BOARD POLICY 5113
Student Attendance And Excuses
The Ironton City Board of Education believes that for continual student learning and academic production to take place, good school attendance is a "must." In addition, the laws of the State of Ohio require (with certain exceptions) students of school age to attend school. Thus, regular attendance is not only expected; it is required by law. However, certain mitigating circumstances arise among the student population, that may prevent regular attendance, resulting in pupil absences from school. Such absences are classified as excused or unexcused.
Excused absence is that which has been approved by the absentee's parent or guardian and approved by the designated school official as legitimate reason or reasons as specified in the Ohio Revised Code and the State Department of Education's Regulations. Unexcused absence is that which the parent/guardian and/or the designated school officials have not given permission for or have no knowledge of, or which do not meet the criteria of the O.R.C. and/or the State Department of Education's Regulations.
It shall be the Policy of the Ironton City Schools that all students in the Ironton City System are free to participate in educational travel upon pre-approval of the building principal. Educational assignments will be required to be completed in conjunction with the approved educational travel. The assignments will be determined by the students' teacher and approved by the building level principal prior to the educational travel trip. There is a limit of one (1) such trip of five (5) school days in any school year.
Any student enrolled in the Ironton City School System in grades Kindergarten (K) through twelve (12) who has an accumulation of more than four days of absence in any nine-week period shall receive an incomplete until the class work and days exceeding four are made up. Make-up days will be offered on days that regular school is not in session with the exception of Sundays, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.
Any student who has an accumulation over sixteen (16) or more days of absence in any single class period shall receive no credit in the subject in which he/she is enrolled until the class work and days exceeding sixteen are made up.
Exceptions (to the 16-day accumulation) will be out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and court detention. Upon accumulation of sixteen (16) days of total absence in any class, regardless of the reason, a student may be denied credit unless approved by the appeals board. An appeal hearing will be arranged within two weeks after notice of credit denial to review the excuses for absences, academic performance, and make recommendation for promotion or denial of class credit. The student and parent are required to attend the meeting.
Excused Absences
The Ironton City School District recognizes the following (student) excused absences from school:
1. Personal illness - The approving (school)
authority may require the certificate of a physician if he/she deems it
advisable.
After a student has been absent twice for illness
in a nine-week period, physician's statement or a parental/guardian visit to
the school will be mandatory.
Extreme and/or emergency situations
will be given proper and appropriate consideration
by school officials in
charge.
2. Illness in the family - Same restrictions apply here as in personal illness. (Shall not apply to children under fourteen years of age.)
3. Quarantine of the home - Limited to length of quarantine as determined by the Health Department.
4. Death of a relative - Limited to three (3) days unless reasonable cause is shown for longer absence. Must be approved.
5. Observance of religious holidays - Must be
prearranged with dean or principal and approved by him/her. Limited
to length
of holiday.
6. Emergency, or set of circumstances which in
the good judgment of the superintendent of schools or his/her designee,
constitutes as
good and sufficient cause for
absence from school. Limits set by school official in charge for the case at
hand.
7. Homework (needed at home) - Must be
approved by the principal or assistant principal and will not exceed two (2)
days
per semester.
8. Educational Travel - As prescribed in Board
Policy - Must be prearranged, or it is considered unexcused. Limit of one (1)
such trip
of five (5) school days in
any school year.
9. Doctor or dental appointments - Should be
scheduled after school or on Saturdays. Emergencies requiring such
appointments
during school hours will be excused
only after being confirmed by dean or principal, with proof of appointment.
10. Court appearances, appointments - Must provide proof of same. Limited to length of appointment and travel time.
Absences not conforming to the reasons listed above will be considered unexcused. Flagrant violation and/or disregard for the rules of attendance and punctuality will result in referral to the juvenile court and/or expulsion.
1. Absence notes or excuses should be presented
to school officials the day following an absence. After two (2) days no
excuse
will be accepted.
2. Class work missed because of any absence
shall be made up. Work missed shall be made up within the length of time
determined
by the classroom teacher.
3. Any and all trips sponsored or approved by the school will not be counted as a pupil absence.
4. Parent/guardian and the student will be
notified of scheduled make-up days by the building principal’s office when the
student exceeds
the allotted number of days
permitted during the respective grading period.
The Ironton City Schools will adhere to the laws of the State of Ohio with regard to compulsory school attendance.
A child between six and eighteen years of age is of school age. Every child of compulsory school age must attend public school unless excused for one of the reasons enumerated by statute (Text 57.04, RC 3321.01). A child who graduates from the twelfth grade prior to reaching the age of eighteen is not required to attend school further.
Although compulsory school attendance is required only of children between the ages of six and eighteen, public schools are free to all residents of the school district who are at least five but under twenty-two years of age (RC 3313.64). A board of education may establish a special education program for handicapped children between three and twenty-two years of age (RC 3323.01 (A), 3323.06 to 3323.091).
A child of compulsory school age may be excused from attending the public school to which he has been assigned for any of the following reasons:
1. He/she is over sixteen years of age, holds an age and schooling certificate, and is regularly employed.
2. He/she attends a private or parochial
school, which conforms to the minimum standards prescribed by the State Board
of Education
(Text 57.03).
3. He/she has graduated from the twelfth grade.
4. He/she receives instruction at home by a person qualified by certification.
5. His/her bodily or mental condition does not permit attendance at school or at a special education program.
6. He/she is suspended or expelled for good and sufficient reason under the education rules on discipline (RC 3321.03, 3321.04).
The superintendent of schools of the district in which the child resides (Ironton City) determines whether the child may be excused for the reasons enumerated in (1) through (6) above. All such excuses must be in writing and a copy sent to the child's parent or guardian.
9-20-82
Rev. 11-12-84
Rev. 1-14-85
Rev. 2-5-90
Rev. 12-12-94
Rev. 05-30-04
Rev. 06-20-05
Rev. 07-30-10