Attendance Office:

Mr. Sparks 330-636-3211

After Hours Call Off 330-636-3207
Mrs. Laux 330-636-3206
Mrs. Mirosavich 330-636-3208

Absences- Excessive Absentee Reporting Tardiness to Class/School Truancy Planned Absences Vacations

ABSENCES AND ATTENDANCE. Regular attendance is essential to success in school since discussions and work done in class can never be fully recovered. Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all Medina High School students. When in attendance, students are expected to be in all classes and study halls. Attendance and promptness to school is the responsibility of each student and his/her parent/guardian. It is also the responsibility of each student and parent/guardian to use discretion in scheduling planned absences and early dismissals from school.

The Ohio Department of Education has a definitely stated policy regarding absences from school (3321.04 RC). In brief, the policy is as follows:

Absences from school for any reason other than those listed below and recommended by the State Department of Education is not acceptable and will carry disadvantages to the student. Those reasons acceptable by the State of Ohio and Medina High School are:

1. Personal illness (may require doctor’s VERIFICATION).

2. Illness in the immediate family (requiring doctor’s orders or parent need, that the student remain at home).

3. Medical, Dental, or Legal appointments (may require formal verification).

4. Death of a relative.

5. Religious holidays. (A student may be excused for the purpose of observing a religious holiday, provided it is required by his religion. If observance of such holiday only requires attendance at a religious service, the student should attend such service before or after school, if possible.)

6. Other emergencies or circumstances that constitute good and sufficient cause as determined by a house principal or the attendance officer.

ABSENCES - EXCESSIVE. There is a positive correlation between a child’s attendance and achievement. Class attendance is important because it is not possible to make up totally that which is missed. Each classroom experience is an important part of the child’s education.

The primary responsibility for school attendance is placed with the parents. The parent is responsible for permitting only those absences that can be excused under the recommendations of the State Department of Education and the regulations of Medina High School.

A student who misses more than seven (7) meetings of any class per semester for any reason, excused or unexcused, will be considered not to have earned credit for that class. *See Loss of Credit appeals process.

The only exceptions to this rule are:

1. Hospitalization for an extended period of time.

2. Epidemic - quarantine called for by a physician.

3. School-sponsored activities and trips.

4. Any situation or emergency as declared by the school administration.

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ABSENCE REPORTING. Parents are responsible for informing the school of his/her child’s absence and the reason for the absence before 8:30 a.m. on the day of the absence. Parent/guardians may leave a message the night before or prior to 8:30 a.m. The message should include the following information:

Student’s name and grade

Date(s) of absence and return date, if known

Reason for absence

Phone number where parent/guardian can be reached

These calls may be subject to verification by the Attendance Office.

Upon receiving the absent list for the day, an automated all system will telephone all parents who have not notified the school of their child’s absence; therefore, parent/guardians shall provide the school with their current home and/or work telephone numbers as well as emergency telephone numbers. By law, the primary purpose of this contact is to ensure that the parent is aware of the student’s absence from school.

After being absent for part of a school day or if a student arrives after 7:40 A.M., he/she must report to the Attendance Office before reporting to class to sign in on the attendance sheet. Students not providing a note or having a call to verify an absence within two (2) school days will have the absence deemed unexcused and no credit would be issued for work missed.

TARDINESS TO CLASS/SCHOOL

A tardy is defined as arrival to school or class after the tardy bell has rung. It is strongly suggested that a student be in his/her seat prior to bell sounding to avoid any misunderstandings. If a student arrives late but before 7:40 A.M., he/she is to report directly to class. Students must have a hall pass from their last class when late to their next class if a tardy is to be avoided. If a student is tardy, he/she should report immediately to his/her assigned class where the teacher will record the tardy and respond appropriately to the violation. Any classroom tardy beyond ten (10) minutes will be considered a “class cut.” Each classroom teacher will note any tardiness on the daily attendance slip that is submitted to the attendance office at the end of the day.

