The Board of Education believes that regular attendance is required for promotion and success in schoolwork and that excessive absences negatively affect a student's academic performance and the overall classroom environment. Participation in classroom activities, discussions, lab experiences, and certain other interactions are beneficial for everyone in the classroom and are all necessary ingredients of the learning process. All students that are under the age of 16 are required by law to attend school. Any student under the age of 16 . Both students and parents share responsibility for regular and prompt attendance.
The West Ottawa Board of Education, pursuant to the authority granted by the statutes of the State of Michigan, has adopted district Attendance Policy 5200, which sets forth certain attendance requirements for students of the West Ottawa Public Schools and establishes procedures and sanctions concerning those requirements. In order to facilitate the efficient functioning of that policy, the Board of Education resolves the following:
The building principal is charged with the responsibility and given the authority to interpret and enforce district Attendance Policy 5200.
The building principal shall have the authority to order the suspension or removal from school of a student who is in violation of district Attendance Policy 5200, subject always to the ultimate power of the Board of Education to hear and decide an appeal established under the policy, when such an appeal is requested by the student and parents/guardians.
Absences are either excused (E), school related (R), verified (V), documented (D), or unexcused (U); however, absences happen for a variety of reasons. To determine the reason for the absence and to ensure consistency in interpreting the policy, a high school administrator will be responsible for identifying what type of absence has occurred.
Excused Absences (E):
An excused absence occurs when a parent or guardian notifies the school within two days (48 hours) of the absence. Examples of Excused absences include illness without medical documentation, family obligations, vacations, hunting trips, etc. It is the opinion of the school district that absences of these types should be planned to coincide with scheduled school vacation time. However, if this is not possible, the absence must be prearranged by contacting the appropriate administrative secretary. Excused absences are reflected when calculating PRIDE Score.
Other Excused Absences:
School-related absence (R): Students miss a class and are out of the building because of school-generated activities (sports events, field trips, etc.).
Suspension (X): A student has been denied attendance by the administration for disciplinary reasons.
Verified absence (V): Students miss a class, but are on campus for school-related activities (scheduling for classes, mentoring other students, counseling meetings, etc.)
Medical and Documented Absences (D):
A medical or documented absence occurs when parents or guardians have notified the school within two days (48 hours) of the absence and produced documentation that supports the absence. Examples include illness that requires a doctors visit or hospitalization, recovery from surgery or accident, deaths and funerals of immediate family, college visits (limit of two junior and senior year), court appointments, professional appointments (that could not be scheduled outside of the regular school day), and observation or celebration of a bona fide religious holiday. These types of absences will not count against a student in regards to their PRIDE score.
In all types of excused absences, students are allowed to make up the missed work, but it is their responsibility to obtain the assignments from teachers and to complete the work in a timely manner. Generally, one make-up day will be allowed for each day of absence unless the teacher and the student make other arrangements.
Unexcused Absences (U):
For unexcused absences, students will be allowed to make up work for credit.
The following are examples of unexcused absences:
Not having a parent or guardian notify the school within two school days of the absence
Missing a class or leaving school during the school day for any reason without first receiving permission from the office
Missing class as a result of using transportation other than a school bus
Oversleeping, missing the bus, etc.
Arriving to class more than 10 minutes late without an acceptable excuse
Skipping a class (A student intentionally chooses not to attend the class.)
The school will make every reasonable effort to notify the parent/guardian when the student is unexcused; however, failure to notify the parent/guardian does not excuse the student. Please be sure that all phone numbers are accurate and current so that the automatic caller is alerting parents/guardians of students absences.
False reporting of absences: Reporting an absence and acting as your parent/guardian or calling in and acting as another student’s parent/guardian is not permitted and is subject to progressive discipline up to and including suspension from school.
Parents are expected to report an absence to the attendance office on the day of the absence. If a parent fails to call on the day of the absence, two days will be allowed to excuse or explain the unexcused absence before the absence is permanently recorded as unexcused. Parents are encouraged to utilize the parent portal for monitoring student attendance.
Students are expected to obtain make-up work from teachers on the first day they return to the class and to complete the work within the agreed-upon timelines. Students will be allowed a maximum of two days from the day they are notified to clear any questionable unexcused absences. Students must check-out with a building attendance secretary prior to leaving the school campus, otherwise their absence will be marked as unexcused.
The School will make every effort to notify parents by phone, e-mail, or mail when their child has any unexcused absences.
Students who become ill during the school day must report to the office. School personnel will contact a parent or guardian to obtain permission for students to leave. A staff member may also allow a student to remain in the office for a short time. If a student is ill and chooses to leave school or miss a class without reporting to the office, he/she will receive an unexcused absence.