ATTENDANCE POLICY 2009-2010
Students at Thomas Starr Middle School must attend school everyday and arrive on time to all classes 100% of the time. Absences must be verified.
Students with five or more unverified/unexcused absences in the current school year will be referred to Operation Bright Future (OBF). Regardless of whether an absence is verified, unverified, excused, or unexcused, parents or guardians must always notify the school of a student’s absence.
VERIFIED LEGAL ABSENCE
- Illness absence with a doctor’s note or authorization by school nurse or other authorized school official.
- Exclusion from school supported by written documentation by nurse or other authorized school official.
- Medical appointments; verified by a written note from a doctor.
- Quarantine of the home; verified by the health department.
- Funeral due to the death of a member of the student’s immediate family (1 day, within the state; 3 days, outside the state).
- Absences for justifiable personal reasons, with prior written request and written approval from the principal or authorized school official, such as an appearance in court, attendance at a funeral service, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his or her religion, attendance at a religious retreat, or attendance at an employment conference. Written proof of attendance regarding justifiable personal reasons is needed for verification.
- Any other absence with prior written approval from the principal will be verified.
TRUANCY:
Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse on three occasions or tardy for more than 30 minutes in a school day on three occasions in one school year, is a truant. OBF will contact the parents of students with five or more unverified/unexcused absences and direct them to attend a General Assembly. If necessary, OBF will also direct those families to a City Attorney Hearing and the School Attendance Review Board. When all efforts to prevent truancy fail, a referral is made to the City Attorney’s Office and parents or guardians may be subject to prosecution for an infraction or misdemeanor. Please see Griselda Hernandez, PSA Counselor for further information on compulsory education laws and/or assistance.