Any absence, regardless of its nature, counts as an absence. Because we encourage field trips and visits to colleges and universities, our liberal absence policy allows for plenty of room for students to participate in all school-related activities. Students are expected to monitor their absence count to avoid any loss of credit.
For most students most of the time, absenteeism is not a problem. When absenteeism does become a problem, it results in lowered class participation, missed classroom material, lowered grades on in-class assignments, and lowered grades if missed homework assignments are not done. Excessive absenteeism will result in a student being withdrawn from a class. The following schedule, requiring automatic withdrawal from a class, has been calculated based on an absenteeism rate of 25%. As stated above, this policy does not affect most students.
A student will be withdrawn from a class when that student is absent for the 10th time in a quarter-long class, for the 19th time in a semester-long class, and for the 37th time in a year-long class. If a student is failing a course, his/her withdrawal will show as an F on his/her transcript; if the student is passing, the withdrawal will show as a W. On some occasions, depending upon the situation, the student may be given the option to earn credit by making up missed work.
It is the student’s responsibility to make up all missed work and assignments when absent. If a student is absent for more than one day, he/she should contact his/her teachers by email requesting assignments. If necessary, the student should arrange for his/her teachers to pull together assignments, books and materials, and then have a parent or a friend pick them up in the main office. When the student returns to school, he/she needs to follow up with each teacher to find out if there is anything else he/she needs to do to get caught up and keep current.
If a student will be out for an extended absence due to hospitalization or other medical reasons, his/her parents must contact the advisor and the Academic Dean to discuss possible options. A meeting with the advisor, teachers and the Academic Dean is required to make sure everyone understands their respective obligations and responsibilities, as well as the school’s decision regarding the student’s academic status.
All students are expected to be present for exhibition days. Teachers are not required to allow a student to present his/her exhibition early for the intended purpose of extending a vacation period. Students who make alternate plans risk failing a class.
Students arriving to Morning Module between 9:30 and 10:25 are considered absent for the class. Similarly, students leaving Afternoon Module before 3:30 are considered absent for the class.