Good school attendance is
essential to the best scholastic achievement. When students are absent, they
are likely to miss work, which could seriously affect their educational
progress. Tennessee State Law requires students to attend school until their
seventeenth birthday.
Any dismissal of pupils during
the school day will be from the school office only. DO NOT go to the classroom
to pick up a child. You must come to the office and the child will be called
to the office. This is for the protection of your child. A Check-in/Check-out
folder is kept on the counter in the office for all parents to check in
students any time they get to school late or to check out any time they must
leave school early. It is of utmost importance that the student’s name is
written, the reason for leaving or arriving late, and the time of arrival or
departure. The parent must come into the office to sign his/her signature
when bringing the child late or checking out early. If for health reasons
or some other legitimate reason the parent is unable to check the student out
in the office, and must have someone else check the student out, the office
must be notified by the parent. We are very much concerned with the safety of
every child in our care, and this is the reason for this requirement. If
possible, remember to schedule your child’s medical appointments after school.
This will help to improve our schools attendance.
In addition, children should be checked out of school for emergencies only.
MILAN SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT - Attendance Policy
In order to maintain and improve
the attendance rate, the Attendance Officer will focus on students who miss
several days of school. Also, each school has a full time attendance clerk who
calls the home of each absent student every day to determine the reason for
the absence. Perfect attendance awards are given each year.
Absences shall be classified as
either excused or unexcused as determined by the principal or his/her
designee. Excused absences may include:
1.
Personal illness;
2.
Death or serious illness or injury in the student’s immediate family;
3.
Doctor or dentist appointments;
4.
Emergencies requiring the student’s presence at home;
5.
Religious holidays;
6.
Legal court summons, not as a result of the student’s misconduct; or
7.
Circumstances which in the judgement of the principal create emergencies over
which the student has no control.
Parent Notes:
The school will accept five (5)
parent notes per school year for illness. Thereafter, the student must have a
doctor’s note to excuse any absence for illness. (For those five parent note
days, failure to bring in a note from the parent/guardian will result in an
unexcused absence.)
Notification of
Absenteeism:
After the fourth (4th
) unexcused absence, the school will send the parent/guardian written notice
of days missed according to school records.
Written Notice to Parent:
All schools will use the same letter to parents for notification of absence.
The wording is derived specifically from school board policy. This letter will
explain school board policy in regard to absenteeism (also explained in
student agendas) and include a student detail sheet from MSSD attendance data
to delineate all absences, excused and unexcused.
Consequences of Unexcused
Absences:
4th unexcused day absent -------
Saturday school
5th unexcused day
absent -------- Saturday school
6th unexcused day
absent -------- Saturday school / Option of Gibson County Truancy Board
(Five (5) parent notes are to be
excused, so those days will not be counted as unexcused absences when
considering placement in
Saturday
School.)
Failure to attend Saturday
school:
1. Failure to attend the assigned Saturday school will result in serving two
Saturday
schools for the one missed.
2. Failure to attend the second assigned Saturday school will result in
alternative
measures such as being referred
to the
Gibson
County
Truancy Board.
(With prior permission, students
who have proven legitimate schedule conflicts with their assigned Saturday
school may be reassigned at the discretion of the principal.
If a parent/guardian does not
agree with the recommended actions, they may appeal to the assistant principal
at any time by calling the school, then to the attendance officer/ supervisor,
(686-0844 ext. 21/ 686-3026, then to the director of schools (686-0844), and
ultimately to the Board of Education. The appeal to the director shall be made
within five (5) days following the action or the report action, whichever is
later.
Students participating in
school-related activities, whether on or off campus, shall not be counted
absent. In order to qualify as “school-related,” the activity must be school
planned, school directed and/or principal approved and teacher-supervised.
A student (Grades K-4) will be allowed five (5)
tardies to school/class. Tardies six (6) through nine (9) will result in
automatic detention. Tarties ten (10) and above will result in automatic
Saturday School. The tenth (10th) tardy will result in the parents/guardians
and the student being referred to the Gibson County Truancy Board. Principals
hae the authority to use detention and Saturday Schools for tardies. A
decision regarding unexcused tardies may be appealed to the Assistant Principal
at any time by contacting the school (686-0840). The principal may use
other options when needed to insure that students attend school on time. (MSSD
Board Policy -- 6.200) Reminders are sent regularly to make you aware of tardy
violations.
