Attendance

What Parents Need to Know:

To earn academic credit, a student must be in class a minimum of 80% of the approximately 23 school days of the quarter. Therefore, students are allowed no more than 3 absences and 2 tardies per quarter in each class.

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

If a student has a verified truancy (sluff), 4 or more absences or 3 or more tardies in any class, per quarter, the student will receive no grade (NG) for the quarter grade in that class.

Truancies (sluffs), excessive absences (4 or more), and excessive tardies (3 or more) can be “made-up” through attendance school in order to receive credit and earn their academic grade in the class.

Parents/guardians should avoid interruptions of the academic year and plan medical appointments and vacations at times that will not require students to be out of school.

Please notify the Attendance office on the same day of your student’s absence or Check-in.

Parents have a maximum of 5 days to excuse an absence or Check-in.

When arriving late or returning from an appointment students must report to the Attendance office to Check-in before going to class.

All class-work missed due to an excused absence or tardy must be made-up as dictated in each teacher’s class Disclosure or with-in 5 days in order to receive credit.

Verified Truancies (Sluffs) = One hour of attendance school	Absences= The fourth (4) absence in a class period, and each subsequent absence must be made up by attending one hour of attendance school.	Tardies=The third (3) tardy in a class period, and each subsequent tardy must be made up by attending 30 minutes of attendance school.
Z = Verified Truancy (Sluff)	A = Unexcused Absence U = Unexcused Check In W = Way Late (more than 10 min late)	T = Tardy

Attendance School Ticket Prices

Offense	Time	Cost
One Tardy	30 minutes	$3.00
One Absence	60 minutes	$5.00
One Verified Truancy	60 minutes	$5.00

Attendance + Completed Assignments = Graduation

Attendance Policy

At Herriman High School we, the participants and patrons, exemplify an environment of mutual respect and cooperation, a commitment to excellence in all endeavors, and the encouragement of leadership traits. The Jordan School District requires that all children achieve mastery in the basic skills, and any absence from school interferes with the child’s opportunity to master these skills. In an effort to increase student success, to prepare students for attendance expectations in their future careers, and to exemplify our commitment to excellence and leadership, Herriman High School has established the following attendance policy.

Herriman High School is committed to academic excellence and understands that learning is increased with consistent attendance. In accordance to Jordan School District Policy AA432, this attendance policy states the responsibilities of Herriman High School teachers, students, and parent/guardians regarding school attendance, defines absences and tardies, specifies loss of credit due to absences and tardies, and outlines attendance school make-up procedures to reinstate credit.

Attendance Policy Goals

Herriman High School’s attendance policy will help students accomplish the following goals:

Develop student responsibility
Develop quality citizenship among students
Increase student respect for teachers, other students, and learning
Encourage students to achieve success in their courses
Prepare students for future employment

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Role of the Student

The student shall gain the most of their educational experience by regularly attending and being on time to all classes.
Students shall be present in assigned or designated areas at all times.
Students shall follow proper check-in/check out procedures.
Students shall obtain make-up assignments from the teacher due to absences and shall turn them in according to arrangements made with the teacher.

The Role of the Teacher

Teachers shall keep an accurate roll of all absences and tardies.
Teachers shall emphasize the importance of punctuality by beginning class promptly with meaningful instruction.
Teachers shall discuss attendance issues with students as they arise and inform the school administration if attendance does not improve.

The Role of the Parent/Guardian

Parents/guardians should avoid interruptions of the academic year and plan medical appointments and vacations at times that will not require students to be out of school.
Parents/guardians will show support regarding district policies and state law by expecting regular school attendance for student success.
Parents/guardians shall contact the attendance office and notify the school of student’s absence, in the case of illness or other legitimate reasons for absences, within five (5) days of the absence.
The role of the parent/guardian is further summarized by the following:

Utah Compulsory Attendance Law [53A-11-101] requires every school age child to be in school. Parents/guardians are responsible for their children’s regular school attendance and may be charged with a misdemeanor if they fail to ensure their student’s regular attendance. Parents/guardians are responsible for notifying the school when an absence occurs within five school days of the absence.

The Role of the Administration

The administration shall enforce and uphold Utah State Compulsory Education law that may include a referral to juvenile court for excessive absenteeism.
The administration shall identify students with attendance issues and work cooperatively with parents/guardians and students to improve attendance.
The administration shall maintain an earnest and persistent effort to improve student attendance.

The Role of the Attendance Office

The attendance office shall keep administrators and parents/guardians informed of attendance problems.
The attendance office shall notify parents/guardians of excessive absenteeism by phone message, calling machine, or letter.
The attendance office shall review attendance daily and resolve discrepancies in student attendance records.
The attendance office shall provide check-in /check-out slips upon authorization by phone or in person by a student’s parent/guardian.

