HONOR ROLL:

 

At the end of each marking period, students who have demonstrated superior academic achievement will be names to the honor roll.  The student must meet all of the following criteria to be named to the honor roll:

 

  • the Student must have a minimum overall weighted average of a 90%;
  • the minimum grade that a student may earn in any subject shall be 80%;
  • a grade of  F, incomplete, or Declared Ineligible for Credit ( lack of attendance in that subject class) will prevent a student from being placed on the honor roll.

 

SACHEM NORTH ATTENDANCE POLICY:

The following attendance policy has been approved by the Sachem Board of Education and submitted to the New York State Education Department in order to be in compliance with the mandated Safe Schools legislation.

Here are the highlights:

Following the attendance policy is not an option. That is, notifying parents of attendance problems, including lateness to class, is required under the safe schools legislation.

Excused absences: personal illness, death in the family, impassable roads or bad weather, religious observance/obligations, quarantine, court required appearances, medical appointments, approved college visits, approved cooperative work programs, military obligations, family emergencies, or other such reasons as may be approved by the superintendent or designee. IT IS THE PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY THE APPROPRIATE SCHOOL OFFICE ON THE DAY OF ABSENCE AND TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN EXCUSE UPON THE STUDENT’S RETURN.

Absences, tardies, and early dismissals are unexcused when they do not meet the above criteria.

Students who develop a “pattern of tardiness” shall have their parents/guardians contacted.

**For high school level courses, more than nine (9) absences (five [5] for alternate day courses) in a semester will result in the denial of credit. HOWEVER, STUDENTS WITH PROPERLY EXCUSED ABSENCES MAY MAKE UP THE WORK IN A TIMELY MANNER AND THOSE ABSENCES WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE MINIMUM ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT.

Upon their return to school, students with excused absences are expected to consult with their teachers regarding missed work.

ONLY THOSE STUDENTS WITH EXCUSED ABSENCES WILL BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE UP A TEST OR OTHER MISSED WORK TO ELIMINATE FROM THE CALCULATIONS UTILIZED IN THE DENIAL OF CREDIT. Make up opportunities must be completed by a date specified by the student’s teacher for the class in question.

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ATTENDANCE

The Board of Education recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success. Through implementation of this policy, the Board expects to reduce the current level of unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures, (referred to in this policy as unexcused ATEDs), encourage full attendance by all students, maintain an adequate attendance record keeping system, identify patterns of student attendance and develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.

Notice

To be successful in this endeavor, it is imperative that all members of the school community are aware of this policy, its purpose, procedures and the consequences of non-compliance. To ensure that students, parents/guardians, teachers, and administrators are notified of and understand this policy, the following procedures shall be implemented:

• The attendance policy will be included in student handbooks and will be reviewed with students at the start of the school year.

• Parents/guardians will receive a plain language summary of this policy by mail at the start of the school year.

• When a student is absent from school, a designated staff member will attempt to notify the students parents/guardians by phone.

• When a student has an unexcused absence from class, which includes leaving school grounds without permission, a designated staff member will attempt to notify the students parents or guardians.

• Each school will communicate the district's attendance policy through various means, including orientation, open school nights, the school newsletter, etc.

• The district will provide a copy of the attendance policy and any amendments thereto to faculty and staff. New staff will receive a copy upon their employment.

• All faculty and staff will meet at the beginning of each school year to review the attendance policy and to clarify individual roles in its implementation.

• Copies of this policy will also be made available to any community member, upon request.

Excused and Unexcused Absences

• Excused ATEDs are defined as absences, tardiness and early departures from class or school when they are due to personal illness, death in the family, impassable roads or weather, religious observance/obligations, quarantine, required court appearances, medical appointments, approved college visits, approved cooperative work programs, military obligations, family emergencies, or such other reasons as may be approved by the superintendent or his designee.

• Absences, tardiness, and early dismissals are unexcused ATEDs when they do not meet the above criteria.

• All absences must be accounted for. It is the parents'/guardians' responsibility to notify the appropriate school office on the day of occurrence of the absence and to provide a written excuse upon the student's return to school.

Tardiness

• Students who are tardy to school shall have this information recorded and reported to their parents/guardians.

• Students who develop a pattern of tardiness shall have their parents/guardians contacted, shall be reminded of the attendance policy, and will be told that the students are subject to the school disciplinary policy.

• Students who are late to school by a significant amount of time shall have their parents/guardians contacted.


General Procedures/Data Collection

• Attendance will be taken during each class period at the secondary level.

• At the conclusion of each class period or school day, all attendance information shall be compiled and provided to the designated staff member(s) responsible for attendance.

• The nature of an ATED shall be coded on a student's record.

• Student ATED data and reports shall be available to and should be reviewed by the designated school personnel in an expeditious manner.

• Where additional information is received that requires corrections to be made to a student's attendance records, such correction will be made immediately. Notice of such a change will be sent to appropriate school personnel subject to applicable confidentiality rules.

• Data will be monitored and analyzed periodically to identify trends in student attendance.


Attendance Incentives

• The district will design and implement systems to be approved by the Board of Education which are to acknowledge a student’s efforts to maintain or improve school attendance.


Disciplinary Consequences

• Unexcused ATEDs will result in disciplinary action consistent with the district’s code of conduct. Those penalties may include, for example, detention or in-school suspension. Students may also be denied the privilege of participating in or attending extracurricular events.

• In addition, designated staff member(s) will attempt to contact the student’s parents/guardians and the student’s guidance counselor. Such staff member(s) shall remind parents/guardians of the attendance policy, explain the ramifications of unexcused ATEDs, and stress the importance of class attendance and discuss appropriate intervention strategies to correct the situation.


Attendance/Grade Policy and Denial of Credit

• The Board of Education recognizes an important relationship between class attendance and student performance. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes.

• Consistent with the importance of classroom participation, unexcused ATEDs may adversely affect a student's class participation grade for the marking period.

• For high school level courses, more than nine (9) absences (five (5) for alternative day courses) in a semester will result in the denial of credit. However, students with properly excused absences may make up the work in a timely manner and those absences will not count toward the minimum attendance standard.

• An unexcused tardy to class of 15 minutes or more shall be considered for the purpose of this policy an unexcused absence.

• To ensure that parents/guardians and students are aware of the implications of this minimum attendance requirement, the teacher or other designated staff member(s) will advise the student and attempt to contact the parents/guardians by telephone and mail at appropriate intervals prior to the student reaching the maximum absences.

• In implementing the policy set forth above, students who are unable to attend school or class on a given day due to their participation in a school sponsored activity (i.e., music lessons, field trips), may arrange with their teachers to make up any work missed. This also applies to any student who is absent, tardy or leaves early from school or a class due to illness or any other excused reason

• Upon their return to school, students with excused absences are expected to consult with their teachers regarding missed work.

• Only those students with excused absences will be given the opportunity to make up a test or other missed work to eliminate the absence from the calculations utilized in the denial of credit. Make up opportunities must be completed by a date specified by the student's teacher for the class in question.


Annual Review

• The Board shall annually review building-level student attendance records and, if such records show a decline in student attendance, the Board shall revise this comprehensive attendance policy and make any revisions to the plan it deems necessary to improve student attendance.


Ref: Education Law 1709; 3024; 3025; 3202; 3205-3213; 3225
8 NYCRR 104.1; 175.6

Adoption Date: June 18, 2002