Attendance
ROYAL OAK HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE POLICY 2011-2012
Regular school attendance is consistent with provisions of Michigan law and policies of the State Board of Education and the Royal Oak Schools’ Board of Education. Regular school attendance is essential to comprehensive academic success. Daily instruction, interactions with peers and teachers, and explanation and clarification are crucial and cannot be duplicated outside the academic day. Research has shown positive daily attendance correlates highly with academic achievement and helps develop valuable personal habits that prepare the student for adulthood and future career endeavors.
REPORTING ABSENCES
In the best interest of all parties involved, the school should be notified by the parent/guardian on each and every day a student is absent. The parent/guardian must call the Attendance Office @ 248-435-8500 (press 1) by 1:30 p.m. each day. Voicemail is available for messages if no one is available to take your call. The voicemail is checked continuously.
If a parent/guardian is going to be unavailable, please notify the school in advance as to who will be responsible for calling in any absences for your student.
Use the phone to excuse a full day or a morning absence. If necessary, the Attendance Office will accept a note the day the student returns. Calling the day of the absence will allow your student to go directly to class and prevent a visit to the Student Service Center for paperwork to admit him/her to class.
Absences not excused within 48 hours will remain unexcused.
PRE-ARRANGED ABSENCES
A planned absence extending over one or more school days requires a note be submitted to the Attendance Office from a parent/guardian at least two days prior to the beginning of the absence. School days missed for personal vacation time outside of the regularly scheduled vacation times will be considered unexcused unless the Attendance Office has granted approval. Approved, pre-arranged absences do count toward a student’s overall absences total.
AUTOMATIC ATTENDANCE DIALER
The automated attendance dialer will call the student’s home daily in the evening hours to notify the parent/guardian of any unexcused absences. It will be necessary for the parent/guardian to access Zangle to determine the hour/s the student was absent. If the student believes the absence is incorrect, it is his/her responsibility to obtain a Student Attendance Correction form from the Attendance Office to take to the teacher for verification.
EXCUSED ABSENCES/UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
Excused absences will be granted for personal or family illnesses/emergencies, pre-arranged medical/dental appointments that cannot be scheduled outside school hours, religious holidays, funerals, and legal appearances/legitimate business purposes. Absences for unauthorized reasons or unconfirmed by parent/guardian communication will be considered “unexcused.” Parents are advised that the prime responsibility for the integrity of communications with the school rests with the student and the home. Any student who enters/leaves the school building without properly signing in/out will not receive an excused absence.
LOSS OF CREDIT DUE TO ATTENDANCE
A student who has five (5) unexcused absences or exceeds a total of ten (10) absences in one semester loses academic credit. A formal appeal must be made to the Attendance Office to recover lost credit. A failing grade of “E” or “H” will be recorded as the semester grade upon the fifth (5) unexcused or the eleventh (11) overall absence unless the Attendance Office/Appeal Committee grants the attendance appeal request. Truancy, poor attendance history, and attendance-related behavior referrals will negatively impact appeal requests.
TARDY TO CLASS
Students are considered tardy if they arrive to class within five (5) minutes after the bell sounds. The accumulation of three (3) tardies will convert to an unexcused absence. Students have the option of removing a tardy by serving one detention. By serving a detention, a tardy will be deleted from the student’s attendance record. The detention schedule will be posted in the Attendance Office. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of their attendance status in each of their classes.
A late arrival to class after the first five (5) minutes is not a tardy, but an unexcused absence.
LEAVING SCHOOL EARLY
Students who have medical/dental appointments during the school day should bring a note to the Attendance Office to obtain a “Permit-to-Leave” form. Also, students who are ill during the day must come to the Attendance Office for a “Permit-to-Leave” form. A phone call for either juniors or seniors who go home for lunch and do not return to school is acceptable. It is the student’s responsibility to bring a parent note to the Attendance Office prior to the beginning of the school day or at lunch to obtain the “Permit-to-Leave” form. Students must obtain a pass from a teacher to use the Attendance Office phone to communicate with a parent/guardian for permission to leave. Students who do not follow this procedure will receive a detention assignment.
ENTERING SCHOOL LATE
Students entering school more than five (5) minutes late must report to the Attendance Office for a “Permit-to-Enter” form. Entering more than five (5) minutes late is not a tardy, but an unexcused absence. The Attendance Office must have a parent/guardian note or a record of a phone call from a parent/guardian to excuse the absence. The absence will remain unexcused pending communication with the student’s parent/guardian within 48 hours if the above procedure is not followed. Students who do not follow this procedure will face disciplinary action.
PENALTIES FOR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES, FORGERIES AND UNAUTHORIZED CALLS
Truancy, unexcused absences, excessive tardiness or failure to serve assigned detention may result in school suspension and/or a parent conference. Forgeries and unauthorized calls will result in a suspension.