The intent of the Absence and Tardy Policy is not to cause hardships on students/parents, but to benefit students. Missed classroom discussions and interactions cannot be made up and will be detrimental to the student. Regular attendance is required for all students. Regular attendance is defined by the laws of the State of Florida as the actual attendance of a pupil in the class or on an educational trip that constitutes part of the school-approved instructional program. Parents are responsible for the child’s school attendance; and whenever their child is absent, they must provide a signed note explaining the cause of the absence.
Tardies
Please make every effort to be punctual! Tardiness interrupts and distracts classes already in session. It is so difficult for students to remain focused on academic instruction when someone enters the classroom, tardy. Elementary students should arrive at 7:30. School begins at 7:40. Students are marked tardy at 7:40. In addition to modeling personal responsibility and respect for others by being on time, you should be aware that academic instruction begins promptly. Please be respectful of the amount of time your child needs to get come into the classroom, use the restroom, and unpack his/her belongings. Just in the same way that adults need to get to work on time to be successful, so do children. School is their work! No one wants to start their day hurried and rushed.
- Excused Tardies Include: medical appointments, religious observations, motor vehicle accidents, court appearances, legitimate causes, and weather conditions that cause school to be cancelled. If there is a major road construction that effects the majority of the student body, students will not be counted as tardy.
- Unexcused Tardies: include: any reason not listed above. An accumulation of 5 unexcused tardies will be counted as one unexcused absence and its academic penalties.
- Missed Work Due to Excused Tardy: Work will be sent home if there is not time to complete work during the school day. It is expected to be returned the next day.
- Missed Work Due to Unexcused Tardy: Student will receive a grade of 0. Student will do missed
work during recess time. Student will receive a grade of 0.
Students with more than 15 tardies/year may not be allowed to enroll the following
year.
Absences
Any absence that is not followed with a note/email will automatically be counted as unexcused. If no note/email is sent, an unexcused absence with its academic penalties will be assigned. The absence can be changed to excused if a note/email with an excusable reason is brought the next day. Absences must have written documentation or signed note from parent within one week of return to school stating date and explaining the cause of absence to be considered excused. After one week, the unexcused absence remains. Excused absence includes: illness, doctor visits, dentist appointments, religious observations, court appearances, and legitimate causes. If a student has a particular event that he/she needs to attend during a school day, please inform the school administration via email.
Written assignments cannot fully compensate for the class time missed. Written work is only a small part of the learning process. Class discussions, explanations, and review will have been missed.
- Unexcused absence includes: vacation time in excess of five days, any reason not listed above. An absence which may occur with permission of a parent, but not acceptable to school personnel as a justifiable reason to be absent from school is unexcused. Suspensions will be classified as unexcused absence. Students will be expected to make up the missed work.
- Missed work due to unexcused absence: Student will receive a grade of 0 for each day student is absent. Student will still be expected to complete all missed work.
- Missed work due to excused absence: Student will have as many days of absence to complete work. For example, if a student has missed school due to illness on Monday and Tuesday, he/she will have two days to complete the work. The missed work will be due on Friday morning. If a student has missed a test, he/she will take the test on the day the student returns to school. Missed work that is not turned in or not turned in on time, will receive a grade of 0. Students who are absent for an extended period of time may be withdrawn from school (by The Children’s House administration) after 15 days of unexcused absence provided that reasonable means of notifying the parent have been made (phone or letter), and there has been no acceptable parent response by end of the 15th day