Steps to Follow When Absent

4. Attendance is taken at the beginning of each period and is accounted to the nearest minute. Attendance for students arriving late or leaving early is tracked and recorded to the nearest minute. 5. Excessive absences: When a student is absent with or without excuse for 38 or more hours in a school month, or 65 or more hours in a school year, the attendance officer will send written notice to the parent within 7 days after the triggering absence. At the same time, the Principal may implement any appropriate absence intervention action available under Board policy. 6. Habitual truancy: A student is habitually truant when absent without excuse for 30 or more consecutive hours, for 42 or more hours in a school month, or 72 hours in a school year. Within 10 days of becoming habitually truant, the student will be assigned to an absence intervention team in accordance with Board policy. 7. Excused absences from school are derived from the Ohio Revised Code 3321.04.

“Legitimate excuse” includes the following: • Personal illness • Illness in family causing family emergency • Quarantine of the home • Death in family • Family emergency • Observation of a bona fide religious holiday • Approval of special request by parents made to principal

Students are expected to arrive at school on time. All students who arrive after the regular scheduled school day will be considered tardy. Attendance is recorded to the nearest full minute; tardiness will contribute toward excessive absenteeism/habitual truancy hourly thresholds.

1. Upon a student returning to school, a written excuse must be provided; even when the parent calls on the day of absence. A written excuse is also required for an ongoing medical circumstance that results in multiple days absent. 2. Students go directly to the attendance office upon entering the building to receive their excused pass. 3. Each student is responsible for seeing that make-up work is completed. Assignments that are not made up will be reflected in the student grade. Upon returning to the school, students have one day for assignments to be made up for each day missed. 4. If a student becomes ill during the day, they are to get a pass from their teacher and report to the attendance office. If it becomes necessary for the student to go home, the office will contact the student’s parents. No student is to leave the building without first checking with the attendance office.