ATTENDANCE

Philosophical Basis

School administrators are required under state law to enforce compulsory school attendance laws. Regular attendance by students facilitates the development of the skills and knowledge necessary to function in a modern democratic society.

A student who drops out of school during a semester cannot return to the regular school program during that semester without official permission from the superintendent or designee. Pending investigation of the request, the student may be assigned to an alternative program.

Student Responsibilities

• To take advantage of educational opportunities by attending classes daily and punctually.
• To provide the school with an adequate explanation and appropriate documentation indicating the reason for an absence.
• To promptly request makeup assignments for each excused absence.

Student Rights

• To be informed of Board policies and individual school rules regarding absenteeism and tardiness.
• To appeal a decision pertaining to an absence.
• To make up class work within a specified length of time when there is an excused absence.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE POLICY

It is the policy of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education that regular school attendance is important to all students, the school system, and the community. It is further believed that course content and grading procedures should be structured in such a way that regular attendance is necessary to successfully complete course requirements.

Subject to parental guidance, students must be responsible for their attendance. Administrators and teachers shall make every effort to encourage regular attendance by students and solicit assistance from parents to accomplish this objective.

Attendance

The school has a responsibility to students and parents/guardians to help encourage regular student attendance. School officials will attempt to contact parents of students who are reported absent by their homeroom teachers. Subject area teachers will record all absences on the student’s report cards for each six-week grading period. Students are responsible to see that their parents/guardian receive the report cards.

1. Absence from School
   
   All absences from school shall be designated as excused or unexcused. School related absences, approved by the principal, will not count as absences. Absences resulting from suspensions will be marked as unexcused. Elementary and middle school students who accumulate ten (10) or more absences during the school year will be required to submit an official statement from the courts or a physician explaining each absence for the remainder of the school year. High school students who accumulate five (5) or more absences during the term will be required to submit an official statement from the courts or a physician explaining each absence for the remainder of the term. Failure to provide an official statement from the courts or a physician will result in the absence being marked as unexcused.
   
   There are acceptable reasons for which students may be absent from school; therefore, it may be necessary for students to be given opportunities to do make-up class assignments or tests missed because of these absences. The following reasons will be accepted in classifying excused absences:
   1. Personal Illness - Students who are too ill to attend school, or who are infectious/contagious to others, must have parental documentation presented to school officials.
   2. Hospitalization - A hospital release form must be presented to school officials.
   3. Emergency - Absence must be documented by proper authorities and be presented to school officials.
   4. Death in the immediate family - Documentation from parent/guardian must be presented to school to officials.
   5. Court Subpoena - (City, county, state, federal) the subpoena or a statement from the courts must be presented to school officials.
   6. Religious Holidays - As approved by the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education; Parental documentation must be presented to school officials.
   7. Absences approved by the principal.
      
      
2. Make-up Work
   
   Students absent for an excused reason shall be allowed to do make-up work at an appropriate time determined by the teacher. The student has the responsibility to request make-up work within five (5) days after returning to school. The period for make-up work may be lengthened in cases involving extended absences which are validated and excused. Students may not be given make-up work for unexcused absences such as (1) truancy as determined by the school; (2) suspension from school; or (3) detainment in a detention facility. After careful investigation of extenuating circumstances, make-up work may be considered by the principal and selected personnel.
   
   
3. Excessive Excused Absences
   
   The principal is charged with the responsibility of determining whether a student is abusing excused absences. An investigation of excessive excused absences will be conducted by the principal and the attendance supervisor. If abuse is determined, the principal may require official verification of excused absences from the parents/guardians, doctors, Juvenile Court or the Department of Human Services.
   
   
4. Early Warning Program for Unexcused Absences
   
   The Early Warning Program requires principals to submit a weekly report to the attendance supervisor listing the names and addresses of all students within the compulsory attendance age (7 - 16) who have five (5) or more unexcused absences. These students and parents will be referred to the Early Warning Truancy Prevention Program at the Tuscaloosa County Juvenile and Family Court. At the Early Warning Conference, the parents and students will be informed of the laws regarding the compulsory attendance and court procedures for enforcing the laws and consequences for continuous violation of the compulsory attendance law. The Alabama Compulsory Attendance Law requires children between the ages of seven and sixteen to attend school. The law also states parents/guardians having control over school-age children are responsible for the children’s regular attendance and proper conduct.
   
   
5. Excessive Unexcused Absences
   
   The principal has the final authority at the school building level to make decisions regarding excessive unexcused absences in the categories listed below:
   1. After an investigation has been made the principal and the attendance supervisor, a student, not mandated by the State of Alabama to attend school, who accumulates five (5) or more unexcused absences during the, term may be withdrawn for the remainder of the semester. The student will be afforded due process prior to consideration for withdrawal.
   2. After an investigation has been made by the principal and/or attendance supervisor regarding unexcused absences, students in grades 9 - 12 who accumulate five (5) or more unexcused absences during a term may be denied course credit by the principal. The student will be afforded due process prior to credit denial.
   3. Students who are sixteen years of age or older and who are consistently truant from school may be withdrawn from school after an investigation of the truancy has been made by the principal and the attendance supervisor.
      
      
6. Absence to Accompany Parents on a Trip
   
   A student’s absence from school to accompany their parents/guardians on a trip is NOT an excused absence except as determined in advance by the principal.
   
   
7. Absence Due to Medical Appointments
   
   Every effort should be made to schedule medical or dental appointments outside of school hours; however, if an exception is necessary, the student must report back to school at the appropriate time. The student must supply a statement from the doctor upon request from the principal.
   
