5300 - STUDENTS - ATTENDANCE
PHILOSOPHY
Few factors have greater influence upon student success than regular attendance. Daily participation in a demanding and meaningful education program is vital to success. The District believes that in order to benefit fully from the educational opportunities provided, students must be in school. Students, parents, guardians, teachers and the administration share responsibility for attendance. Parents and legal guardians have primary responsibility.
COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE
Resident students who are at least six years of age and not more than 18 years of age, shall attend school or have an excused absence for at least the State mandated minimum days and or hours of the regular school year, unless exempted as indicated below. Attendance shall be in District schools or in some other district to which the student may legally be transferred, or in a regularly established private school. Parents or any other person having control of a minor between six and 18 years of age are responsible for sending the minor to school.
Exemptions
Students who meet one or more of the following conditions to the satisfaction of the Board shall be exempt from compulsory attendance requirements and shall be given a certificate, issued by the Board, stating that the minor is excused from attendance during the time specified on the certificate:
- A student over age 16 may receive a partial release from school to enter employment if the student has completed the eighth grade, or if the minor's services are required for the support of a parent. Minors receiving this exemption must still attend school part-time as required by the Board.
- On an annual basis, a minor between six and 18 years of age may receive a full release from attending a public, regularly established private or part-time school or class if one of the following is established to the Board's satisfaction:
A. The minor has already completed the work required for graduation from high school.
B. The minor is taught at home in the subjects prescribed by the State Board of Education in accordance with the law and for the same length of time as minors are required by law to be taught in the District. A minor receiving a partial release in order to enter employment under item 1 above may be excused from attending required part-time school if the minor is taught the required number of hours at home.
C. The minor is in a physical or mental condition, certified by a competent physician, which renders attendance inexpedient and impracticable.
D. There is no school or class taught for the required length of time within 2.5 miles of the minor's residence or place of employment, and free transportation is not provided to a school or class located beyond 2.5 miles.
E. Proper influences and adequate opportunities for education are provided in connection with the minor's employment.
F. The Superintendent determines that the minor, if over age 16, is unable to profit from attendance at school because of inability or a continuing negative attitude toward school regulations and discipline.
Non-Compliance - Secondary Students
If a student's non-attendance reaches six (6) days for the school year, the school will notify the parent or guardian by mail. If the student's non-attendance reaches ten (10) days for the school year, the school will mail a second notification. At this time the student and parent will be required to attend a conference with the principal or his or her designee. If a student's non-attendance reaches thirteen (13) days for the school year, a final notification will be sent to the parent via certified mail. If the student's non-attendance reaches sixteen (16) days for the school year, the student's name and attendance records will be reported in writing to the Juvenile Court for non-attendance.
Adopted: 6/22/94; Revised: 12/13/95; Revised: 01-17-01; Revised: 07-18-01; Revised: 12-18-02 * GRAND COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT * Moab, Utah
5310 - STUDENTS - ATTENDANCE - ABSENCES & EXCUSES
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
Every student is required to be in school and in each class. State law stipulates that every parent or guardian having control of any minor between ages 6 and 18 years of age shall assure that such minor shall attend school. Exceptions must meet requirements of the law. (Section 53A-11-101 Utah Code)
DEFINITIONS OF ABSENCES
Doctor or Agency-Excused Absences: Any written excuse for absence signed by a medical professional, judge, human services worker, or other agency officially excusing a student's non-attendance. Notes excusing students should include the date(s) and duration of time the student is excused from attending school. Note: these days do not count as part of the fifteen days of parent-excused absences.
Parent-Excused Absences: Fifteen (15) days wherein a parent or guardian has discretion to excuse his/her student for illness, family emergency or other reasons deemed necessary by the parent/guardian. Students who are more than one-half hour late for class are considered absent from class for that period (secondary) or half-day (elementary) and require a parent/guardian excuse.
Pre-Arranged Absences: (Please see In the Case of Extenuating Family Plans under Attendance Control Policies.)
School-Excused Absences: An absence from class wherein a student is participating in another school activity. Students who participate in school extra-curricular activities during the school day are required to gain school approval to miss class. Note: school-excused absences do not count toward a student's non-attendance because the student is present and participating in an activity provided by the school.
