Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy.pdf

Attendance Policy

Students have the right to a free and appropriate public education, but they assume the responsibility to attend regularly and on time. Parents/guardians are responsible for the attendance of their children within the compulsory attendance age, 6 to 16. Parents have the responsibility to inform the school of their child’s absences and to explain the cause of each absence. Learn more about Florida State Statues, Part II, School Attendance.

Regular and punctual school attendance is crucial for a student’s academic success. The research findings make a clear case for engaging families to reduce chronic absenteeism. Good attendance habits begin at home with the right messages from parents and caregivers.

Attendance Standard

All students are required to be on time and present each day school is open during the school year.

Students may not be absent from school without permission of the principal/designee.

    ○The school principal or designee is the only person authorized to excuse a student’s absence.

    ○A note from a parent/guardian is a request that a student’s absence be excused.

    ○A pattern of non-attendance is, missing 10% to 19% or more of school, whether the absences   are excused or not.At such time the principal shall refer the student to the Attendance Review Committee to determine if early patterns of truancy are developing and identify root causes.An intervention plan will be put in place to identify potential remedies and improve the student’s attendance.

    ○For enforcement of school attendance purposes, unless acceptable documentation is submitted, an accumulation of daily unexcused absences that equal five (5) days in a calendar month or ten (10) days within a ninety (90) calendar day period, may be exhibiting a pattern of non-attendance as determined by the Attendance Review Committee.

    ○If the student exceeds the ten (10) parent/guardian notes in a school year, principals may request additional documentation for subsequent absences.(School Board Policy 4.16).

Chronic tardiness is defined as six (6) or more tardies to school or to an individual class per quarter.

ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS at CLMS

All students are expected to be on time and present each day school is open during the school year.

1.  Tardiness

a.   Students are expected to arrive on campus with enough time to be seated in their first block class by 9:40 am.  Students not in class by 9:40 bell are Tardy.

b.  In the event a student is tardy due to a doctor’s appointment, the student must bring in a note from the doctor’s office for the tardiness to be excused.

c.  Other than a doctor’s appointment, which is excused, all other tardies will be considered unexcused and subject to the Code of Conduct.

d.  Excessive tardy cases (6+ tardies in one quarter) will be turned over to the social worker for a home visit.

2.  Absences

a.  We understand that illnesses prevent a student from coming to school, however, five consecutive days of absence due to illness will require a doctor’s note upon return to school.

b.  Absences can have a profound impact on your child’s grades and success in school. Please consider carefully dates for family vacations as those will be considered Unexcused Absences.

c.  Excessive absence* cases will be turned over to the school social worker.

d.  Students are responsible for their missing work and completing all missing work within the number of days absent plus one. For example, if a student is absent two days due to illness, they will have three days to complete the work.  Students can also follow along with class assignments on Google Classroom.

e.   Students must be present in school for a minimum of 3.5 hours to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities. This includes but is not limited to:  intramural sports, dances, clubs, field trips, etc.

f. Students with 15 or more unexcused absences will NOT be able to participate in extracurricular activities, student field trips, or celebrations, including end of year celebrations.

g. All absent notes have two weeks to be turned in, after 2 weeks only doctor notes excuse absent days.

Why Attendance Matters

If children don’t show up for school regularly, they miss out on fundamental reading and math skills and the chance to build a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers.

The good news is that when students attend school regularly, they can see outsized literacy gains.

What Can Parents do at Home?

Establishing consistent good habits at home can put children on the right track to good school attendance. Parents can:

Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.

Lay out clothes and pack backpack the night before.

Know the first day of school and make sure their child has the required immunizations and materials

Introduce their child to his or her teachers and classmates before school starts to help with the transition.

Avoid letting their child stay home unless he or she is truly sick. Advise parents that sometimes complaints of a stomachache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.

Talk to teachers, school counselors or other parents for advice on how to alleviate a child’s anxiety about going to school or other issues.

Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.

  Avoid scheduling medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

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