   
8. Parent Excuse Covering Absences
   
   State law requires parents/guardians to explain the reason for any absence of a student under their control or supervision. The parent/guardian must submit a written statement explaining the reason(s) for the absence within two school days after the student returns to school. If notice has not been received within the two-day time period, the student will be considered truant or absent without acceptable reason. In accordance with State Law and Board Policy, the determination of whether an absence is “excused” or “unexcused” will be made by the principal.
   
   
9. Tardiness
   
   Students are required to attend school and classes on time each day. Individual schools will devise rules which will insure compliance with this regulation.
   
   
10. Check-Outs from School
    
    1. Students who leave school for any reason must check out through the principal’s office.
    2. Parental verification will be necessary for students to check out of school.
    3. The reason for the request will determine whether the absence from any part of the school day will be excused.
    4. Students with excused check-outs will be permitted to do make-up work if procedures are followed.
       
       
11. Dropping Out/Withdrawing from School
    
    Students who drop out or withdraw from school during any given semester cannot return to the regular school program during the semester in which they dropped out or withdrew without official permission from the superintendent and/or designee. Pending investigation of the request, the student may be assigned to an alternative program.
    
    
12. Attendance Zones
    
    School principals are responsible for determining whether students attending their school reside within their school attendance zone. If the school principals are unable to make this determination, they will request assistance from the attendance supervisor. Students must have permission from the superintendent to attend a school outside of their school zone.
    
    Note: ALL APPEALS MUST BE IN WRITING
    
    School Events
    
    The principal and the faculty will limit the number of school event-related activities to a minimum in order to add to time on instructional tasks.
    Days that students miss classes because of school approved events will be marked SE (school event) in the grade book and the student will be counted as present. School approved events are those approved by the superintendent and the principal. The SE student will follow the same procedures for excused absences.

SOURCE: Tuscaloosa City Schools, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
DATE: 10/4/76
REVISED: 8/22/77
REVISED: 2/15/82
REVISED: 7/23/90
REVISED: 8/8/94
REVISED: 8/2/04

Elementary School

Tardies

Students are required to attend school and classes on time each day of school. School starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m. The school personnel recognizes that situations will occur which may force a students to arrive after the official start time. When a student is tardy, the parent or guardian must check the student in school at the office. The first three tardies accumulated will be coded as excused. The 4th and subsequent tardies will be coded as unexcused, in accordance with the Tuscaloosa City Schools’ Attendance Policy. Students accumulating unexcused tardies will receive the following consequences.

4th Tardy Teacher notifies parent
6th Tardy Principal’s warning letter to parent
9th Tardy Suspension pending parent conference
10th Tardy Suspension pending parent conference with
attendance Supervisor

Middle School

Tardies

Students are required to attend school and classes on times each day of school. The school personnel recognizes that situations will occur which may force students to arrive after the official start time. The first three tardies accumulated will be coded as excused. The 4th and subsequent tardies will be coded as unexcused in accordance with the Tuscaloosa City Schools’ Attendance Policy. Students accumulating unexcused tardies will receive the following consequences.

4th Tardy Verbal Warning to student
5th Tardy Parent Notification
6th Tardy After School Detention
7th Tardy 1 day In-school Intervention Program
8th Tardy Suspension pending parent conference
9th Tardy Saturday School Suspension
10th Tardy Suspension pending parent conference with Attendance Supervisor
11th Tardy Referral to Pupil Personnel Services

Checking-in and Checking-out of School

School begins at 8:05 a.m. and ends at 3:05 p.m. each day. Students arriving after 8:05 a.m. will be counted tardy by their teacher. Students arriving after 8:05 a.m. must be signed in by their parent/custodian through the main office. Students must obtain a check-in pass from the office in order to be admitted to class.

Excused check-outs will be permitted in cases of personal illness of verifiable medical appointments. Other check-outs will be permitted for family emergencies with approval by the school’s administrators. The following procedures will be followed when a student must check out of school.

1. A parent/custodian or other authorized adult (designated by the parent/custodian on the registration form) must sign the student out of school through the main office. Office personnel will verify the identity of all persons who check students out of school. Individuals who wish to check students out must present a photo I.D. or a driver’s license.
2. The student will not be called to the office until the parent/custodian or authorized adult arrives at the school.
3. Parents are encouraged to limit check-outs for emergencies only.

High School

Tardies

Students are required to attend school and classes on time each school day. The school staff recognizes that situations will occur which may force a student to arrive after the official school start time or the official class start time. Such occurrences will be handled by school staff and coded excused or unexcused in accordance with the attendance policy of the Tuscaloosa City Schools.

Attendance at the high school level is taken each period of the day. Tardies are counted per period. It is the responsibility of the teacher to record and keep accurate records of tardies. Students accumulating unexcused tardies will receive designated consequences that are communicated to the parents and kept on file in the office of the principal or principal designee.

1st Tardy Teacher warns the student
2nd Tardy Teacher warns the student
3rd Tardy Teacher notifies the parent
4th Tardy Principal’s referral (after school detention or In-School Intervention)
5th Tardy Principal’s referral (Saturday Opportunity School or other action at the discretion of the principal or principal designee)
6th Tardy Principal’s referral (suspended pending parent conference)
7th Tardy and Subsequent Tardies Out of school suspension, conference with the attendance supervisor or other action at the discretion of the principal, or principal designee

Checking-in and Checking-out of School

The official school day for high school students is from 8:00 AM until 3:20 PM. Students arriving at school after 8:00 AM are tardy. Each secondary school will design procedures for students to check in after the tardy bell sounds prior to reporting to the first period of the day. Students must have a doctor’s note, a court appointment letter, or a valid excuse from a parent or guardian stating the reason for the check-in/check-out and a reachable telephone number for the check-in/check-out to be excused. Students who miss more that half of one class period will be counted absent for the class period. Students with excused check-ins/check-outs will be allowed to make up work. Unexcused check-ins in the first half of any period will be counted as tardies.

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