Attendance
School Attendance Policy
It is imperative that students be in attendance each school day in order not to miss a significant portion of their education. Many important learnings result from active participation in the classroom and other school activities which cannot be replaced by individual study. Attendance is important in the development of a high quality work ethic which will be a significant factor in a student’s success with future employers. One of the most important work habits that employers look for in hiring and promoting a worker is his/her dependability in coming to work every day and on time. This is a habit the School wants to help students develop as early as possible in their school careers.
Truancy
Absences from school (truancy) are not acceptable. After 10 days of truancy in any semester, a student will be considered an "habitual truant". The School will consider a student truant if:
The student has an absence for more than five consecutive days.
The student has absences for more than ten (10) days in a semester.
Attendance letter one will be sent to parents/guardians when a student has accumulated 5 absences in a semester and attendance letter two will be sent when a student has accumulated 10 absences in a semester.
When a student reaches 15 absences, the county truancy officer will be notified and a letter will be sent to the parents/guardians from the county truancy officer.
Truancy May Result
Assignment to an alternative placement with loss of participation in school activities and events;
A hearing before a judge in a court of law;
A report to local authorities concerning lack of parental responsibility in providing proper care and supervision of a child.
Court Referral
A student who has unexcused absences from school for ten (10) or more consecutive days may be dropped from Morrice Area Schools and must apply for re-enrollment.
Age of Attendance
The law in Michigan governing compulsory attendance requires a parent, legal guardian, or other person having control or charge of a child aged six to sixteen to send the child to school during the entire school year, except under the limited circumstances specified in the subsection of section 380.1561. A child who was age eleven on or after December 1, 2009, or who was age eleven before that date and entered grade 6 in 2009 or later shall attend school from age six to eighteen. The exceptions include but are not limited to, sending the child to a state-approved, nonpublic school or educating the child at home in an organized educational program. Although the compulsory school attendance law does not apply to children under the age of six, a child who is at least five years of age by December 1 of the school year and is a resident of a school district that provides kindergarten work is entitled to enroll in the kindergarten [MCL 380.1147].
Enforcement and the Attendance Officer
Attendance officers are employed by an intermediate school district or local school district. The attendance officer has the powers of a deputy sheriff within the school district while performing official duties and pursues cases of nonattendance which are reported to them by the proper authority. The attendance officer, upon receiving notice of that fact, must give written notice either in person or by registered mail requiring the child to appear at school on the next regular school day following receipt of notice and to continue in regular and consecutive attendance in school. If the parent or legal guardian fails to comply with the notice, the attendance officer must make a complaint against that individual in the proper court for refusal or neglect to send the child to school. The court then issues a warrant and proceeds to hear and make a determination in the case. The law also states that a parent or legal guardian who fails to comply with the compulsory school attendance section of the Revised School Code is guilty of a misdemeanor [MCL 380.1571- 380.1599].
Attendance Exceptions
A child is not required to attend a public school in the following cases: A child who is attending regularly and is being taught in a state-approved nonpublic school, which teaches subjects comparable to those taught in the public schools to children of corresponding age and grade, as determined by the course of study for the public schools of the district within which the nonpublic school is located. A child who is being educated at the child’s home by their parent or legal guardian in an organized educational program in the subject areas of reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar. The child who has graduated from high school or has fulfilled all requirements for high school graduation [MCL 380.1561].
Students may be excused from school for one or more of the following reasons and will be provided an opportunity to make-up missed school work and/or tests:
Student Absences
Regular attendance of pupils in the classroom enhances the continuity of the instructional process. An absence occurs when a student misses more than 15 minutes of a class period. There are two types of absences: Absent and documented. Automatic alert phone calls will be sent home for any Tardy or any absence coded as absent. All documented absences must be verified by parent or guardian within 48 hours of absence by phone to the attendance line or by a note.
Absent- This includes all absences where a parent/guardian made the school aware of the absence but the parents did not provide the school outside verification (example: DR. Note) for the absence. These absences may count towards truancy. Students are allowed 5 absences per semester where parents notify the school, these absences will be coded as “documented” in the Student Information System and will not count towards truancy.
