointments other than during the school day. Since this is not always possible, when a student is to be absent for part of the day:
1. the student shall have a statement to that effect from his/her parents;
2. the student shall bring a signed statement from the doctor, dentist, lawyer, counselor, etc. to the effect that s/he reported promptly for the appointment;
3. the student shall report back to school immediately after his/her appointment if school is still in session.
Emergency or Other Set of Circumstances

The Superintendent shall determine whether the reason for the absence constitutes good and sufficient cause.
Medically Necessary Leave

A pregnant student will be considered on an excused absence for so long a period as is deemed medically necessary by the student's physician. Written confirmation by the physician may be required.
Service as Precinct Officer at a Primary, Special or General Election

Students selected as precinct officials through the program set forth in Policy 5725 shall be excused from school on the day of an election at which the student serves as a precinct official.

Absences that do not accumulate against this guideline include:

field trips;
college visits, not to exceed two (2) in number.

Contacting the Parent/Guardian of an Absent Student

Within 120 minutes after the beginning of each school day, the attendance officer or designee for each school building shall make at least one (1) attempt to contact the parent, guardian, or other person having care of any student who is recorded as absent without legitimate excuse by:

making a telephone call to the number on file for the parent, guardian, or other person having care of the student, and documenting the time the call was made. If the parent, guardian, or other person having care of the student does not answer, the person making the call should attempt to leave a message;
an automated telephone call via a system that includes verification that each call was actually placed, and either the call was answered by its intended recipient or a voice mail message was left by the automated system relaying the required information.

The attendance officer or designee shall not attempt to contact the parent, guardian, or other person having care of a student if the parent, guardian, or other person having care of a student initiates a telephone call or other communication notifying the school or building administration of the student's excused or unexcused absence within 120 minutes after the beginning of the school day.

Excessive Absences

When a student of compulsory school age is absent from school with combined nonmedical excused absences and unexcused absences in excess of thirty-eight (38) or more hours in one (1) school month, or sixty-five (65) or more hours in a school year, that student is considered "excessively absent" from school. The District or school shall notify the child's parent or guardian of the child's absences, in writing, within seven (7) school days after the date of the absence that triggered the notice requirement. At the same time written notice is given, any appropriate intervention action listed herein may be taken.

Habitual Truancy

A student will be considered habitually truant if the student is of compulsory school age and absent without a legitimate excuse for thirty (30) or more consecutive hours, for forty-two (42) or more hours in one (1) school month, or for seventy-two (72) or more hours in one (1) school year.

Legitimate excuses for the absence of a student who is otherwise habitually truant include but are not limited to:

the student was enrolled in another school district;
the student was excused from attendance in accordance with R.C. 3321.04; or
the student has received an age and schooling certificate.

Absence Intervention Team

To the extent required by law as determined on an annual basis, within ten (10) days of a student becoming habitually truant, the Principal shall assign the student to an absence intervention team.

Within fourteen (14) school days after the assignment of a student to an absence intervention team, the team shall develop an intervention plan for that student in an effort to reduce or eliminate further absences. Each intervention plan shall vary based on the individual needs of the student, but the plan shall state that the attendance officer shall file a complaint not later than sixty-one (61) days after the date the plan was implemented, if the child has refused to participate in, or failed to make satisfactory progress on, the intervention plan. Within seven (7) school days after the development of the plan, reasonable efforts shall be made to provide the student's parent/guardian/custodian with written notice of the plan.

As part of the absence intervention plan, the Principal may, in his/her discretion contact the appropriate juvenile court and ask to have a student informally enrolled in any alternative to adjudication described in R.C. 2151.27(G).

Each absence intervention team may vary based on the needs of each individual student but shall include a representative from the child's building, another representative from the child's building who knows the child, and the child's parent or parent's designee, or the child's guardian, custodian, guardian ad litem, or temporary custodian. The team also may include a school psychologist, counselor, or representative of a public or nonprofit agency designed to assist students and their families in reducing absences.

The members of the absence intervention team shall be selected within seven (7) school days of the student meeting the habitually truant threshold. Within the same period of seven (7) school days, the Principal shall make at least three meaningful, good faith attempts to secure the participation of the student's parent/guardian/custodian, guardian ad litem, or temporary custodian on that team. A good faith attempt to secure the participation of the parent shall include, but not be limited to, diligent efforts to reach the parent by telephone, email, or regular mail. If the student's parent responds to any of those attempts, but is unable to participate for any reason, the Principal shall inform the parent of the parent's right to appear by designee. If seven (7) school days elapse and the student's parent, guardian, custodian, guardian ad litem, or temporary custodian fails to respond to the attempts to secure participation, the attendance officer shall investigate whether the failure to respond triggers mandatory abuse or neglect reporting to the public children services agency. At the same time, the absence intervention team shall continue to develop an intervention plan for the child notwithstanding the absence of the child's parent, guardian, custodian, guardian ad litem, or temporary custodian.

