Attendance Policy

LAKE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE POLICY

The expectation of the School Board of Lake County is that all students will be in attendance each day of the school year.

Per the Code of Student Conduct and Policy Guide:

 A habitual truant is defined by law as a student who has 15 unexcused absences within 90 calendar days, with or without the knowledge or consent of the parent or legal guardian.  The Department of Highway and Motor Vehicles may not issue a driver’s license or learner’s driver’s license to, and shall suspend any previously issued license of any such student.

 Definition of an excused absence or tardy (as per the Code of Student Conduct and Policy Guide):

·         Illness or injury of the student or the student’s immediate family necessitating the student’s absence

·         Death of a member of the student’s immediate family

·         Doctor or dental appointments which cannot be scheduled outside of school hours

·         Pre-arranged absences of educational value and with the principal’s prior approval (request must be at least 5 days in advance unless there are extenuating circumstances

·         Recognized religious holidays

·         Attendance at a center under Children and Families Services supervision

·         Significant community events with prior permission of the principal

·         Insurmountable conditions (i.e. extreme weather conditions, communicable disease outbreaks and local conditions determined by the School District….)

·         Judicial actions – subpoena/summons: Juvenile Detention Center

·         Truancy Hearings

·         Any absence of a student diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or eligible for the Austism Spectrum Disorder program through Exceptional Student Education for an appointment scheduled to receive therapy provided by a licensed health care practitioner or certified behavior analyst.

All other absences or tardies are considered unexcused.

Two (2) parent notes per 9 week period will be excused.  All other undocumented absences will be counted as unexcused.

Once a student has 5 or more unexcused absences, it will result in an evaluation by the principal, or designee, of a potential pattern of nonattendance and referral to the appropriate school official.  Schools may require adherence to an attendance contract if the student has violated the attendance rules.

Eustis High School requires a minimum of 90% attendance to participate in extracurricular and other activities.  Again, an attendance contract may be required for a student who has violated the attendance rules.

EHS Student Check-out Policy

·         When checking a student out in person, parent/legal guardian must present proper identification.

·         When checking a student out via phone, written consent must be submitted via e-mail or fax with a copy of parent/legal guardian identification.

·         Please remember, the absence will be marked as unexcused if it does not meet the criteria listed above for excused absences with documentation.

E-mail and fax information:

Main Campus: ehsattendance@lake.k12.fl.us  or (352)357-6599                                                                                                  

Curtright Campus: ccattendance@lake.k12.fl.us or (352)589-1605

**Only parents or legal guardians can check out student via e-mail or fax.

**E-mail is preferred to ensure a clearer copy of your information. If we cannot verify your information, we cannot release the student.   If you have any questions, please contact the attendance office. Thank you!

For additional and more specific information regarding attendance, please refer to Pages 4 and 5 of the Code of Student Conduct and Policy Guide.

MAKE UP WORK/LONG TERM ASSIGNMENTS

Students with excused absences are responsible for making arrangements with the teacher to make up work and assignments missed while absent. Please understand all missed work is due within five days after their return to school with the following exceptions:

·       Test or exams assigned prior to absence will be taken on the day the student returns to school;

·       Work assigned prior to absence and due while absent, will be due the day student returns to school;

·       Long term assignments must be turned in on the day the student returns to school, e.g. book reports, research papers, etc.;

·       Long term assignments submitted after first day student returns to school will result in a grade reduction of no more than 10% per day;

·       Students checking in and out on the day a long term assignment is due must turn the assignment in by the end of that school day for it to be accepted on time.

PROCEDURE FOR STUDENT RETURNING FROM ABSENCE

Upon returning to school a student must present a note orother appropriate documentation explaining an absence within 48 hours of the student’s return to school.  Otherwise the absence may be considered as unexcused.

INCENTIVE FOR GOOD ATTENDANCE

The principal or designee has the final authority for determining whether or not a school offers incentives for good attendance.

ACADEMIC FIELD TRIPS

·       An AFT is defined as an event in which a studentis participating in a school sponsored event under the auspices of a teacher.

·       4 AFTs per 18 week period

·       Students may participate in AFTs without being counted absent if all required work is made up.

SUSPENSION DAYS

·       The first suspension does not apply toward the 4 unexcused absences affecting the semester grade. Any subsequent suspensions will count toward the 4 days.

·       Make-up work is allowed for credit for 1^st suspension only. No make-up work will be accepted for credit for subsequent suspensions, but we strongly urge all students to make up work missed.

TARDY POLICY PER 9 WEEKS

·       A student is considered tardy to class after the bell unless excused by a note from school personnel.

·       3 tardies per 9 week period = 1 unexcused absence

·       Missing 30 minutes or more of a class constitutes an absence

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND ATTENDANCE

To participate in or to attend an extracurricular activity, a student must be present in school for at least half of their school day.

ADMINISTRATION OF ATTENDANCE POLICY

The Attendance Office, under the supervision of the principal or designee, is allowed the flexibility to design the paperwork, procedures,and the coordination with the Guidance Office in the implementation of the Attendance Policy.