The Attendance office is next to the receptionist office in the front lobby of HCHS.  Heather Nelson heather.nelson@henderson.kyschools.us and Mary Hazelwood mary.hazelwood@henderson.kyschools.us  The phone number to the attendance office is 831-8861 and 831-8862. 

 

 

ATTENDANCE

Educational research indicates the strongest relationship to academic achievement is good school attendance. Regular and punctual school attendance fosters the best educational environment; it is also state law!  Students are required to attend regularly and punctually the school in which they are enrolled. Recording of absences and tardies shall be made in compliance with the requirements of 702 KAR 007:125.1

 

All procedures included in the Henderson County Schools Board Policy on attendance (09.123) will be followed.

 

EXCUSED ABSENCES

 

Reasons for an excused absence or tardiness include:

1. Death, funeral, or severe illness in the students’ immediate family,
2. Illness of the student,
3. Religious holidays and practices,
4. Appointments with doctor or dentist,
5. Failure of bus transportation,
6. Summons to appear in court,
7. One (1) day for attendance at the Kentucky State Fair as a participant,
8. Documented military leave,
9. One (1) day prior to departure of parent/guardian called to active military duty,
10. One (1) day upon the return of parent/guardian from active military duty
11. Visitation for up to ten (10) days with the student’s parent, de facto custodian, or person with legal custody who, while on active military duty stationed outside of the country, is granted rest and recuperation leave, or
12. Other valid reasons as determined by the Principal, including trips qualifying as educational enhancement opportunities. (See guidelines below)

 

Within three (3) school days of an absence, students shall submit a written statement of verification from a parent, doctor, or public health official which shall be approved by the Principal or the Principal's designee in order for the absence to be excused.

Any absence or tardy, regardless the length of time, is considered an attendance event. A maximum of eight (8) absences and/or tardy events per school year (four [4] per semester) may be excused by a parent note. A statement from a medical practitioner, dentist, the judicial system, or county health department will be required for any additional absences and/or tardies.

 

TARDY TO CLASS/SWEEP PROCEDURES

Students are considered tardy to class if they are not in the classroom when the tardy bell rings. A tardy may be excused if a student presents a proper signed pass. It is the expectation that students be in their seats with their materials and beginning their work when the bell rings.

 

Tardy to Class or School (Tardies to class are cumulative per nine week. Tardies to school are cumulative per semester.)

 

1st and 2nd unexcused tardy to any class = warning

3rd unexcused tardy to any class= 1 detention

4th unexcused tardy to any class= 2 detentions

5th unexcused tardy to class = Saturday detention

6th unexcused tardy to class = 1 day in-house

7th unexcused tardy to class = 2 days in-house

8th Tardy to Class and beyond - principal discretion

8th Tardy to School and beyond - required parent conference to be scheduled by SAM and unit principal

 

EDUCATIONAL ENHANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Students shall be granted an excused absence for up to ten (10) school days to pursue an educational enhancement opportunity determined by the Principal to be of significant educational value. This opportunity may include, but not be limited to:

Participation in an educational foreign exchange program

An intensive instructional, experiential or performance program in one (1) of the core curriculum subjects of English, science, mathematics, social studies, foreign language, and the arts.

College visits

• EEO Forms are available on the district website and at each unit desk. Completed forms must be received by the principal at least five (5) days prior to the absence to be considered for an excused absence.
• Unless the Principal determines that extenuating circumstances exist, requests for date(s) falling within State, District, or AP testing periods shall not be granted.
• The Principal’s determination may be appealed to the Superintendent/designee whose decision may then be appealed to the Board under its grievance policy and procedures.
• Students receiving an excused absence under this section shall have the opportunity to make up school work missed and shall not have their class grades adversely affected for lack of class attendance or class participation due to the excused absence.

 

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

 

All absences other than those listed above shall be considered unexcused. Absences immediately before or after the following days will be automatically unexcused unless the student shows proof of a doctor's excuse or an emergency:

 

Any scheduled holiday  - Fall Break  - Christmas Break - Spring Break,  - Senior prom

 

In the event of an emergency or doctor's statement, the Principal's designee will check to verify that the reason is authentic.

 

TRUANCY DEFINED

Any student who has attained the age of six (6), but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been  absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) days or more, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) days or more, is a truant.

 

Any student enrolled in a public school who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, but has not reached his/her twenty-first (21st) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) or more days, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) or more days, is a truant.

Any student who has been reported as a truant two (2) or more times is an habitual truant.

School administration and/or the Director of Student Services may hold a parental conference and/or attendance hearing with the student and parent(s) after a student is truant.

 

For the purposes of establishing a student's status as a truant, a student’s attendance record is cumulative for an entire school year. When students transfer from one Kentucky district to another, attendance information from the previous district shall become part of their official attendance record for that school year.

 

MAKE-UP WORK

In order to receive credit for make-up work, a student with an absence is expected to make-up class work missed within five (5) school days of his/her return to school. Within the five (5) day expectation, teachers shall have the discretion to base the number of days required to complete a make-up assignment on:

The length of the assignment.  The number of days missed.

 

Make up work can be completed during PLT time, as homework, or in tutoring/CHEERS program.

The timeline for make-up work for students in Tier 2 or Tier 3 academic interventions, Special Education, and Section 504 eligible students shall not be automatically subject to the five (5) day expectation and may be extended for a reasonable period of time to permit the work to be completed. All students have the responsibility to see teachers to make arrangements for make-up work.

 

Sign-Out Procedures

For a student to be able to sign-out of school, the student's parent/guardian must be present to talk with the appropriate school official and must sign the student out with the attendance clerk. A non-parent or non-spouse of a student must be at least 21 years of age to sign-out a student. Noted are the following exceptions: 1. When the student has an official doctor's appointment stating the exact time and place and a telephone call from the parent/guardian confirms the appointment, the student may sign out.

2. Principal or his/her designee may determine the situation to be an emergency and may grant student permission to sign out after talking with the parent/guardian by phone.

 

ATTENDANCE INCENTIVES

2% (percentage) points will be added to the final term grade each 9 weeks in each class if a student has 2 or fewer absences in that class.

 

ATTENDANCE CONSEQUENCES

Between 6 and 10 absences from school, a district attendance hearing may be held. Individualized plans to improve a student’s attendance may include a home visit and/or truancy charges. Students may lose parking privileges and/or their driver’s license if attendance becomes a barrier to learning.

 

Questions about No Pass No Drive Law – please go to http://drlic.kytc.ky.gov/license/np_nd.htm . It is important to understand that when a sixteen or seventeen year old goes to the circuit court clerk’s office to obtain an instructional permit or license, a School Compliance Verification Form must be presented verifying that the student is in compliance with KRS 159.051. The public/private school students may obtain the School Compliance Verification Form from their school. All other 16 and 17 year old students may obtain the School Compliance Verification Form from their school district of residence. If a sixteen or seventeen year old does not present a school compliance verification form he/she will not be eligible to obtain an instructional permit or license. At HCHS you can obtain a School Compliance Verification from our Student Services. Also Remember - When a sixteen or seventeen year old student drops out of school or is declared to be academically deficient, the schools will report electronically to the Division of Driver Licensing. The Division of Driver Licensing will suspend the student’s privilege to drive and notify the driver of the suspension. The schools will also report when a student is back in compliance with KRS 159.051 to the Division of Driver Licensing. The Division of Driver Licensing will reinstate the student’s driving privilege