ATTENDANCE POLICY

WATERTOWN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Earning a high school diploma from Watertown High School indicates that a student has been successful in three major areas:  1) earning the appropriate credits, 2) following the rules, and 3) maintaining regular attendance. It is important that habits of regular attendance be developed in high school in order to prepare students for future responsibilities.  Students and parents must understand that students miss a vital portion of their education when they are absent from school.  Activities that take place in the classroom are a vital part of the teaching/learning process. The discussion that has taken place between teacher and students cannot be duplicated. Students are encouraged to take full advantage of the educational program provided.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

All members of the staff and faculty at Watertown High School and the Watertown School Board encourage regular school attendance; recognizing that regular school attendance is a joint responsibility shared by the students, parent or guardian, teacher, and administrators. Parents/guardians have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child is in attendance each day school is in session. School personnel regularly monitor school attendance.

1. Student Responsibilities:
   1. To attend all assigned classes and study halls every day that the classes are in session.
   2. To be in class on time, prepared for academic work.
   3. To know and follow correct procedures regarding attendance.
   4. To request any missed assignments due to an absence and to complete work as assigned by the teacher.

2. Parent or Guardian Responsibilities:
   1. To encourage the student to attend school.
   2. To recognize that any absence, regardless of cause, has a detrimental influence on student achievement.
   3. To inform the attendance office in the event of a student absence.
   4. To work cooperatively with school personnel and the student to solve any attendance problems that may arise.

3. Teacher Responsibilities:
   1. To take daily attendance to maintain accurate attendance records for each assigned class.
   2. To communicate attendance and makeup procedures clearly to students and to apply those procedures uniformly.
   3. To provide makeup assignments and reasonable deadlines.
   4. To report any attendance problems that may arise to the high school administration and to work cooperatively with the administration, parent/guardian, and the student to solve such problems.
   5. To utilize instructional methodology which stimulates and motivates students to attend and achieve.

4. Administrator Responsibilities:
   1. To require all students to attend assigned classes and study halls.
   2. To inform parents, students, and staff of school and district attendance regulations.
   3. To supervise and administer the attendance policy and regulations.
   4. To maintain accurate records on student attendance and to publish a legible list of daily absences.
   5. To inform the student and his/her parent/guardian to resolve attendance problems.
   6. To assist and support teachers with the implementation of attendance procedures.

NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCES

Parents or guardians are asked to notify the school each time their child is absent from school unless the absence is a school activity.  If there has been no notification of the absence prior to 9:00 a.m., the school will call the home and every reasonable effort will be made to contact a parent.  All students at Watertown High School will be allowed a maximum of 10 absences per block, per semester. 

1.      Parents or guardians may contact the school to excuse their child’s absence by calling the attendance office at 882-6354 or by visiting the principal’s office.  The attendance office will not accept a note or letter to excuse a student from school.  An absence will be considered unexcused if a parent is contacted and they are not aware of the absence or the reason for the absence.

2.      Students arriving to school after classes have begun must first report to the attendance office.  

LEAVING DURING THE SCHOOL DAY

1.      When a student needs to leave school during school hours for any reason other than school activities, authorization must be granted from the attendance, nurse, or principal’s office. 

2.      Students are only allowed to leave school during the day after their parent or guardian has stopped in or called the school.  If a parent/guardian cannot be reached, the emergency contact person will be notified.  The student will not be dismissed if no contact is made with a legal parent/guardian or emergency contact person.

3.      When students leave school, they must check out with the attendance secretary, assistant principal, or nurse.  If the student is at a multi-district class, that student must check out at the multi-district office if they plan not to attend their next class.

4.      If a student leaves school without authorization or fails to sign out, the student will be subject to disciplinary consequences as outlined in the Uniform Code of Behavior. 

5.      When students return to school, they must check in at the attendance office before being readmitted to class.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

All students at Watertown High School will be allowed a maximum of 10 absences per block, per semester.

Parents may request that their children be excused from school for the following reasons:    

1.         Parent or Family Request:  student illness, weddings, funerals, and special family events. The school reserves the right to determine whether or not an absence is excused.  If the family/student does not wish to state the reason for the absence, the student may be assigned an unexcused absence for the period(s) absent.

2.          Family Vacation:  All absences of this classification must be requested within reasonable advance notice by the parent or guardian.  The student’s parent/guardian must telephone the attendance office at 882-6354 or visit the assistant principals’ offices stating why and when the student will be absent. Failure to do so may result in the absence being considered unexcused.  

1.      After the student’s parent/guardian has contacted the school, the student must complete a Planned Absence request form at the attendance window.

2.      The Planned Absence sheet must be presented to each teacher prior to the student’s absence to allow them to record advance assignments.  Each teacher will also sign the sheet.

3.      Students will complete work that will be missed in the time specified by the teacher.

3.         Inclement Weather or Poor Road Conditions:  On days of bad weather, parents will have to use their own discretion in sending their children to school.  Road and weather conditions may vary from one end of the school district to the other.

4.         Religious Holidays

5.         Special circumstances upon prior approval by the administration

Any absence other than those listed above may be considered truancy or unexcused.

DOCUMENTED EXCUSED ABSENCES

A Documented Excused Absence is defined as missing one or more periods of class due to a medical appointment, legal appointment, or post-secondary school visit.  Documented absences will not be included in the maximum number of days a student may be absent from school.

