Attendance

Passes for leaving school – early dismissal.

  • Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds at any time during the school day without an excuse from the office.
  • If you must leave the building because of illness or any emergency, it will be necessary for you to be released by the nurse or the office. Parents will need to sign students out of school.
  • If you plan to leave the building during the day for an appointment or other reasons, you must bring an excuse from your parents or guardians and pick up an early dismissal slip in the office before school.
  • When it is necessary to come back to school from an appointment, check in at the office before going to class.

ATTENDANCE SUGGESTIONS

School Board Policy 501.3 requires:

  • Student attendance from age six to sixteen.
  • Not less than a total of 145 days of attendance in any one school year.

Students should attend school unless excused by the principal of their attendance center. It shall be the responsibility of the parent to notify the student’s attendance center as soon as the parent knows the student will not be attending school on that day. The principal may request evidence or written verification of the student’s reason for absence. Truant students will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

HALL PASSES

Students are not permitted in the halls during class periods unless they are accompanied by a teacher or have a hall pass in their possession.

LEAVING SCHOOL DURING THE DAY

Students are not permitted to leave school during the day without a parent. Exceptions will be made for a medical or dental appointment. If a student needs to leave during the day for an appointment, a written note must be sent to the office stating the reason and the time the child must leave.

If there is no written note, a parent must come to the office to sign the student out.

WRITTEN EXCUSE FROM PARENTS

Each student who has been absent from school must bring a written excuse from his/her parents which includes:

  1. Name of student
  2. Date (s) of absence
  3. Reason for absence
  4. Signature or parent

Any suspension will be counted as an absence. If an excuse is not presented to the office upon a student’s return, attendance may be denied or the student may be sent home for the excuse.

TRUANCY

Iowa’s compulsory attendance law requires parents to send children to school. The school must keep records of each instance of truancy. In Maquoketa an unexcused absence or tardiness is considered an act of truancy (Board Policy 501.1).

Only the principal can approve an excused absence. Examples of excused absences include illness, a doctor’s appointment, family emergency, religious observances, etc. Examples of unexcused absences include, baby-sitting, shopping, hunting, etc. An unexcused tardy in which the child does not report to school before 9:00 A.M. will be counted as an act of truancy.

If there is a concern about a child’s attendance, the principal or his/her designee will contact the parent in writing to explain the problem and include copies of the District Policy and Procedures.

MAKE-UP WORK

When a student is absent from school, it is his/her responsibility to see that the work missed is made up.

  • On his/her return,  the student should find out from each teacher what work is to be made up and turn it in in the time allotted.
  • Grades for missing periods may be lowered if work is not made up on time.
  • Students with excessive overdue make-up work will be restricted from activities until satisfactory progress is made.

Students missing school for any reason, other than illness or emergency situations, should obtain clearance with the office, complete make-up work for the time to be missed  before the period of absence.

Two other reasons for which an excused absence may be granted shall be authorized religious holidays and school-sponsored or approved activities.

Students may be excused from school for dental and medical appointments when these cannot be made during off school hours. School physical exams must be scheduled during off school hours unless cleared in advance with the principal or activity director. Physical exams should be scheduled after school or on Saturdays whenever possible. Students will not be excused during school hours for hair appointments, shopping trips, babysitting or jobs. Such items as personal athletic equipment and other school supplies cannot be obtained during school hours

WITHDRAWAL

When a student leaves school:

  • He/she must get a withdrawal slip from the office.
  • He/she must take the slip to all his/her teachers and the librarian and return the form with their signatures to the office.
  • A parental release to transfer records should be filed with the office.

All fines or obligations should be taken care of before a student is cleared from school. Records will not be forwarded until the above procedures have been followed.