The philosophy of Bingham High School is that the explanations, clarifications and discussions that take place in the classroom are invaluable components of the school learning experience, and that a natural consequence of absence from the classroom is reduced academic performance. It follows that a minimum attendance level is required as one of the criteria for the awarding of credit. Utah's Compulsory Education Law states that all school age children must be in attendance at school unless there is a valid and legitimate excuse (Utah Code 53-A-11-101). At Bingham, credit is placed on the transcript when a student earns a grade and meets the attendance requirement. The goal of the proposed Bingham High School attendance procedures is to increase student success by encouraging daily attendance and make up of work missed due to absence, and by helping students develop responsibility in preparation for attendance expectations in their future careers.

Research indicates that poor school attendance is directly linked to a decline in academic achievement. Researchers also report that absenteeism results in lost productivity for teachers, students, and the class as a whole, as well as an increase in teacher workload. Studies also recommend that school, state, and community implement comprehensive attendance policies to combat truancy. The development of the proposed policy was guided by a desire to meet the following criteria:

. The policy must provide a strong incentive to attend school regularly.

. The policy should encourage the make up of work missed when a student is absent from school.

. The policy must not be overly punitive.

. The policy must be manageable for teachers, the attendance office, and administrators.

. Ideally, the policy will be based on a framework that has a track record of success.

Schools using similar high-accountability attendance policy models report higher than average attendance: Provo High School - 96% (from about 89%); Timpview High School - 94%; Murray High School - 95%; State of Texas - 95.5% (from about 90%).

ACCESS

School attendance is a shared responsibility of students, parents and school. Bingham High School provides computerized attendance information updated daily to assist parents and students. Students and parents may check class grade and attendance records over the Internet (https://skyward.jordan.k12.ut.us/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=wsFam/fwemnu01.w) using computers at school or home. In addition, parents may check attendance by calling 256-5110 between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

ATTENDANCE

To earn credit a student must be in class a minimum of 90% of the days of the quarter (no more than 2 absences of the 22 to 23 possible class periods per quarter). If a student has three (3) or more school absences that are not made-up or excused through the appeal process, the student will receive no credit for the quarter grade in that class. Parents are asked to call or send a note to the attendance office outlining the reason for any absence within five (5) school days of the absence. Absences in excess of two must be "made-up" at attendance school or excused by the Attendance Review Committee in order to receive credit (as described under "ABSENCE REVIEWS"). Students who have not met the attendance requirement but have received a passing grade will receive "no grade" (NG) if the excessive absences are not made up or excused through the review process. NG is not available to students who fail academically; those students will receive an F grade regardless of their attendance. An NG differs from an F in that NG does not figure into the student's overall GPA; however, both NG and F result in loss of credit. For athletic eligibility purposes, NG is counted as a failing grade.

. Students released from their regular classes in order to participate in approved, extra-curricular activities are not considered absent.

. Absences due to suspensions or confinement in County Detention are not counted as regular absences and do not need to be made up in Attendance School.

. The "make-up" of the excessive absences does not excuse students from completing the class work and assignments missed during the absence(s). Attendance and make up of missed work are subject to policies outlined in individual teachers' disclosures.

. Excessive absences may also result in suspension, and/or referral to District Truancy School and Juvenile Court for non-compliance with Utah Compulsory Education Law (Utah Code 53A-11-101). Making up of days of unexcused absence will not affect the student's status under Utah Code 53A-11-101 (1)(a).

EDUCATION/VACATION LEAVE

Jordan School District allows students to make application to an administrator to miss up to ten school days each year for prior-approved education/vacation release. These prior-approved release days will not contribute to the accumulated total of absences. Students may take no more than five (5) prior-approved education/vacation release absences per class per quarter without being required to make-up the absences or have them excused through the absence review process. On the block schedule, an education/vacation leave absence of ten (10) consecutive days equates to five (5) absences in each class (five A-day absences and five B-day absences).

HOW TO AVOID CREDIT LOSS RESULTING FROM ATTENDANCE PROBLEMS

Lost credit due to violation of the attendance policy can be avoided in the following ways: Attendance School: To make up an absence, a student may attend Attendance School for one hour (one session) per class absence. Attendance School, supervised by certificated teachers, will be offered two to three mornings each week as needed, from 6:20 to 7:20 a.m. beginning the third week of each quarter and running through the end of the quarter. A fee of $2 per session ($3 for Saturday sessions, if scheduled) will be charged to cover the cost of hiring teachers to supervise the sessions. Fees are subject to the Jordan School District fee waiver guidelines. Students must come prepared to work on school-related work during the Attendance School. Students who sleep or are off task will be asked to leave the Attendance School session, will not receive make-up credit, and forfeit the fee paid. Teachers supervising the sessions are available to provide limited tutoring and help students catch up on work missed during their absence(s). Teacher Make-up*: Teachers who desire to do so may allow students the opportunity to make up absences by attending special make-up sessions in their own classes. Teacher-initiated make-up hours are allowed only for the class of the teacher providing make-up; hours are not transferable to another teacher. The assigned work must be academic in nature (no service work). The student purchases and brings the Attendance School admission slip to the teacher and the teacher turns in the record of completion to the Attendance Office. Teachers setting up their own make-up sessions are not paid for the time spent supervising and tutoring. *Make-up hours required for absences in these individual teacher sessions are the same as outlined for make-ups in Attendance School.