1.      Medical, Dental, and Legal Appointments

a.      Medical, dental, and legal appointments that cannot be scheduled after school hours and are necessary to be scheduled during the school day will be excused.  Extended illnesses which can be documented by a physician’s authorization will not be counted against the number of absences allowed each quarter. If the school requests, written verification must be provided by the physician’s office, dentist’s office, or court services’ office stating the time and length of the appointment.

b.     After a student has accumulated 10 absences in a semester and cannot attend school, the student must provide the school with a written medical or legal excuse, signed by a doctor or attorney stating the reason why the student cannot be in school.  If the student fails to provide the proper documentation, the absence will become unexcused and subject to the consequences of the attendance policy. 

c.    In instances of chronic or irregular absence reportedly due to illness, the school administration may request a physician’s statement certifying such absences as to be justifiable.

2.      Post Secondary Visitations

a.      Seniors will be allowed to visit a college, university, or technical school two days during the school year without being counted absent from school, as long as the visit is verified or made by a WHS guidance counselor in student services.  Beginning with the third and all subsequent such visits, the students will be counted absent from school. 

b.      A post-secondary visitation form will be used that the counselor, student, and parent will sign to grant permission for the visitation.  The counselor will then submit this form to the attendance office to notify them of the student’s upcoming absence.

c.      The student must make arrangements to get all of their homework in advance of their absence.    Students with academic, attendance, or discipline issues may be denied the opportunity to make post-secondary visitations.

d.      Many post-secondary and military recruiters visit our school each year.  These visits will be announced in advance and those students who choose to attend must sign up with the guidance counselors in student services and receive permission from their classroom teacher(s).

REWARDS FOR PERFECT ATTENDANCE PER QUARTER

Students who have a perfect attendance record each quarter of the year will earn rewards during the following quarter. Perfect attendance is defined as attending school each quarter without accumulating any tardies or absences.  School activities do not count as an absence.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCE

1.      An Unexcused Absence is defined as a school day or period for which a student chooses to skip an academic or non-academic period, fails to obtain a documented excused absence or is assigned an Out-of-School Suspension or In-School Suspension as a result of inappropriate behavior. 

2.      Examples of absences considered unexcused would include haircuts, tanning appointments, shopping, oversleeping, sleeping in after an activity, studying for another class, in the school building and not in the assigned classroom, work, “skip days”, etc.

3.      Exceeding 10 absences in a block each semester may result in a referral to legal authorities for violation of compulsory attendance laws.

4.      Students who accumulate more than 10 absences in block each semester may be assigned to detention.

CONSEQUENCES FOR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

1.      Each time a student chooses to skip a class or fails to obtain a documented excused absence when necessary, the student will be assigned to detention before or after school to make up the time that was missed.  The student may also lose open lunch or Senior Privileges.

2.      If the student chooses not to attend the detention, the student will receive additional disciplinary consequences.  The student may be referred to law enforcement for truancy, may be assigned ISS, and may be required to attend an after school meeting with parents and administration.

3.      Students assigned to ISS are required to complete the work assigned in classes during their time in ISS. Students will receive credit for the completed assignments from that day.

4.   Students assigned OSS may be placed in After School Study Hall to complete work missed during the OSS.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES FOR 4 OR MORE ABSENCES IN ONE QUARTER

1.      Following the fourth (4 th) absence in a class period per quarter term, the Attendance Office or designee shall notify the parent by letter, and the teacher is highly encouraged to contact the parent or guardian by telephone. 

2.      The purpose of the letter to the parent or guardian is to inform the parent of the immediate attendance concerns and possibility of loss of credit following an 8^th absence in a class period per quarter term.

 3.    Following the eighth (8th) absence in a class period per quarter term, the Attendance Office shall notify the Principal’s Office. The Principal or designee will contact the parent or guardian to set up a Student Assistance Team meeting (SAT) and determine the course of action. The SAT will consist of building administrators, guidance counselor, and teachers as designated by a building administrator.

4.   In the absence of an SAT plan, the Principal or designee will determine consequences according to WHS attendance policy. 

5.   If the student does lose credit for a class, the student will remain in that class to earn the privilege of a credit recovery program. 

6.     If the student’s behavior is unacceptable in class, the student will be placed in a directed study hall for the remainder of the quarter and would be disqualified from a credit recovery program for that class. 

7.     The student’s transcript will show the code W/F (Withdraw/Fail) for the class.

MAKE-UP WORK FOR ABSENCES

1.      A student shall have the opportunity to make up school work missed due to any absence; however, it shall be the responsibility of the teacher to initiate the make-up procedure and to make appropriate arrangements for any make-up work with the student.

2.      Makeup work shall be done only at a time that does not interfere with class instruction.  Request for teacher assistance is encouraged but shall be scheduled at the convenience of the instructor.

3.      Generally the time period allowed for make-up work will be two (2) school days for each day missed.  Students who do not complete make-up work in the time allowed may be given no credit for the incomplete work.

4.      Tests taken on the day of an absence or assigned before the student’s absence must be taken on the first day the student returns to class.  Students will not be allowed additional time to prepare for a test that was previously assigned.  The rationale is that a student who does not test on the day they return from their absence is taking unfair advantage of the testing process.

TARDINESS

1.     Punctuality is an important habit to build. You are tardy if you are not in your assigned classroom when the tardy bell rings.

2.   Upon the 2nd and any additional tardy occurrence to class, detention may be assigned and administered by the teacher.

4.  Tardiness during the school day may be excused only by professional staff members who are responsible for the tardy.

5.   If a student arrives more than 10 minutes tardy to class without a pass, the teacher will notify an assistant principal.  Students who are more than 10 minutes late to class without permission from a staff member will be contacted by an administrator and may be assigned detention or ISS.

Absences for School Activities

Absences for participation in school activities will not be counted for cumulative attendance record purposes.  Student involvement in school-related activities is encouraged unless involvement results in excessive absenteeism or has a detrimental effect on classroom work. Maintaining the proper ratio of academics to activities is the combined responsibility of school officials, parents, and students.

Absences by Students Under 16 years of Age (Compulsory Attendance)