ATTENDANCE (Board Policies, 501.9, 501.10, 501.10R1)
Regular attendance by students is essential for students to obtain the maximum opportunities from the education program. Parents and students alike are encouraged to ensure an absence from school is a necessary absence. Students will attend school unless excused by the principal of their attendance center.
1. Parents are expected to notify the school prior to 8:30 a.m. regarding a student’s absence on the day of the absence. All absences must be reported within one day of the absence to be considered excused. Students absent from school for any reason may be required by the school to submit a written explanation or specific reason for their absence, the specific days of times they were absent, verification by the doctor or dentist where appropriate, and a signature of the parent.
2. Acceptable reasons for a student’s absence from school are limited to the following: religious observances, extended illness, hospitalization or doctor’s care, death in the family or family emergency, and court appearance or other legal situation beyond the control of the family.
3. Classes missed because of attendance at a school-sponsored trip or activity will not be considered an absence. However, the student will be required to make up work missed.
4. Suspensions from class, in-school suspensions, will be treated as school-initiated student absences and will not count toward the days absent. However, the student will be required to make up work missed.
School work missed because of absences must be made up according to the following guidelines:
Under normal circumstances, the time allotted for making up work is two days for the first day of absence and one additional day for each consecutive day of absence. Absences of more than five consecutive days will require special arrangements with each teacher. School work missed due to any absence must be completed to the satisfaction of each teacher if credit is to be given. The time allowed for make-up work may be extended at the discretion of the classroom teacher and/or building principal.
EXCUSED
Student absences approved by the principal are excused absences. Excused absences will count as days in attendance for purposes of the truancy law. These absences may include: illness, family emergencies, recognized religious observances, appointments (such as medical and judicial) that cannot be scheduled outside the school day and school-sponsored or approved activities.
Students whose absences are approved will make up the work missed and receive full credit for the missed school work. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate a procedure with the student’s teacher to complete the work missed.
Students who wish to participate in school-sponsored activities must attend school one-half day the day of the activity unless permission has been given by the principal for the student to be absent.
It is the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the principal, to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.
UNEXCUSED/TRUANCY
Truancy is the failure to attend school for the minimum number of days established in the school calendar by the board. Truancy is the act of being absent without a reasonable excuse. These absences will include, but not be limited to, tardiness, shopping, hunting, concerts, preparation or participation in parties and other celebrations and employment.
Students are subject to disciplinary action for truancy including suspension and expulsion. It is within the discretion of the principal to determine whether a student may make up work missed because of truancy.
1. A student is truant when the student is absent from school or an assigned class or classes without school permission.
2. Work missed because of truancy must be made up the same as work for all other absences.
3. Incidents of truancy will be recorded as part of a student’s attendance record and will count toward absences per semester. The building principal will also determine what, if any, disciplinary action is appropriate including, but not limited to, warning, detention, in-school suspension or administrative referral.
4. The building administrator will communicate with the parent/guardian when 3 unexcused absences are reached. A student is truant when he/she has reached or exceeds 5 or more unexcused absences in a semester. Truancy notification, including the county attorney, will begin with the 5th unexcused absence in a semester without medical documentation to consider excusal.
TARDIES
1. A student is tardy when the student initially appears in the assigned area any time after the designated starting time.
2. All incidents of class tardiness will be the responsibility of the teacher. Teachers will emphasize the importance of being on time and explain the classroom rules and procedures for tardies. The tardy sanctions should be consistently applied and sequential. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to, warning, assigned detention, parent contact and referral to the building principal.
First Semester Consequences are:
• 1st Tardy – Warning
• 2nd Tardy – Lunch in the office
• 3rd Tardy – Two lunches in office
• 4th Tardy – The student will call a parent to do after school detention.
Second Semester Tardies
• Tardies will be recorded until a student reaches 3 tardies.
• When a student has 3 tardies, they will contact parents and with each subsequent tardy and students will be assigned a detention.
EXCESSIVE ABSENTEEISM
Excessive absenteeism is any absence (excused and/or unexcused) beyond 10 days or individual class meetings per semester. When a student has been absent from school or a class 5 times during a given semester, the student’s parent will be contacted via mail regarding the student’s attendance. The building administrator will initiate the 5-day notification process.
When a student has been absent from school/class 10 or more times during a semester, the principal will inform the parent/guardian of the student’s excessive absenteeism and initiate appropriate sanctions. After a total of 10 days or more of being absent (excused and/or unexcused), the student records will be reviewed by an administrative panel to determine if the absences exceed absent allowances per the definition from School Board Policy.
Any student absence after this point in time without a doctor or school nurse’s note will be considered unexcused. This may result in your student being in violation of Iowa Truancy laws. The excessive absences will be reported to the Assistant County Attorney for further review.