As the students accumulate tardies, the following consequences may result:

4 tardies One (1) ASD and parent notification

8 tardies Two (2) ASDs and parent notification

12 tardies Three (3) days of In-School Exclusion

16 tardies Five (5) days of In-School Exclusion

Tardies for Period 2 to the end of day will be managed by individual teachers following the tardy referral process.

Late arrivals in the morning will be counted tardy prior to the end of second period. After that time a one-half (1/2) day absence will be recorded. Late arrivals are to produce a written excuse from their parent/guardian or a doctor/dentist. All tardies are unexcused unless accompanied by a doctor or dentist’s note. Oversleeping, car trouble, and missing the bus are examples of unexcused tardiness. The Principal or his/her designee shall make the final determination between excused and unexcused tardiness.

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TRUANCY. Ohio Revised Code

Habitually truant is defined as a school-aged child who is absent from school without legitimate excuse for five or more consecutive days, seven or more days in a school month, or 12 or more school days in a school year. “School month” defined as four weeks.

Chronic truant is defined as a school-aged child who is absent from school without legitimate excuse for seven or more consecutive days, ten or more school days in a month, or 15 school days in one year.

Legitimate excuse (1) enrollment in another school, (2) bodily or mental condition that prevents attendance, (3) home instruction, (4) demonstrated need to perform duties at home, (5) possession of an age of schooling certificate.

Excused absence (1) illness (illness of a family member), (2) doctor/dentist/legal appointment, (3) funeral, (4) religious observation, (5) other emergency circumstances that constitute good or sufficient cause as determined by the school administrator.

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PLANNED ABSENCE.  The student needs to tell his-her teachers about the absence and make arrangements to make up the work.  The parent needs to call the Attendance Line in advance and give the dates and reason for the student will be missing school, such as vacation, surgery. etc.

The following criteria apply to all Planned Absences:

1. Planned absences are not to be requested during those days established for semester or final examinations.

2. It will be the student's responsibility to make arrangements for makeup work and/or tests missed upon return to school. Students are permitted one day of makeup time per one day of absence. Teachers will not be expected to tutor individual students.

3. All work and/or tests are expected to be made up in the prescribed period of time. Failure to do so will result in "0" credit to be computed in the student's current grading period average.

4. Absence in excess of seven (7) consecutive school days may require individual tutoring at the parent's expense.

5. A college official must verify that a college visit has been successfully completed.

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VACATIONS. While we always encourage activities that give families time together, we do want to stress the importance of school attendance for students. We ask that family vacations be planned for days when school is not in session. A Planned Absence Form can be picked up from the attendance office. All vacation days will be counted toward the student’s seven-day limit.

Students are to make arrangements with the classroom teacher for all makeup work necessary to receive academic credit for the time they were on vacation. Students are not permitted to take exams prior to scheduled times. Makeup tests may be given within a week after the student's return.

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Attendance Guidelines

1. Excessive absence from school shall be a factor when assessing a student's semester or yearly performance for credit purposes.

2. Attendance in class: No credit will be given when a student exceeds the allotted number of days absent for that period of time. However, the student will have the right of appeal to an Attendance Committee that will take the individual case under consideration.

3. Maximum days a student is allowed to be absent from class:

A. Days per course:

1. For a semester course: 7 days

2. For a year course: 14 days (7 days per semester)

4. Absences: What constitutes an absence?

A. Absences may include the reasons cited earlier.

B. Students must be in class more than half a period or they will be considered absent for the period. The teacher will keep the official record in the classroom.

C. Planned absences are considered absent days when determining the total number of days absent from class for any period of time.

D. Late arrivals (to school) and permitted leaves are considered absent periods/days when determining the total number of periods/days absent from class. (Students will not be given permission to leave during the school day without parents' or guardians' consent.)