Intervention Strategies

In order to address the attendance practices of a student who is habitually truant, the intervention team may, as part of an intervention plan, take any of the following intervention actions:

provide counseling to the student
request or require the student's parent to attend a parental involvement program
request or require a parent to attend a truancy prevention mediation program
notify the Registrar of Motor Vehicles of the student's absences
take appropriate legal action

Any student who, due to a specifically identifiable physical or mental impairment, exceeds or may exceed the District's limit on excused absence may be referred to the Principal and/or Director of Pupil Services for evaluation to determine eligibility either under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or other appropriate accommodation.

Reporting Requirements

The attendance officer shall file a complaint in the juvenile court against a student on the 61st day after the implementation of an absence intervention plan or other intervention strategies, provided that all of the following apply:

The student is habitually truant.
The school district or school has made meaningful attempts to re-engage the student through the absence intervention plan, other intervention strategies, and any offered alternatives to adjudication, if applicable.
The student has refused to participate in or failed to make satisfactory progress on the plan, as determined by the absence intervention team, or any offered intervention strategies or alternative to adjudication.

If the student, at any time during the implementation phase of the absence intervention plan or other intervention strategies, is absent without legitimate excuse for thirty (30) or more consecutive hours or forty-two (42) or more hours in one school month, the attendance officer shall file a complaint in juvenile court against that student, unless the absence intervention team has determined that the student has made substantial progress on the absence intervention plan.

In the event that the sixty-first (61st) day after the implementation of the absence intervention plan or other intervention strategies falls on a day during the summer months, the absence intervention team may extend the implementation of the plan and delay the filing of the complaint for an additional thirty (30) days from the first day of instruction of the next school year.

Whenever any student of compulsory school age has sixty (60) consecutive hours in a single month or a total of ninety (90) hours of unexcused absence from school during the school year, s/he will be considered "habitually absent" under R.C. 3321.13(B)(2). The Superintendent shall notify the student and his/her parents, guardian, or custodian, in writing, that the Superintendent will notify the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, if appropriate, and the Judge of the Juvenile Court of the child's unexcused absences and "habitually absent" status unless the student or his/her parents wish to challenge the record. They are to be notified that the absence information has been provided to the Superintendent, that as a result of that information the child's temporary driver instruction permit or driver's license will be suspended or the opportunity to obtain such a permit or license will be denied, and that they may appear in the Principal's office to challenge such information at a scheduled date and time which shall be no earlier than three (3) days or later than five (5) days after the date of the notification. The Principal may grant an extension, if requested by the child or the child's parent, guardian, or custodian.

Notification will be sent within two (2) weeks after the Superintendent receives the information or the conclusion of the hearing if the determination that the student did not have a legitimate excuse for the absences is upheld. The student's name, address, birthdate, school, district, and attendance record shall be sent to the Juvenile Judge in writing and to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, if appropriate in the manner designated by the Registrar.

The District shall report to the Ohio Department of Education, as soon as practicable, and in a format and manner determined by the department, any of the following occurrences:

when a notice that a student has been absent with or without legitimate excuse for thirty-eight (38) or more hours in one school month, or sixty-five (65) or more hours in a school year is submitted to a parent, guardian, or custodian;
when a child of compulsory school age has been absent without legitimate excuse from the public school the child is supposed to attend for thirty (30) or more consecutive hours, forty-two (42) or more hours in one school month, or seventy-two (72) or more hours in a school year;
when a child of compulsory school age who has been adjudicated an unruly child for being a habitual truant violates the court order regarding that adjudication;
when an absence intervention plan has been implemented for a child under this policy.

Encouraging Attendance

Promoting and fostering desired student attendance habits requires a commitment from the administration, faculty, and parents. No single individual or group can - in and of itself - successfully accomplish this task.

A professional staff member's responsibility must include, but not be limited to:

providing meaningful learning experiences every day;

Therefore, a student who is absent from any given class period would be missing a significant component of the course.
speaking frequently of the importance of students being in class, on time, ready to participate;
keeping accurate attendance records tracked to the nearest full hour (excused vs. unexcused);
requiring an admit slip from a student when s/he returns from an absence and invoking a consequence if s/he does not have one.

Students Leaving School During School Day

No staff member shall permit or cause any student to leave the school prior to the regular hour of dismissal except with the knowledge and approval of the Principal and with the knowledge and approval of the student's parents. (see Form 5230 F1)
No student will be released to any government agency without proper warrant or written parental permission except in the event of an emergency as determined by the Principal.

Make-Up Opportunities

A student may make-up units of study with a properly licensed teacher if prior approval has been granted by the Principal.

Students will be given the opportunity for making up work missed due to approved absences. The length of time for completion of make-up work shall be commensurate with the length of the absence.
Students will be given the opportunity to make-up work missed due to suspension. The make-up work must be completed and presented to the teacher upon his/her return to school. Tests missed during the period of suspension may be made up by the students by contacting the teacher on the day of his/her return to school. The teacher, at his/her convenience, may administer the test or assign alternate written work in lieu of the test missed.
A student wishing to make-up work should contact his/her counselor to obtain assignments.

Tardiness

Students not in homeroom or in class when the late bell rings are considered tardy, and attendance shall be tracked and recorded to the nearest full hour.
All students who are tardy to school must report to the Principal's office to sign in.
When a teacher detains a student after class, s/he shall issue a late pass for the student's next class.
Teachers are to refer cases of chronic tardiness to the Principal.