Tardy: (student is less than one-half hour late for class). During the school day, extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control may result in a student being tardy to class. To excuse the tardy the student may receive a pass or a written excuse signed by a staff member which should then be taken to the Attendance Office for an admit to the next class. A tardy of this nature will not be recorded on the student's records. Teachers are not required to provide make-up work for un-excused tardiness.
Truancy: Any absence wherein the parent/guardian or the school cannot account for the whereabouts of a student.
ATTENDANCE CONTROL POLICIES
To Excuse an Absence: The parent/guardian is asked to phone his/her student's school prior to 9:00 a.m. the day of the absence. To assure each student's safety, if the school does not receive a call by 9:00 a.m., the attendance clerk shall attempt to contact the parent to verify the student's absence. If the parent has no telephone access, the student is required to bring a note from the parent excusing the absence upon re-entry to school. Notes should be dated, signed, and a reason listed by the parent or guardian. Upon return to school, it is the student's responsibility (or the parent/guardian's responsibility for kindergarten through third grades) to request missing work and due dates from the teacher(s).
In the Case of Truancy: A student who is absent without a parent/guardian or school excuse is considered truant. Should a student be found truant, the student shall be issued a truancy citation. Utah State Code requires that school districts submit the student's name to Juvenile Court should a student receive more that two truancy citations.
In the Case of Tardiness: Tardiness is a form of non-attendance. Elementary students, grades K-6, are allowed twenty (20) tardies per year. Secondary students, grades 7-12, are allowed twenty (20) tardies per trimester. The school shall contact the parent/guardian should ten (10) tardies occur. Should a student exceed the total number of allowed tardies, the student's name shall be submitted to Juvenile Court as a non-attendance issue.
In the Case of Extenuating Family Plans: A parent/guardian may gain permission from the principal for a "pre-arranged absence" for his/her student. Pre-arranged absences may be approved for educational trips or extenuating family need. The parent/guardian may obtain a pre-arranged absence request form from the school office. Note: parent/guardian must gain this approval for pre-arranged absences from the building principal. Individual teachers do not have the authority to approve a pre-arranged absence. Up to 10 days is allowed for pre-arranged absence.
COURT-RELATED STUDENTS
Absences caused by required juvenile proceedings and child abuse or neglect investigations shall be excused. The reason for the absence must be stated in writing by the probation officer or caseworker.
SUSPENDED STUDENTS
If a student is suspended, the absence shall be considered an excused absence if the student satisfactorily completes the assignments for the period of suspension within a reasonable time determined by the District. The District may impose a grade adjustment on the work made up by a student who has been suspended.
COURT-RETURNED STUDENTS
The absence of a student who returns to school as a result of prosecution under the truancy law or by order of a court may be excused if the student:
- Returns to school and attends class regularly and to the satisfaction of the District.
- Satisfactorily completes assignments for the period of the absence within a reasonable time determined by the District.
- Passes an examination at the completion of the class.
ATTENDANCE FOR CREDIT
In accordance with the Utah Code, a student shall not be given credit for a class if the student has been absent, whether excused or unexcused, more than nine (9) days in a quarter. Extra-curricular activities such as sports, drama, music, debate, etc. are counted as school attendance. An attendance committee, appointed by the principal at the school site, can give credit based on extenuating circumstances for the absences.
Adopted: 6/22/94; Revised: 9/20/95; Revised: 12/18/02 * Grand County School District * Moab, Utah
5320 - STUDENTS - ATTENDANCE - TRUANCY
If any parent or guardian of a child who is subject to the compulsory school attendance law and not lawfully exempted or properly excused from attendance, willfully fails to require the child to attend school, such case shall be reported in writing by the Board to the Juvenile Court and/or Department of Social Services.
The Board shall make earnest and persistent efforts to resolve a student's attendance problems. These efforts shall include the following, as deemed appropriate or feasible by the Board in individual cases:
- Counseling of the student by school authorities.
- Enlisting parental support for attendance by the student.
- Meeting with the student and the parents or guardian.
- Adjusting the curriculum and schedule if determined necessary to meet special needs of the student.
- Monitoring of attendance by parents and the school.
- Enlisting the assistance of community and law enforcement agencies as appropriate.
