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Attendance It is the student's responsibility to make sure absences are cleared with teachers and with the Attendance Office. Absences must be cleared within three days. If not, they automatically become unexcused absences. Handwritten notes from the parent or guardian are required to clear all absences. When a student returns to school after an absence, notes must be presented at the Attendance Office. Parents will be notified of absences with our Autodialer System. The first call is placed on the day of the absence. The second call is a 48-hour notice. After 72 hours, the absence will no longer be cleared and will have to be made up in detention or Saturday School. The following categories of absence will be applied:
1. (I) Excused absence due to illness, medical, or dental appointment. This is the only category for which the student can make up missed work. All other absences require the student to obtain a contract independent study form from the Attendance Office. 2. (E) Excused absence for personal reasons. Citizenship will not be penalized for these reasons. Teachers will provide an opportunity for the student to make up missed work. 3. (U) Unexcused absence with the knowledge of parents but for reasons not approved by the district. The responsibility for the make-up of missed work, if granted by the teacher, rests entirely with the student. 4. (Z) TRUANT is an absence not approved by the parents or the school. Teachers may require work to be made up but need not grant student requests for permission to make up work. Other penalties may be imposed for truancy and citizenship may be affected. *Absolutely no student is to be off campus without signing out of school at the Attendance Office via a blue slip form. Excessive Absences Due to IllnessAs stated in the district’s Administrative Procedure 6150 and as recommended by the District Medical Consultant, if a student misses any five school days in a four-week period due to illness, a written verification of illness must be provided by a doctor or dentist. If the student has an underlying health condition, the nurse needs to be notified to assist the parent with meeting the student’s needs at school. Truancy PolicyLeaving school grounds without a blue slip is a truancy which can not be cleared. School initiated absences (i.e. field trips, athletic events, etc.) will be considered excused if approved by the teacher and administration. Requests for release (blue slips) for Medical and dental appointments, except in emergencies, should be made 24 hours in advance. Students must bring a note to the office before school or during lunch to obtain a blue slip. Every effort should be used to make medical appointments during after school hours. The only legal way for a student to leave the school grounds at any time during the school day is to secure a blue off-grounds pass, issued by a school official. Multiple period or all day unexcused absences will result in the assignment of Saturday School by the Attendance Coordinator, Counselor or Vice Principal. Students with uncleared absences may not be allowed to participate in specified school activities for the semester in which they occur. There is no Senior ditch day. Students' access to the parking lot is limited to before and after school. The parking lot is off limits at any other time during the school day. Tardiness PolicyHenry High has created a school tardy policy in order to reduce the number of students who are tardy to their classes. Tardiness takes away from the educational process for both the tardy student and the rest of the class due to the disruption that late students cause. This is a school-wide policy. Students may have citizenship grades lowered due to excessive tardiness. Each teacher will provide students with a copy of their expectations and course requirements. Saturday SchoolSaturday School is an opportunity for students to make up time they have missed due to absences. Saturday School is staffed by credentialed teachers who are ready and willing to tutor your child on their school work. It operates from mid-September through mid-May on selected Saturdays from 7:55 am till noon. Students may be assigned Saturday School for unexcused absences, or may voluntarily come to clear excused absences. It does not necessarily remove truancies from individual classes for the purposes of grade calculations by teachers. Students who have more than one truancy may be put on an attendance contract. Students may be suspended for violation of the contract. Students who do not attend assigned Saturday school will remain on the LOP list. Each Saturday school clears one full day of absence. Notices to class and phone calls home are provided as reminders to students but it is the student’s responsibility to attend. Students may attend without receiving a notice or phone call. Saturday School Change of AddressIf your last name, street address, telephone number, or parent/guardian changes at any time during the school year, please notify the attendance office immediately. This is very important in keeping our records up to date and also to contact a parent or guardian in case of an emergency. By law, it is the responsibility of the parent to maintain accurate information on file at school.
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