ATTENDANCE

To earn credit, a student must be in class a minimum of 80% of the days of the quarter (19 of approximately 23 possible class periods per quarter). If a student has a verified truancy (sluff), four (4) or more absences(s) or three (3) or more tardies per class per quarter that have not been made-up, the student will receive no grade (NG) for the quarter grade in that class. Truancies (sluffs), excessive absences (4 or more), and excessive tardies (3 or more) can be “made-up” through attendance school in order to receive credit in the class.
Students who have not met the attendance requirement but have received a passing grade will receive “no grade” (NG) if the excessive absences/tardies are not made up or excused through the review process. NG is not available to students who failed academically; those students will receive an F grade regardless of their attendance. For athletic eligibility purposes, student government, and other programs that have a minimum GPA requirement, NG is counted as a failing grade. After the end of the term, all remaining NG grades will be converted to F grades on the student’s transcript.

Students released from their regular classes in order to participate in school approved, extra curricular activities are not considered absent.
Absences due to suspensions or confinement in county detention do not need to be made up. However assignments from each class must be made up according to individual teachers’ disclosures.
The “make-up” of excessive absences or tardies in attendance school does not excuse students from completing the class work and assignments missed during the absences(s). Make up of the missed work is subject to requirements outlined in individual teachers’ disclosures.
Excessive absences may also result in suspension, and/or referral to Jordan School District Truancy School and Juvenile Court for non-compliance with Utah Compulsory Education Law (Utah Code 53A-11-101).

EDUCATIONAL/VACATION LEAVE

Jordan School District allows students to make application to an administrator to miss up to ten school days of each year for prior-approved education/vacation release. These prior-approved release days will not contribute to the accumulated total of absences. Forms are available in the attendance office and must be picked up at least two days prior to the absence. Students may take no more than ten (10) prior-approved education/vacation release absences per year without having to complete make-up sessions. 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).

PARENT/GUARDIAN AND STUDENT ACCESS

Herriman High School provides computerized attendance information updated daily to assist parents/guardians and students. Students and parents/guardians may check class grades and attendance records through the Skyward gradebook system. In addition, parents/guardians may set their own preferences in Skyward for receiving Skylerts by phone, e-mail, or text message to notify them of absences on a daily basis. A link to Skyward gradebook is provided at www.herrimanhigh.org. In addition, parent/guardians may check attendance by calling the attendance office at (801) 567-8550 between 7:00 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.
ATTENDANCE SCHOOL AND AVOIDING LOSS OF CREDIT

On the first verified truancy (sluff), third absence or third tardy and every subsequent absence or tardy per class each quarter, students will be required to complete a session of attendance school to make up the missed class time. A student must attend a session for absences and tardies that are represented by the following codes:

Verified Truancies (Sluffs)Each one must be made up by one hour of attendance school.	Absences When a student reaches four (4) absences in a class period, the fourth absence and each subsequent absence must be made up by attending one hour of attendance school.	TardiesWhen a student reaches three (3) tardies in a class period, the third tardy and each subsequent tardy must be made up by attending 30 minutes of attendance school.
Z = Verified Truancy (Sluff)	A = Unexcused Absence C = Check In/Out w/ Guardian Knowledge G = Absence w/ Guardian Knowledge I = Check In w/ Guardian Knowledge O = Check Out w/ Guardian Knowledge U = Unexcused Check In W = Way Late (more than 10 min late)	T = Tardy

Attendance school sessions will be offered before school on designated days with some Saturday sessions available. To avoid any problems it is strongly suggested that the student make up the time within two (2) weeks of the occurrence. Absences occurring during the last week of the quarter must be made up during the first week of the following quarter. Students may not make up NG’s from previous quarters. An attendance school schedule will be available from the attendance office. Students must sign up for attendance school by purchasing tickets in the main office and dropping the completed ticket into the attendance school box for the session the student wishes to attend by 1:00 p.m. the day before the attendance school session.

For admittance into attendance school, students must have picture I.D. and schoolwork in their possession. No food, drink, electronic device or any other disruptive items will be permitted in the attendance session area. Herriman High School rules including the dress code will be enforced in each session. Sessions will start promptly. Students arriving late will lose the opportunity to attend the session and forfeit the money and time for that session. A student that is disruptive, as determined by the teacher, during attendance school will be removed from that sitting of attendance school and will forfeit the money and time for that session. Failure to make up absences or tardies will result in no grade for the class, which will be coverted to an F grade at the end of the term.

Attendance School Ticket Prices

Offense	Time	Cost
One Tardy	30 minutes	$3.00
One Absence	60 minutes	$5.00
One Verified Truancy	60 minutes	$5.00

Attendance Appeal Process
Students and their parents/guardians may appeal to the Attendance Review Committee to waive or reduce the make-up requirement for excessive absences each quarter. Appeals must be submitted using the Attendance Appeal form no later than 10 days after the last day of the 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. In the case of chronic, pre-existing, or extended unforeseen health conditions, an assistant principal can waive the review process and excuse absences. This requires that the student or parent/guardian be in regular contact with their assistant principal. Students may not make up a grade of NG from a previous quarter. The Attendance Committee, however, will evaluate appeals due to uncontrollable circumstances.