NOTE: School-related activities or functions are not counted as an absence from class. For example: Calls from the office; assemblies; field trips; sporting events; etc. that are scheduled during school hours.

5. Notifications of attendance problems:

A. Parents and students will be notified of attendance problems prior to loss of credit.

B. Means of notification:

1. Attendance concerns may be noted on mid-period reports by teachers

2. Days absent will be noted on 9-week grade card.

3. An Attendance Warning Letter will be sent home by the attendance officer when a student has reached five periods/days of the allowable absences.

4. Other informal means (e.g. phone calls to parents) may be used as the need arises.

6. Notification of loss of credit:

A. Once a student has accumulated the number of absences to deny him/her credit a letter will be sent home by mail regarding the student's loss of credit and right to appeal.

7. Attendance Committee appeal:

A. Parent Responsibility: All appeals must be heard by the attendance officer. The student and a parent or guardian must be present at the appeal. **It is expected that parents/student bring as much documentation as possible to present during appeals.**

B. It will then be determined whether to grant credit, deny credit, or in some circumstances postpone credit. All determinations will be based on documentation from health professionals, etc. If credit is postponed, students will be required to meet strict attendance guidelines for the next semester, and may be asked to reappear with parents at the end of the following semester for a final determination.

C. Seniors and students who have been denied credit in semester classes may appeal at the end of the semester.

D. Appeal notification: The Attendance Officer will provide written notification to the parent or guardian regarding the appeal decision.

8. Attendance Failures

A. Students who will not receive credit for a first semester class due to the attendance policy will remain in the class second semester.

B. If a student fails a semester course, placement next semester will be dependent upon space availability. Students may find it necessary to take correspondence courses or summer school.

9. Permitted Leave Requests

A. Before 7:25 a.m., or after 1^st period, students needing to leave school before the end of the day should bring to the attendance office, a written note from his/her parents requesting the dismissal. Please include the complete name of student, ID#, reason, and time leaving school. The name will appear on the attendance list along with the time the student is expected to be dismissed. The pass received in the attendance office will allow the student to go to his/her locker and leave the school grounds. If the student returns to school later that day he/she must check into the attendance office. Failure to check into the office may result in disciplinary action.

B. Permitted Leaves will count toward a class

absence.

C. At 7:25 a.m. the attendance office personnel will return students to class to ensure accurate attendance taking first period. Students may return between classes, or during study hall. Students are not to leave an academic class without permission to come to the attendance office for any reason.

10. Seniors and CBI students

A. Any student found on school property with early dismissal privileges and not assigned to a teacher/coach may have his/her early release privileges revoked. Students are not allowed to return to school property until 2:22 p.m.

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ILLNESS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. Whenever a student becomes ill at school and wants to go home, the student will report to his/her house office with a pass from his/her current teacher. A student must sign in. At no time should an ill student remain in a restroom or unsupervised area. No student will be excused to go home unless one of the parents or designee is personally contacted and the school is given permission to release a student. After two attempts have been made to reach a parent without success, the student must return to class. Students will only be permitted to be out of a class for one period.

LEAVING THE SCHOOL. Leaving the school or school grounds without permission violates State Law. Once students arrive on school grounds, they may not leave again without first reporting to the Attendance Office and following proper procedures. Violations of this procedure will result in disciplinary action and referral to Juvenile Court in accordance with the Medina City Day Curfew ordinance 509.09(A).

COLLEGE VISITATIONS. Prior arrangements for students to visit colleges must be made with the guidance counselor. Students are encouraged to make college visitations during times school is in recess and during the summer months. Students are permitted to three (3) visitations during the school year, and will not be counted toward total absences or for exam exemptions.

AFTER HOURS. Students are to be out of the building by 3:00 p.m. each day unless under direct supervision of a staff member. Admittance to school building and grounds is prohibited after hours unless a scheduled event. Unauthorized admittance to a school building could be construed as breaking and entering and/or trespassing.

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