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Attendance (Student Handbook) » Attendance and Tardy Policy

Attendance and Tardy Policy

Students are required to be in school a majority of the day to be counted as present. Please keep this in mind when planning for early dismissal of your child. Pursuant to State Law, when a student misses five unexcused days per school year, they are considered to be truant; therefore, it is important to make sure if a student misses his/her absences are excused. State law requires that each school district send out letters to the parent/guardian of a student for every five unexcused days accumulated. There are five reasons for which absences may be excused. They are as follows:
  1. Personal illness
  2. Death in the family
  3. Religious observance
  4. When unique opportunities for trips should occur, teachers should receive at least two weeks notice to prepare make-up work. The days will be considered excused absences with prior approval of Principal. Only one request for a maximum of 10 days per school year will be considered.
  5. Circumstances which, in the judgment of the Principal and/or designee, create emergencies over which student has no control.
When a student is absent and returns to school, s/he must bring a note signed by the parent or guardian to explain the absence or provide a doctor’s note that cild was unable to attend school on the date missed. Each student will be permitted five parent notes per school year, subject to the parent being in compliance to the compulsory school attendance law. All notes should be brought to the office the day the student returns to school. Notes received after the 5th day from date of last absence will not be accepted (these days would remain unexcused). Students with excessive absences may be required to appear before the school attendance board.

Unexcused Absences:
Five unexcused absences will result in a letter being sent to the parent/guardian notifying them that the student has missed five unexcused days of school. Five unexcused absences may result in a referral to juvenile court for the parent and/or the student.

Tardiness:
We believe school is important; therefore, time spent in ash class is critical. As a school system, we have the right to expect each student to present and on time. Students are to be in the classroom prior to the official start time of school. Students who arrive to school after the schools official start time shall be escorted into school by the parent/guardian and signed in through the main office. School hours for Walter J. Baird Middle School is 7:55 a.m. until 2:55 p.m. Students will not be allowed in the building prior to 7:00 a.m. at the middle school.

Three unexcused tardies could result in the student and parent having to appear before the attendance board. Excessive tardies could result in consequences such as student receiving after-school intervention, in-school suspension or Saturday school to allow for the student to make-up missed assignments and/or classroom time.