Attendance+&+Tardies

__NCCS School Board Attendance Policy__
The Board of Education recognizes that regular, punctual attendance is a significant factor in educational achievement. Students, parents, and school personnel are encouraged to recognize their individual responsibilities in upholding the laws, regulations, and policies governing student attendance at school.

Parents must notify the attendance office to give reason for an absence. The North Carolina Administrative Code recognizes the following reasons that shall constitute valid reasons for absences with appropriate documentation:

• Illness or injury that prevents the student from being physically able to attend school • Quarantine ordered by the local health officer or by the State Board of Health • Death in the immediate family • Medical or dental appointments • Court or administrative proceedings • Religious observances (The approval of such absences is within the discretion of the local Board of Education, but approval should be granted unless the religious observance is of such duration to interfere with the education of the student.) • Educational opportunity (An absence may be lawful when it is demonstrated that the purpose of the absence is to take advantage of valid educational opportunity. Approval from the principal for such an absence must be gained prior to the absence.)

Parents are expected to provide advance notice in writing for absences, late arrivals, or early dismissals due to medical or dental appointments, court or administrative proceedings, religious observances, or educational opportunity. Students must seek make-up work prior to such absences.

Schoolwork missed due to absence, late arrivals, or early dismissal will be made up on the student’s own time and/or at the convenience of the teacher. This work must be completed as soon as possible and no later than the end of a grading period. Students are responsible for contacting the teacher for make-up work. However, make-up work cannot fully compensate for the total learning experience that is lost when students are absent from school. This is particularly true when absences are excessive.

Students who are absent from a course for more than four (4) days during a semester will receive an unsatisfactory grade of 60 – no credit – for that particular course. Any absence past four (4) must be made up hour per hour. The student should begin making up the excessive absence within five (5) school days and all work must be completed prior to that grading period.

In order to promote attendance and punctuality at school, Newton-Conover High School staff will:

• Communicate in writing to all parents the required days of attendance for students, the beginning and dismissal times for each school day, and the expected time of arrival for students. • Document absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals as to frequency and cause. • Adhere to all state regulations pertaining to student attendance, especially those regulations pertaining to the notification of the home in cases of consecutive or cumulative unexcused absences. • Communicate in writing to all parents the consequences that may result from absenteeism and tardiness. • Contact parents when students are excessively tardy or absent.

__Newton-Conover High School Attendance Policy__
Students are expected to be present each day and to be in class on time. When a student’s cumulative absences in a class exceeds four (4), the student will be responsible for making up absences 5 – 8 in each class regardless of the reason for the absence. If a student fails to make up the missed time for absences 5 – 8, then the teacher will record a grade of 60 for the course.

Students who accrue these absences prior to either the 1st/3rd nine weeks must have their time made up prior to the end of the grading period.

Students must begin making up their time in the after school detention program/ or with the classroom teacher within five (5) school days after the fifth (5) absence occurs. Students with absences above 8 must go before the appeals committee (see Excessive Absences Appeals Process). If a student misses over 30 minutes in any class, the student will be considered absent for that class.

All students making up time must contact the course teacher to arrange to make up time. Absences can be made up after school with their teacher, during tutorial, and/or at After-School Detention.

__Excessive Absences Appeal Process__
A student may appeal some or all of his / her excessive absences (any absences beyond four) only under the following conditions:

absences. Extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to extreme illness, lack of sufficient time to make up all absences, etc.
 * He / she has no unexcused absences; and
 * He / she has already attempted to make up one or more of the excessive absences; and
 * He / she has extenuating circumstances that have made it difficult to make up all excessive

__Make-Up Work__
We want to provide your student with every opportunity to be successful. Therefore, all work is expected to be made-up regardless of the reason for absence. The student is responsible for seeking and completing make-up work, making arrangements for completion within five (5)days after returning to school. Students who expect to be absent for extracurricular activities and other reasonable causes must complete the pre-planned permission form two (2) days prior to the planned absence. This form can be obtained in and returned to the Main Office. Failure to complete this procedure will result in an unexcused absence.

__TARDY POLICY__
To School: If a student comes to school late, he/she is required to check in with appropriate personnel in the Main Office. If a student misses over thirty-minutes (30-minutes) of a class, the student becomes absent rather than tardy. Students are responsible for making up any work missed when they have an excused tardy to class. Students will not be admitted to first period once the tardy bell rings without a note from the office. Students who receive notes from the Tardy Table in the mornings that are more than 5 minutes late from the time written on the slip will be considered insubordinate and considered “cutting class”. Delays for students riding buses will be denoted with either an announcement or a bus note and will not be considered a tardy.

To Class: The one minute warning bell will be a different tone than the other bells to alert students. A student must be inside the classroom and __**in his / her seat**__ when the tardy bell rings. Administrators will conduct tardy sweeps on a regular basis. During a sweep, teachers will close and lock classroom doors when the tardy bell rings at which time any student not inside a classroom will receive a one hour detention to be served the following afternoon. Otherwise, tardies that are: (1) less than 5 minutes will be recorded as a tardy; (2) more than 5 minutes but less than 30 will result in an office referral for cutting class; and (3) more than 30 will be recorded as an absence and will result in an office referral for cutting class. Excessive tardies will result in additional disciplinary consequences.