Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy

All students:

  1. Pupils shall be punctual and regular in attendance and shall obey all rules and regulations of the school.
  2. Absence due to illness or a health condition, approved pre-arranged activities, school sponsored activities, or emergency situations shall be excused.
  3. If an absence is excused, the student is responsible for obtaining and making up work missed or doing other work that will be accepted in lieu of work missed. In P.E. classes teachers require 30 minutes physical activity per excused absence. One day is allowed for each day of excused absence to make up work.
  4. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ABSENCES - In all classes teachers have established attendance requirements of 90% attendance during a semester to pass.
  5. EXCESSIVE ABSENCES - the "Becca Bill" mandates parent and student accountability for school attendance. This legislation may result in a petition to juvenile court should a student acquire excessive unexcused absences, specifically, should absences total seven (7) or more within a month, or ten (10) within a school year. The Becca Bill also allows for schools to refuse acceptance of parent excused absences if they demonstrate a pattern of exclusion from school, or the excuses provided to the school are not valid.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURE

The Finley School District and River View High School are working diligently to strongly encourage our students to attend class on a regular basis and in a timely manner for two reasons: 

ATTENDANCE DEFINITIONS

Excused Absences – Class Work May be Made Up for Credit

  1. An unexcused absence may be changed to excused with a parent excuse and administration approval. An unexcused absence reverts to a truancy after 2 days. If a student has violated the closed campus rule, however, the absence will be a truancy and may not be changed to excused; therefore, the work may not be made up.
  2. Illness or health condition, verified by a parent or guardian will be excused. For extended or frequent illness, the building Principal may require a doctor’s statement. Medical statements will count in the absence total and work must be made up.
  3. Activities scheduled by parent or emergency situations excused by parent. Pre-arranged absences must be approved by the building administration at least one day in advance of absence. As stated above, however, the school may refuse acceptance of parent excused absences if they demonstrate a pattern of exclusion from school, or the excuses provided to the school are not valid.
  4. School approved activities scheduled by the school are excused and in most cases these absences will not count in the absence total. Example – missing class for an athletic trip or field trip; work must be made up, however. Teachers and advisors will advise whether or not the absence counts in absence total.

Unexcused Absences – Class Work May Not be Made Up for Credit.

An unexcused absence is any absence which is not included under excused absences above. No credit will be given by a teacher for work assigned and/or turned in on a day when a student is absent and unexcused. Students must change an unexcused absence to an excused absence before he or she can turn in make-up work. Unexcused absences must be changed to excused within two (2) days of the unexcused absence or the unexcused absence will revert to truancy.

Tardies

Tardies will be dealt with according to the RVHS ATTENDANCE POLICY:

  1. Teachers will deal with their classroom tardies. The exception is 1st period these tardies are tracked and consequences administered by the office.  
    1. All students are expected to be in their assigned classrooms when the tardy bell rings. Students are expected to be prompt in meeting their obligations and responsibilities.
  2. Ten (10) minutes into a class period a tardy becomes an absence in the teacher’s roll book and in office records.
  3. Tardies accumulate throughout each semester and a new count begins with each new semester.
  4. Tardy consequences begin after the 3rd tardy and can be given for each additional tardy.

Truancy

  1. Truancy is an unexcused absence - class work may not be made up for credit. Truancies include leaving school or being in a location without permission from staff or being properly signed out by a parent. 
  2. If a student is truant, parents will be contacted and the student may be assigned to After School Detention or other disciplinary action.
  3. Truancies resulting from violation of the Closed Campus Policy may not be changed to excused and work may not be made up for credit.

Make-Up Work

Students will have one (1) day to complete make-up work for each day of excused absence.

Participation in Extra-Curricular Activities

A student must attend school at least one-half (1/2) day to participate in practice or a game in a sport or to attend any extra-curricular activity that day, either after-school or evening. One-half day means a student must be present for three (3) periods. If unexcused for any portion of the day, the student shall not be allowed to participate. A student who is suspended from school may not participate in extra-curricular activities during the suspension. 

Tardiness

Students are expected to be in class by the time the bell rings. For purposes of this policy, a student more than ten (10) minutes late for class is recorded by the teacher as absent. (See Tardy Policy Section for more detail.)

Attendance Notification Procedure

  1. When a student reaches four (4) absences in any semester in any single class, a conference may be held with the student and an administrator to insure that the student understands our school policy and to discuss ways of addressing any attendance problem discovered. In all cases, a letter will be sent home notifying the parents that a student’s grade may be in jeopardy through continued absences.
  2. When a student reaches six (6) absences in a class, parents will be notified by letter that the student’s grade for class(es) is in jeopardy.
  3. Upon reaching the ninth (9th) absence in a class, the student and his or her parent will be notified of the probable failure in the class if the student is absent one (1) or more additional times. The student will be urged to continue to do the class work and to modify his/her attendance habits.

For additional detail on Attendance Policy, see School Board Policy No. 3121 and Procedure 3122P.