ABSENCE REVIEW PROCESS

Students and their parents may appeal to the Absence Review Committee to waive or reduce the make-up requirement for absences in excess of the two allowed per class per quarter. Reviews are reserved for uncontrollable attendance issues, i.e., physician-verifiable illness, bereavement, court appearances, verified emergencies, etc. The waiving of a student's attendance obligations through the absence review process is infrequent. Official absence review forms are obtained from and submitted to the Attendance Office. Students may pick up the processed absence review application from the Attendance Office to learn if the absence was excused. To be considered, reviewed absences must meet the following criteria:

. Absences must have been parent-excused (indicating parent knowledge of the absences and appropriate school notification) within five (5) school days of the student's return to school.

. Verification by a physician may be required for absences due to illness, where absences are excessive.

. The absence review form must be fully completed. Absence review forms must be submitted no later than five days prior to the end of the quarter to allow a timely response. Reviews may be requested for absences that occur after that date, but these may not be considered until after the quarter ends and, if granted, will be retroactive. The Absence Review Committee will not rule favorably on the following: verified truancies; leaving school without checking out properly; unverified illness where absence is excessive; educational leave taken without prior approval; or absences not excused with a note from parents at the time of the absence or within five (5) school days of the student's return to school.

DEFINITIONS

Late check-in: The student came to class after the ten (10) minute tardy period and must go to the attendance office to obtain a check-in slip for admittance to class.

Made-up absence: The student attended Attendance School for the prescribed amount of time to help make up for time and instruction lost due to an absence.

Verified Truancy: The student's absence was verified by parents, police, or school personnel as an absence that was not parent-excused.

Excessive Absences: Seventeen (17) or more class absences per quarter (cumulative across all classes) or three (3) or more absences in any one class.

Parents assist by seeing their children attend school every day and making every effort to schedule appointments, vacations, etc. other than during school time. Parents need to read disclosure statements carefully before signing them to become aware of the different requirements for each class in their student's schedule. Parents can telephone the school attendance office whenever it is necessary for a student to be absent, arrive late or to be dismissed early during the school day. Students and/or parents are encouraged to check Skyward daily in order to monitor personal attendance. The website is https://skystu.jordan.k12.ut.us/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsEAplus/fwemnu01.w

Tardiness Bingham High School students are entitled to an uninterrupted, risk free learning environment. Tardiness disrupts the education of students in the class and disrupts the teacher's ability to teach. Students may be considered tardy if they are not in their seat when the tardy bell rings. Classroom teachers set up their own system for dealing with tardiness. Tardiness may affect the student's class grade. Students who are chronically tardy may be referred to an administrator. All students who arrive at school any time after 7:30 a.m. are to report directly to the class that is in session. Students who arrive 10 minutes after any class begins must check in at the attendance office to receive an admit slip to class.

Checking Out of School Students leaving BHS at any time during class house will need to check out through the attendance office. Contact with parents will be required before a check out can be completed.

Absence Guidelines Students who are not in class when the bell rings and roll is taken, are marked absent. School activities (assemblies, athletic contests, field trips, etc.) that are scheduled during the school day, between 7:30 A.M. and 2:25 P.M. are considered part of the regular school day. Students are required to be at that activity or assembly or in a school supervised alternative area. If they are not, they are considered truant. School sanctioned activities are counted as time in school. University educational visits and family vacations are not counted as absences if the "Vacation/Education Release" form has been submitted and signed by each teacher and by the school administration prior to the absence. It is important that each student becomes responsible for his/her own attendance. The disclosure statements from each teacher at the beginning of the course will outline attendance particulars for that class. Each teacher has the prerogative to determine how many absences they will allow before grades are affected. Students who are excluded or suspended form school may not participate in any extracurricular activity and cannot be on school grounds for any reason. Students with extenuating circumstances are responsible to initiate a conference with the teacher to determine a course of action to solve individual problems. Parents and/or administrators will be consulted as needed.

Truancy A student is truant who is absent from class without school and/or parental approval. Examples

: . Not arriving at school as expected by parents and school authorities

. Arriving at school, but not attending classes

. Leaving school without following proper check-out procedure through the attendance office

. Missing any part or all of a scheduled class without permission

. Obtaining permission to go a certain place, but not reporting there

Make-Up Work When a student is absence from school, it is his/her responsibility to contact his/her teachers to make arrangements for making up assignments, tests, etc. missed during the absence. Failure to do this may result in the student receiving an "I" (Incomplete) or and "F" (Failure) for work not made up. Students who are absent less than five (5) days and want assignments should contact teachers directly when they return to school or they may choose to access assignments via computer (Power School). A student not in attendance may not be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities the day of the activity. Students truant or excluded from school may not be allowed to receive credit for schoolwork missed. This does NOT apply to out-of-school suspensions.

Continuous Attendance Once a class has started, students are not to leave the room without permission from the teacher. Teachers will issue the appropriate hall pass. Students who leave class without permission are considered truant.

Excessive Absenteeism Students who are excessively absent are subject to disciplinary action, possible court referral, withdrawal and loss of credit. Students absent for 10 consecutive days will automatically be withdrawn from school unless they contact the school to explain mitigating circumstances.

If I have two excused absences (E's) and I get the third absence, what do I do?

1. If my third absence or more is excused, I need to fill out the Attendance Review Application which is found in the Attendance Office. Please do not submit an attendance review application until EXCUSED ABSENCES (E's) in a class EXCEED the allowed 2 per class per quarter. Only absences marked "E" (excused) on the PowerSchool attendance record will be considered for review.

**Or**

2. If my third absence is an "A", "W", "Z", or "G", I will need to go to Attendance School.