To be considered, reviewed absences must meet the following criteria:

Absences must have been parent/guardian-excused (indicating parent/guardian 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 excuse must be date specific.
An explanation of why the absences are being appealed must be verified by a parent.

Absence review submission deadline schedules and absence review forms will be available in the attendance office. The review forms must be signed by a parent. 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; chronic tardiness; or absences not excused by a parent/guardian at the time of the absence or within five (5) school days of the student’s return to school.

Check In/Check Out

Once a student has been to school and needs to leave for any reason, it is imperative that the student checks out through the attendance office. All checkouts must be confirmed directly with parent/guardian contact by telephone or in person at the time of checkout or prior to checkout. A parent/guardian should contact the attendance office early in the day to arrange a student’s checkout. Computer generated check out slips will be available for students to pick up in the attendance office between his/her first hour class break. Students are required to pick up the checkout slips from the attendance office during a class break.
Students leaving school without following proper checkout procedure will be considered truant. Students arriving within the first 10 minutes of first hour classes must go directly to their class. The first hour teacher will record the attendance. If students enter campus after first hour classes or more than 10 minutes late, they must check-in through the attendance office. They will be given a check-in slip with the date, time, and reason for the check-in to be given to the current teacher. The codes of O (check out) and I (check in) will count as absences, and will need to be made up if absences become excessive (three or more per class period).

ATTENDANCE DEFINITIONS

A student is considered absent from school or from a class any time he/she is not present. School activities and assemblies that are scheduled during school time between 7:30 a.m. and 2:25 p.m. are considered part of the regular school day. Students are required to be at the activity or in a school supervised alternate area during that time. If a student needs to leave school for any reason during the school day, he/she is required to check out through the attendance office using proper check out procedure.(See Check In/Check Out)

Unexcused absence: Student is absent and the reason given for the absence is one that is not accepted by the school, truancy court, or state law as a valid excuse for missing school, i.e. going out to lunch, skiing, sleeping in, babysitting, shopping, etc. Students who come to class after the (10) minute tardy period are marked way late.

Excused absence: The absence is excused when the parent/guardian has provided the school with documentation of an illness, physician or dental appointment, bereavement, court appearance, or, in rare cases a family emergency or special religious observance. Acceptable forms of documentation include written notes from a physician or dentist, court subpoenas, and funeral programs.

Tardy: The student comes to class late up to ten (10) minutes after the bell rings. A student is tardy when he/she is not sitting at the desk ready to work when the bell rings, as determined by the teacher.

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

Truancy: Either parents/guardians or the school are not aware of the student’s absence or the student did not follow proper checkout procedure. Parents/guardians, police, or school personnel verified the student’s absence as truancy.

Excessive Absences: Sixteen (16) or more class period absences per quarter (cumulative across all classes) or four (4) or more absences in any one class period per quarter. The state indicates that excessive absences are one or more missed classes per week for traditional school, with each class being held everyday.

Activity Absences: Students participating in activities that do not involve the entire student body will be excused by an administratively approved Activity Release form. Students are not penalized for the absence, but must make-up assigned work per teacher’s disclosure statement. If a student begins to accumulate excessive activity absences, the teacher should submit a referral to the appropriate assistant principal.

Suspensions: The suspended student is counted present on attendance records and cannot be penalized for nonattendance on days of suspension. Make-up work must be provided for suspended students. Work must be completed within the time requirements of the individual teacher.

Attendance Code Definitions

Code	Explanation	Definition
A	Absent	The student was absent and the school was not notified by parent/guardian.
B	Absence Made-up	The student attended make-up school for the absence.
C	Check In/Out	The student checked-in and out during the same period with a valid excuse from parent/guardian.
D	In school suspension	Student is placed in a detention at the school and is in attendance.
E	Verified Excused Absence	The student was absent and considered excused because of doctor or court note.
F	Absence Waived	Attendance record changed/Approved by appeals committee
G	Guardian Knowledge	Parent/Guardian notifies the attendance office of absence by phone or in person.
H	Home & Hospital	Sick 10 days or more with appropriate paperwork completed.
I	Check In	Student checks in to school.
J	Testing/Counselor	Student is in a school sponsored testing situation.
K	Detention/Crisis Center	Student is in a court detention setting.
L	Tardy made-up	Student attended make-up class to make up tardy.
N	School Activity	The student is out of class due to a school sponsored activity.
O	Check Out	Parent/guardian checked out, through the attendance office, prior to the student leaving campus.
R	Truancy Made-Up	The student attended make-up school for the truancy
S	Suspension	The student has been removed from school setting for disciplinary reasons.
T	Tardy	Up to 10 minutes late to class.
U	Unexcused Check In	The student checks in without parental knowledge or verification.
V	Vacation/Education leave	The student is absent due to a prearranged vacation or educational leave. (10 days max per year)
W	Way Late	More than 10 minutes late to class.
X	Counselor Conference	The student has been meeting with their counselor.
Y	Administrative Conference	The student has been meeting with their administrator.
Z	Truant	Verified Truancy.