Adopted: 6/22/94; Revised: 12/18/02 * GRAND COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT * Moab, Utah
5330 - STUDENTS - ATTENDANCE - SUSPENSION OR REMOVAL
The Board or its designee may suspend a student for a period not to exceed ten school days within a term or remove the student to an alternate educational setting. Suspension for a total of more than six school days within a term is an expulsion and shall occur only as provided in Board policy.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If a student with disabilities' IEP contains disciplinary sanctions, including emergency removal, suspension, and removal to alternate educational programs, and those sanctions are not currently being challenged in a court or special education administrative appeal, the sanctions implemented in accordance with specifications in the IEP shall be followed without regard to the procedural requirements for emergency removal, suspension, or removal to alternative education programs.
Students with disabilities may be suspended for a period not to exceed ten cumulative school days each school year. Removal for more than ten cumulative school days requires Special Education Committee action, subject to the parents' right to appeal. When the total number of days a student with disabilities is removed or suspended under Board policy is ten school days in a school year, the Special Education Committee shall review the student's IEP, unless the discipline management portion of the IEP specifies otherwise. Students who are removed for more than ten cumulative days are eligible for homebound services from the special education department.
ALL STUDENTS
Before a student may be suspended or removed to an alternate educational program, the Board or its designee shall determine either:
- that the student's presence in the regular classroom program or at the home campus presents a danger of physical harm to the student or to others; or
- that the student has engaged in serious or persistent misbehavior that violates the District's previously communicated standards of student conduct.
TERM OF REMOVAL
Removal to a supervised alternative education setting may not extend beyond the end of the semester during which the conduct that directly led to the removal occurred. If the conduct occurred during the final grade report period of a semester, the removal may extend beyond the end of that semester but may not extend beyond the end of the next semester.
If a student, his or her parent or guardian, the alternative program supervisor and the school principal agree that an additional period in the alternative program would best serve the student's education interest, the Board may permit the student to remain in the alternate program.
If an additional period would best serve a student's educational interest, the Board may permit the student to remain in the alternative program for a period agreed on by the student, his or her parent or guardian, the alternative program supervisor and the school principal. This provision does not apply to the placement of a student with disabilities in an alternate educational program in accordance with the decision of an admission, review, and dismissal committee.
NOTICE & APPEAL
If the decision to remove a student to an alternate educational setting is made by the Board's designee, that decision may be appealed to the Board. The student may be removed to the alternate educational program pending appeal to the Board. Any decision of the Board on a removal is final and may not be appealed.
A student's parent is entitled to notice as soon as reasonably possible of a suspension or removal of a student to an alternate educational program, and an opportunity to participate in a proceeding before the Board to appeal the removal. The notice shall indicate that it is the parent's responsibility to provide adequate supervision for the student during the period of suspension.
PARENT CONFERENCES
If the Board's designee suspends or removes a student to an alternate educational setting for three or more consecutive school days, or five or more cumulative school days within a term, the designee shall encourage the student's parent or guardian to attend a conference to discuss the action and/or the student's misbehavior.
CONTINUANCE OF EDUCATION
The Board or its designee shall provide for the continuance of education of a student removed to an alternate educational program that may include any or all of the following programs:
- in-school suspension. Students shall be instructed in the essential elements of the courses in which they are enrolled at the time of removal.
- home-based instruction provided that the combined days of suspension and assignment to home-based instruction shall not exceed six school days in a term.
Adopted: 6/22/94; Revised: 12/13/95; Revised: 12/18/02 * Grand County School District * Moab, Utah
5340 - STUDENTS - SCHOOL ATTENDANCE - SCHOOL BOUNDARIES
The major factors considered in establishing school boundaries are:
- for effective teaching;
- special fields of instruction; and
- preparation and correction time.
It appears to be advisable to set up grade boundaries, it will be the responsibility of the principals in the various attendance units to consult with the superintendent to see if this is the most advantageous solution. The superintendent will make a recommendation to the Board reflecting the views of the site principals.
Individual school attendance district boundaries shall be established by the Board of education and may be changed as population conditions warrant, or capacities of buildings require adjustment of pupil loads.
School boundaries shall be established which will insure as much as possible, an equal distribution of pupils for the teachers of each grade level.
This may necessitate setting up grade boundaries in some cases where the load is particularly heavy, rather than school boundaries.
Pupils shall attend the school in the attendance district in which they reside, unless assigned to some other school by the Board of Education. Pupils changing residence during the second semester may complete the school year at the school that they have been attending.
Adopted: 6/22/94; Revised 12/18/02 * GRAND COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT * Moab, Utah