STUDENT ABSENCES AND MAKE UP WORK
Under normal circumstances, the time allotted for making up work is two days for the first day of absence and one additional day for each consecutive day of absence. Absences of more than 5 consecutive days will require special arrangements with each teacher. School work missed due to any absence must be completed to the satisfaction of each teacher if credit is to be given.
DISCIPLINE POLICY
In compliance with the requirements of the state school standards, the East Marshall Community School Board affirms its intent to support the school discipline policies, its intent to support school staff that enforces discipline policies, and its intent to hold school staff accountable for implementing the discipline policies.
SUSPENSIONS: IN SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS AND OUT OF SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS – (PARENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF ALL SUSPENSIONS)
Examples include, but are not limited to, weapons possession, physical aggression, possession of a material illegal for students to have, failure to follow staff instructions/directions, and disrespectful behavior. Normally suspension consequences increase with each subsequent inappropriate student behavior.
Students are prohibited from distributing, dispensing, manufacturing, possessing, using, and being under the influence of alcohol, drugs or look-a-like substances; and possessing or using tobacco, tobacco products or look-a-like substances.
Weapons are not allowed on school grounds or at school activities including hunting rifles even if unloaded and locked in cars with the exception of weapons in the control of law enforcement officials, or those being used for educational purposes and approved by the principal. Students bringing firearms to school or possessing firearms at school will be expelled for not less than one year. Parents of students found in violation of this policy may be contacted, and the students may be reported to law enforcement officials.
The number of days of suspension and if the suspension is In School Suspension (ISS) or Out of School Suspension (OSS) is subject to be changed by the principal. More severe behaviors may result in more consequences. Students that are disruptive during in school suspensions may be assigned out of school suspension. If students are placed in OSS because of behaviors in school, the number of referrals before consideration of expulsion may reduce.
Students will be afforded “Due Process” reflective of the seriousness of their actions and possible consequences.
APPEALS
Any student who is found by administration to have violated the Good Conduct Rule may appeal this determination to the superintendent.
The appeal must be made by contacting the superintendent in writing within three (3) calendar days Monday through Friday after receiving written notification of the finding of violation and imposition of sanctions. The sanction will remain in effect pending the superintendent’s decision. If the student or family chooses, he or she may appeal the Superintendent’s decision to the school board by notifying the Board secretary in writing within three calendar days(Monday through Friday) of receipt of the Superintendent’s decision. The Board will schedule the appeal hearing. The review by the board will be in closed session unless the student’s parents(s) or the student, if the student is 18 years old, requests an open session.
The grounds for appeal to the school board are limited to the following:
1. The student did not violate the Good Conduct Rule;
2. And/or the student was not given due process during the investigation process;
3. And/or the sanction is in violation of the Handbook or Board Policy. The sanction will remain in effect pending the outcome of the meeting with the Board. If the school board reverses the decision of administration, the student shall be immediately eligible and shall have the record of the ineligibility period and violation deleted from the student’s record. If the school board modifies the decision of administration, the student’s eligibility and record will be modified to accurately reflect the decision of the board.
Students are expected to complete homework during both in and out of school suspension. Homework will be relayed to the classroom teachers and graded based on normal classroom policies for work late or on time. Out of school suspension means off school campus 8:00 – 4:00. Students on school grounds between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. serving out of school suspension, without the expressed consent of the principal, will be considered trespassing.
WEAPONS
The board believes weapons, other dangerous objects and look-alikes in school district facilities cause material and substantial disruption to the school environment or present a threat to the health and safety of students, employees and visitors on the school district premises or property within the jurisdiction of the school district.
School district facilities are not an appropriate place for weapons, dangerous objects and look-alikes. Weapons and other dangerous objects and look-alikes will be taken from students and others who bring them on the school district property or on property within the jurisdiction of the school district or from students who are within the control of the school district.
Parents of students found to possess weapons, dangerous objects or look-a-likes on school property are notified of the incident. Possession or confiscation of weapons or dangerous objects will be reported to law enforcement officials at the discretion of the building principal unless Iowa Law requires differently, and students will be subject to disciplinary action including suspension or expulsion.
Students bringing firearms to school, or knowingly possessing firearms at school, will be expelled for not less than one year. The superintendent has the authority to recommend this expulsion requirement be modified for students on a case-by-case basis. For purposes of this portion of this policy, the term “firearm” includes, but is not limited to, any weapon which is designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive, the frame or receiver of any such weapon, a muffler or silencer for such a weapon, any explosive, incendiary or poison gas.
Weapons under the control of law enforcement officials are exempt from this policy. The principal may allow authorized persons to display weapons, other dangerous objects or look-alikes for educational purposes. Such a display will also be exempt from this policy. It is the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the principal, to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy. Policy #502.6