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Attendance

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS

York School District Number One will comply with the laws and regulations as set forth by the Local and State Boards of Education, S.C.  CODE R43-274, S.C. CODE 59-65-90 and the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974. Absences in High School are accrued per course. Any absence in excess of 10 may cause the student to lose credit for a 180-day course. The first 10 absences may be lawful, unlawful, or a combination. ALL absences beginning with the eleventh must be lawful. In accordance with the law, excessive absences can determine a student’s promotion or retention status.

 

Furthermore, any absence in excess of 5 may cause the student to lose credit for a 90-day / semester course. The first 5 absences may be lawful, unlawful, or a combination. All absences beginning with the sixth must be lawful.  Parents are encouraged to routinely monitor student attendance by accessing the information through PowerSchool.  If a parent/guardian has a question the school attendance office should be contacted as soon as possible.

 

Lawful absences include:

 

  1. Absences for CHRONIC or EXTENDED illness.  Such absences will be recorded as “MEDICAL” if verified by a physician's statement within 3 days of the student’s return to school.
  2. Documented MEDICAL absences.
  3. Absences due to a recognized religious holiday of the student's faith when approved in advance. Such requests must be made to the principal or designee in writing.
  4. Absences due to college or career visitations.   Documentation on college letterhead or proper shadowing forms must be provided for each visit.  Students are allowed 1 per semester (2 each year).
  5. Absences due to an illness or death in the student's immediate family verified by a statement from the parent within three (3) days of the student's return to school.  The statement should contain the following: the reason for the absence; the name of the person that is deceased; and the location of the arrangements.  A copy of a funeral program or an obituary is acceptable.
  6. Absences due to activities that are approved in advance by the principal. This would include absences for extreme hardships. Such approval should be prearranged when possible.

 

Unlawful absences include:

  1. Absences of a student without the knowledge of his or her parents.
  2. Absences of a student without acceptable cause with the knowledge of his or her parents.
  3. Suspension is not to be counted as an unlawful absence for truancy purposes.

 

Exceptions:

  1. Students who have reoccurring absences due to a serious illness or medical condition may be eligible for intermittent or regular homebound services. 
  2. Applications should be picked up promptly in the Counseling Office, filled out by a physician and then turned in to the District Office to determine eligibility for homebound services.
  3. If a student has missed school due to extenuating circumstances or hardship, then an appeal must be presented in writing to the principal.

 

There will be no student dismissal after 3:10 pm.  Please note:  missing more than 20 minutes of any class will result in an absence

Attendance Make Up Policy:

In order to receive one Carnegie unit of credit, a student must be in attendance at least 120 hours per unit, regardless of the number of days missed.  Therefore, York Comprehensive High School allows students whose excessive absences are approved to make up work missed to satisfy the 120-hour requirement. All make-up time and supporting documentation must be submitted to the attendance office within 30 days from the last day of the course. The principal may extend the time for completion of the requirement due to extenuating circumstances as prescribed by state board of education guidelines.

 

Stipulations

 

Students will have the following opportunities to makeup time:

 

  • After School ARC: The ARC lab will be open 4 days a week after school for 1.5 hours per day. After School ARC will begin during the 2nd The ARC lab will be open for a minimum of 6 weeks each semester. After School ARC attendance recovery is at no cost to the student.
  • Saturday School: We will have 3 Saturday School opportunities this year. Saturday School hours will be from 8:00 am until 3:30 pm. The cost to attend Saturday School will be $10 per day.
  • Summer Attendance Recovery: We will hold Summer Attendance Recovery and from 8:00 to 1:00 pm each day for three weeks. Summer Attendance Recovery will cost $25 per week.
  • Students will not be allowed to make up time with teachers before or after school. The only recovery time allowed will be time made up during After School ARC, Saturday School, and Summer Attendance Recovery.

 

Regulations For Attendance Make-Up

  • Students will be informed by the attendance office or administration if they will be required to participate in attendance make-up.
  • Students will be responsible for being on time and bringing enough classroom materials with them for the entire make-up session.
  • There will be no sleeping or disruptions during the stay. Students will be asked to leave and the time stayed will not count. Misbehavior will not be tolerated.
  • Students must provide their own transportation to and from the school and should be off campus 5 minutes after the conclusion of the make-up session.

 

Truancy:

 

Although the state requires students to only attend 170 of the 180-day school year, parents and students should be aware that S.C. Code of   Regulations - Chapter 43-274 stipulates that a child ages 6 to 17 years is considered truant when the child has three consecutive unlawful absences or a total of five unlawful absences.

 

Interventions

In order to encourage and assist students in attending school regularly, the school will administer the following intervention procedures:

 

  • Once a student is determined to be truant, school officials will make every reasonable effort to meet with the parent/legal guardian to identify the reasons for the student’s continued absence, including telephone calls, home visits, written messages and e-mails.
  • A written intervention plan will be developed by school officials in conjunction with the student and the parent/legal guardian.
  • Refusal by the parent/legal guardian to cooperate with school intervention planning can result in a referral of the student to family court and the filing of a report against the parent/legal guardian with social services in accordance with law.

 

If the situation continues to where the student is classified as a habitual truant, school officials may file a petition for a school attendance order.  Once a school attendance order has been issued by the family court and the student continues to accumulate absences to the point of becoming a chronic truant, school officials may refer the case back to family court.

What Do I Do If My Child Refuses To Go To School?

First, call the attendance clerk and report the problem. If your child continues to miss school unlawfully, an administrator (or designee) from your child’s school will schedule an intervention conference with you and your child. At that time a plan will be devised to improve your child's attendance. If your child continues to miss school unlawfully, his/her case will be referred to an attendance supervisor or social worker. The attendance supervisor or social worker will convene a conference with you and your child regarding his/her attendance problem. If your child continues to miss school unlawfully, the case may be referred to Family Court for further intervention.

 

Summer School

The district may offer a summer program whenever finances are available and there is enough interest by students and parents/legal guardians for such a program. The district will operate the summer program in accordance with state board of education regulations and standards required by the state department of education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

 

For students in grades 9-12, a school may award credit only for courses in summer school programs, either district-wide or school-site, that meet all regulatory requirements. Students must have between a 50-59 in a course to recover the course. If a student has a grade below 50, he or she will be required to take the full course as initial recovery.

 

Schools may charge students to cover the expenses of staffing, providing instructional materials, textbooks and other expenses directly related to the instructional program of the summer school.