Attendance is one of the biggest indicators of school success. Teachers who come to school late or ran away from school because closing period are all problematic, leaving their responsibilities to other. They should be dealt with as if they did not come to school on the day in question.
Students who attend school regularly are naturally exposed to more than those who are routinely absent. Furthermore, absences can quickly add up. A student who misses an average of twelve days a year from kindergarten through twelfth grade will miss 156 days of school which nearly translate to an entire year. Schools must do everything within their limited power to compel parents to get their children to school.
Adopting and maintaining a strict school attendance policy is a necessity for every school.
School Attendance Policy : Student
Because we are concerned about your child’s safety and well-being, we ask that you notify the school by phone the morning the student is absent by 10:00 AM. Failure to do this will result in the student receiving an UNEXCUSED absence.
Types of absences are:
Excused: An absence due to illness, doctor’s appointment, or serious illness or death of a family member. Students must go to the teachers and request make-up work immediately upon their return. The number of days absent plus one will be allowed for every consecutive day missed. The first five absences will only require a phone call to be excused. However, any absence after five days will require a call and a doctor’s note upon the return of the student to be excused.
Explained: An explained absence (not an absence due to illness, doctor’s appointment, serious illness, or death of a family member) is when a parent/guardian takes the student out of school with the principal’s prior knowledge and approval. Students will be required to obtain assignments for classes to be missed and an assignment form completed before leaving the school.
The assignments will be due on the day the student returns to school. Failure to follow this policy will result in the absence being recorded as an unexcused absence.
Extra-Curricular Activity Absences: Students are allowed 10 activity absences. Activity absence is any absence that is school related or school sponsored. Extra-curricular activities include, but are not limited to, field trips, competitive events, and student activities.
Truancy: A student who leaves school without parental consent or is absent from school on a regular basis without school authorization, or has a high rate of absenteeism shall be reported to the Parents/Guardians who will be compelled to send their child to school or withdraw the child.
Unexcused: An absence in which the student is out of school that does not qualify as excused or explained. The student will be brought to the office for disciplinary action and will receive no credit (0’s) for all class work missed. When a parent does not call to report an absence by 10:00 AM the morning of absence, the school will attempt to reach the parents at home or work. The principal can determine or change an absence from excused to unexcused, or from unexcused to excused.
Excessive Absences:
- A letter will be sent informing any parent when their child has 10 total absences in a term. This letter is meant to serve as a warning that attendance may be becoming an issue.
- A letter will be sent informing any parent when their child has 7 total unexcused absences in a semester. This letter is meant to serve as a warning that attendance is becoming an issue.
- After 10 total absences in a semester, the student will be required to make up each additional absence through assignment and complete copying of missed notes, or they will not be promoted to the next grade level. For example, 15 total absences in a semester will require 5 days of Summer School to make up those days.
- If a student has above 15 unexcused absences in a semester, the parents/guardians will be reported to the principal. The student is also subject to automatic grade retention.
- Attendance letters will be automatically mailed when a student reaches 6 and 10 unexcused absences or 10 and 15 total absences during the school term. This letter is intended to inform the parent/guardian that there is an attendance issue that needs to be corrected along with potential consequences.
- An administrator may make exceptions for extenuating circumstances at their discretion. Extenuating circumstances may include hospitalization, long-term illness, the death of an immediate family member, etc.
School Attendance Policy : Staff
To be a good example, all Teachers are expected to be in school by 7:45am except those on special assignment duly authorized by the Principal. Those who arrived at the gate by 7:46am should consider themselves absent for the day even where they have the opportunity to sign the attendance register below the line We ask that you notify the school Principal of Vice Principal Administration by phone as early as 6:30am. A call after 7:45 will not be taken as notice because you were suppose to be in school already. Failure to do this will result in the Teacher receiving an UNEXCUSED absence.
Types of absences are:
Excused: An absence due to illness, doctor’s appointment, or serious illness or death of a family member. The Teacher if a form master in the case of secondary school or a class Teacher in the case of Primary School must inform the Assistant Headmaster Academics or Vice Principal Academics early enough so that a substitute Teacher can be arranged to continue with the class. If a subject Teacher he/she must go to the Principal with a request on make-up work for the classes missed immediately upon their return. The number of days absent plus one will be allowed for every consecutive day missed. The first five days’ absences will only require a phone call to be excused. However, any absence after five days will require a call and a doctor’s note upon the return of the Teacher to be excused.
Explained: An explained absence (not an absence due to illness, doctor’s appointment, serious illness, or death of a family member) is when a Teacher takes permission from the Management before being absent from the school or with the principal’s prior knowledge and approval. Teachers will be required to give assignments to be marked for classes to be missed and an assignment form completed before leaving the school. The assignments will be collected on the day the Teacher returns to school. Failure to follow this policy will result in the absence being recorded as an unexcused absence.
Extra-Curricular Activity Absences: Teachers are allowed absences as a result of school activities. Activity absence is any absence that is school related or school sponsored. Extra-curricular activities include, but are not limited to, field trips, competitive events, and student activities.
Truancy: A Teacher who leaves school without management consent or is absent from school on a regular basis without school
authorization, or has a high rate of absenteeism shall be recommended to the Schools’ Board Management Committee who will
be compelled to take disciplinary action which could involve dismissal.
Unexcused: An absence in which the Teacher is out of school that does not qualify as excused or explained. The Teacher will be
brought to the office for disciplinary action and will receive salary deductions (0’s) for all class work missed.
Excessive Absences:
A query will be issued informing the teacher concerned when he/she has 5 total absences in a term. This letter is meant to
serve as a warning that attendance may be becoming an issue.
A query will be issued informing the teacher concerned when he/she has 7 total absences in a term. This letter is meant to
serve as a warning that attendance is becoming an issue.
After 10 total absences in a semester, A query will be issued informing the teacher concerned when he/she has 10 total
absences in a term and half a month’s salary deducted
If a student has above 15 unexcused absences. A query will be issued informing the teacher concerned when he/she has 5
total absences in a term. The Teacher is not entitled to the years’ annual increment.
