STUDENT ATTENDANCE POLICY

 

Attendance is mandated by Rhode Island General Laws 16-19-1.  Regular attendance is absolutely necessary for academic success, as it develops a sense of responsibility, which is indispensable for survival in the workplace.

 

 

Policy Adopted:      March 20, 1972                    CRANSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Policy Amended:    July 16, 2007                        CRANSTON, RI.

Resolution No.:      07-7-21

 

MINIMUM ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS 

 

Students in grades 9-12 must be in regular attendance for a minimum of 90% of their course work per quarter.  Students with excessive (more than five(5) unexcused class absences) will have their term grade reduced by 10 points of their quarterly grade.  Students enrolled in minor classes (3 meetings per cycle) will receive a 10 point deduction for more than three(3) unexcused class absences. 

 

The following shall not be considered absences and shall not count against students:

 

  • Absence from class due to in-school or out-of-school suspension
  • Absence from class due to attendance at school-sponsored events
  • Absence from class due to attendance at scheduled meetings with school personnel
  • Absences from class due to religious observance

 

The following excused absences determined by the regulations of the Truancy Court:

 

  • Illness confirmed by a Doctor’s note within 2 days of return to school
  • Dental appointments confirmed by a Dentist’s note within 2 days of return to school
  • Family bereavement confirmed with a newspaper obituary or death notice
  • Legal/court obligations confirmed by a note from the courts
  • Verifiable college and military appoints, prior permission from the Guidance Department and appointment verifications forms are required

 

All notes must be submitted within two days of the student’s return to school.

 

Students that have absences exempted from counting against the 90% minimum requirement are still required to complete and turn in all make-up work missed due to their absence.

 

ABSENCE, TARDINESS AND DISMISSALS

 

  1. Parents should call the school at 270-8049 for Cranston West or 270-8126 for Cranston East to report a student’s absence.  Students who are absent or suspended will not be allowed to report to school or to attend any school activity during the period of absence or suspension.
  2. If a student is absent (unexcused) from a class or classes in excess of five (5) times per quarter, the teacher will lower the student’s quarterly grade by ten points.

 

ABSENCE, TARDINESS AND DISMISSALS (CONTINUED)

 

  1. Absences or dismissals by the school nurse are considered excused.
  2. Family vacations during school time will not be excused by the School Committee Policy unless previously approved by the school department.
  3. Parents wishing to appeal an attendance-related grade reduction should submit a written appeal to the Administration in the following order:  Assistant Principal, Principal, Superintendent, School Committee.
  4. Excessive tardiness to school is unacceptable.  Students who accumulate more than three (3) unexcused tardies per semester will receive detention for each subsequent tardy according to school department policy.  Should excessive tardiness become a serious or chronic problem, a student may be assigned Alternative Discipline Program, could be suspended out of school, Saturday Detention, or receive social probation.  All days tardy beyond the 3 per semester will result in disciplinary consequences unless excused with verifiable documentation (i.e., doctor’s note, dental note, legal obligation, etc).  All notes must be submitted on the day the student is tardy or least by the next school day.

A student who arrives late to class more than half way through the class, regardless of the class, will be considered absent from that class.

  1. Students with unexcused tardies after 11:00 am are considered absent and are ineligible to participate in athletics or extra curricular activities on that day.  Should the tardiness occur on the last day before a weekend, the student will be likewise, ineligible to participate in school related activities or athletics.
  2. Personal family appointments, which can be scheduled during non-school hours, will be included in absence and tardy totals.
  3. The classroom teacher will assign students who are tardy to class without an acceptable or verifiable reason appropriate disciplinary action.  Students who are habitually tardy will be referred to the administration.

 

ABSENCE, TARDINESS AND DISMISSALS (CONTINUED)

 

  1. Students who miss a class period or a whole day of school without permission will be considered truant.  All students who are determined to be truant will be subject to disciplinary action and will receive no credit (zero) for all work missed or due during the truancy.
  2. Students may be dismissed from school with a parental note, with an acceptable reason.  All dismissals will be excused only with verifiable documentation by a doctor, dentist, legal obligation, death, religious observance, etc.  These notes from verifiable sources or appointment verification forms must be turned in to the Main Office by the next school day that the student is present.
  3. Students dismissed from school are ineligible to participate in athletics or extra curricular activities on that day or the ensuing weekend should it occur on the day before a weekend.  Students may be allowed to participate in these situations with administrative approval.

 

  1. For eligibility purposes with respect to extra curricular activities and athletics, students dismissed for medical, dental, legal appointments, etc., must have such dismissal pre-approved by an administrator or designee.  Upon the student’s return to school from the appointment, verification documentation must be turned in to the office or to the coach or activity advisor, if school has ended, to be eligible to participate (parental notes will not suffice.)  Any student clinically dismissed by the nurse due to illness may not return to school and is ineligible to participate in athletics or school activities.

 

MAKE UP POLICY

 

A student absent from school from one (1) to three (3) days will have one (1) class meeting per absence to make up missed work beginning on the initial day they return to school.

 

For students absent or suspended from school for a period of more than three (3) days, school work may be requested by the parent/guardian.  A twenty-four (24) hour notice for such requests is required and will be made available by teachers through the main office.  Students suspended from school will be allowed to make up all work as dictated by this policy.

 

In the event that a student is absent on the day a long-term project/assignment is due, the grade for that assignment will be reduced at the discretion of the teacher.  Should the student submit  verifiable documentation for the absence (medical, dental note, etc.), the grade reduction may be waived.  Serious long-term illness make-up will be made up at the discretion of the teacher(s) and guidance counselor.

Any student that makes arrangements with a teacher to make-up work at an arranged time and fails to do so will be assigned a zero (0) for the work in question.

 

FINAL EXAMS

 

  1. Final exams are required in every course in grades 9 through 12.  The final exam grade for each course will be weighted 15% of the final grade. 
  2. An exam schedule is published in June.  Senior high school students are expected to report for their scheduled final  exams and must remain in the exam room for the entire period.  Depending on the schedule, students may be dismissed following their exams.

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR EXAMS

 

1.      Final exams will be administered in all courses.  Seniors with a grade point average of 90 or above may be exempt from their final exam in the courses with that average.

2.      Should a student be tardy to an exam without an excuse or prior administrative approval, he/she will be admitted to the exam and  allowed to take the exam during the remaining time in the exam period only.

3.      If a student is going to be absent from an exam and wishes to be granted the opportunity to take a make-up exam, a parent must contact the administration in writing or by phone (Main Office) prior to the start of the exam.

4.      If a student is absent from an exam and the administration has not been contacted in advance, the student will not be given a make-up exam and will receive a grade of zero.

5.      Make-up exams will be given at a time to be determined by the teacher.

6.      All students must remain in the testing site until the conclusion of the exam period.     

 

Regulations Adopted:      March 20, 1972        CRANSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Regulations Revised:       August 20, 1990      Cranston, Rhode Island

Regulations Revised:       July 16, 2007

Resolution No.:                  07-7-21