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INTERVENTIONS <br />When a student exceeds ten cumulative or five consecutive days of tardiness and/or absence in a <br />school year, the school staff will implement interventions designed to help the student meet <br />academic and attendance standards. These interventions might involve referral to a member of <br />the student services staff and/or the school's student assistance program team. Students' <br />parents or guardians should be involved in this design process. <br />CONSEQUENCES FOR EXCESSIVE ABSENCES <br />Excessive absenteeism is likely to result in inadequate academic performance, which could in turn <br />affect promotion to the next grade level and/or course credit. Specific additional consequences <br />are outlined below. <br />1. Elementary (K-5) <br />After 16 absences or incidents of tardiness, a parent conference will be held to determine <br />strategies for helping the student meet academic and attendance standards. This <br />conference could be part of ongoing parent contacts resulting from interventions already in <br />place. <br />2. Middle School (6-13) <br />After a student accumulates more than 16 absences he/she will receive credit for neither <br />incomplete nor new makeup work. The student will retain credit for makeup work <br />completed before this threshold was reached. <br />3. High School (9-12) <br />A student with more than 16 absences in a yearlong course, or an equivalent <br />number for shorter terms, shall lose credit for that course. <br />Parents and students must be notified about this regulation in writing at the beginning of the <br />school year and informed in writing in the event the student exceeds the 16-day limit. Schools <br />must have in place an appeals process for students/families with extenuating circumstances that <br />impact attendance. <br />APPEALS OF CONSEQUENCES FOR EXCESSIVE ABSENCES <br />Appeals of decisions resulting from excessive absences can be requested after student/parent <br />notification. Appeals will be processed by the end of the applicable school year. This process <br />should have the following elements: <br />1. Appeals will only be processed if the student has earned a passing grade. <br />2. Requests for an appeal must be signed by the student and parent(s)/guardian(s). <br />3. Parents should be strongly encouraged to participate in the appeals process. <br />4. The appeal should be considered by the principal or his/her designee, a teacher <br />to whom the student is not assigned, and a member of either the student services staff or <br />an identified attendance committee at the school. This panel can approve the appeal <br />without holding a hearing, but cannot deny the appeal without a hearing. <br />5. Appeals panels should consider the number of absences/tardies due to the following: <br />illnesses, quarantine, deaths in the immediate family, medical and/or dental appointments, <br />court or administrative proceedings, religious observances, principal-approved educational <br />opportunities, suspensions, and conditions which lead to designation of a student as <br />"medically fragile" or "other health impaired" under state and federal laws. <br />6. Parents should be notified regarding the outcome of the appeal by US Mail. <br />Attendance p. 2 of 3 <br />