Students are not permitted to attend any after-school activity/practice the day of an excused absence without principal approval.
Documented Absences
This includes absences that are documented by an outside source. Students with a health condition that causes repeated absence are to provide the school office with an explanation of the condition from a registered physician.
Parents must provide an explanation for their child's absence by no later than 2 days on the day of the absence or by the following day. They are to call the main office of their students building and explain the reason for the absence. If the absence can be foreseen and the "good cause" must be approved by the principal, the parent should arrange to discuss the matter as many days as possible before the absence will occur so that arrangements can be made to assist the student in making up for the missed school work.
Students who are excusably absent for more than 5 days in a grading period, regardless of the reasons, will be considered "frequently absent". If there is a pattern of frequent absence for "illness", the parents will be required to provide a statement from a physician describing the health condition that is causing the frequent illness and the treatment that is being provided to rectify the condition. Without such a statement, the student's permanent attendance record will indicate "frequent unexplained illness", a possible sign of poor work ethic and irresponsible behavior.
During the next grading period, a "frequently-absent" student will be placed on "attendance watch" to monitor whether or not the pattern continues. If it continues, the student may be denied the opportunity to participate in non curricular school activities and events concerning his/her frequent absence from school.
Leaving School Before the End of the Day
If a student needs to leave the building during school hours due to illness or an appointment, the parents or guardians must contact the office to give permission and excuse the student. Identification may be required to pick students up before the end of the day. Classes missed as a result of not following this policy will be considered as unexcused absences and will be handled as a violation of the school code of conduct as skipping or closed campus violation. Students 18 and over must also sign out through the principal’s office with their parent’s permission.
Make-Up Work
Students that are absent will be permitted to make up any missed work, including homework and tests. The student will be permitted the same number of days as they were absent to turn in the make-up work. The student is responsible for obtaining assignments from their teachers. If students are absent on a day of a scheduled test or project due date, students will be expected to complete the test or have the project ready to turn in the first day upon their return.
Tardies: Elementary Level
A student who is not in his/her assigned location by the start of the school day shall be considered tardy. Any student arriving late to school is to report to the school office before proceeding to class.
Tardies: Middle and High School
Students are expected to be in class and ready to receive instruction when the bell rings. Students are expected to use the four minutes of passing time to use the bathroom, go to their lockers if needed, and report to their next class. Students should not hang out in other classrooms during passing time. If students are late because they were detained by school personnel, they must have a pass. Parents will be notified by an automated system when a student is tardy to class. Unexcused tardies will be documented by the teachers in the following manner for tardiness during a quarter.
Tardy Policy Consequences (Based on tardies in a class period per quarter)
1st tardy - Tardy is recorded by teacher
2nd tardy - Tardy is recorded by the teacher and the teacher meets with student
3rd tardy - Teacher communicates with family/guardians
4th tardy - Teacher writes a referral for a Lunch detention
5th tardy - Teacher writes a referral for an After School Detention or 2 hour Saturday Detention
6th tardy - Teacher writes a referral for a Saturday Detention 4 hours
7th tardy and beyond - Teacher writes a referral and administration will assign a one day of in-school suspension (ISS)
Suspension from School
Absence from school due to suspension shall be considered an authorized absence, neither excused or unexcused. A suspended student will be responsible for making up school work lost due to suspension. It is recommended that a student complete missed assignments during the suspension and turn them in to the teacher upon his/her return from school. Assignments may be obtained from the student's teacher(s) beginning with the first day of a suspension. Make up of missed tests may be scheduled when the student returns to school. The student will be given credit for properly completed assignments and a grade on any made-up tests.
Notification of Absences
If a student is going to be absent, the parent must contact the school and provide an explanation. If prior contact is not possible, the parent should provide a written excuse as soon as possible. If a parent/guardian does not contact the office, the student will be recorded as absent and the absence will count towards truancy. If the absence of a student appears to be questionable or excessive, the school staff will try to help the parent improve their child's attendance.
The skipping of classes or any part of the school day will be recorded as absent and no make-up of class work will be permitted. Disciplinary action will follow.