3. Attendance Information

In this section, you will find information about:

Our attendance partnership

Pre-arranged absences and students leaving school

Attendance-related definitions

Addressing tardiness

Addressing absences

Other attendance information

OVERVIEW

District #279 believes that classroom attendance and academic success are directly related. Classroom experiences are meaningful and essential components of the learning process. Meeting class attendance requirements helps instill concepts of self-discipline, exposes the students to group interactions with teachers and fellow students, enables the student to hear and participate in class discussions, and involves the student in educational experiences not available in other circumstances. The attendance procedures outlined in this section have been established to place students in the best possible position to achieve their academic dreams.

For more information on District 279 policies related to attendance, please consult ISD279 Policy 503.

The attendance line for Osseo Senior High School is 763-391-8511.

OUR ATTENDANCE PARTNERSHIP

Regular class attendance is a joint responsibility to be shared by the student, parent/guardian and the school personnel. This understanding will assist students in attending class.

It is the responsibility of the student to:

Attend all classes every day on time.
Provide a note to the attendance clerk at the front desk upon returning from an absence. If a parent call to the attendance clerk is expected, students should stop at the front desk to confirm the call was received.
Communicate with teachers about missed work as a result of an absence.
Complete all missed work assigned by their teachers according to the timelines established by the teachers (teachers generally follow a 1-1 ratio for students making up tasks; every day of excused absence yields one day to complete the assigned tasks).
Comply with consequences assigned by teachers or building administration as a result of unexcused tardiness or absences. This includes making up any and all Oriole Hours.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to:

Encourage their student(s) to attend school every day, and attend every class on time.
Drop off and pick up their student(s) in a way that allows their student(s) to attend every class period on time, in the event the parent/guardian provides transportation for their student(s) to and from school.
Inform the school within 24 hours in writing or by phone in the event of a student absence.
Monitor their student’s attendance through ParentVue and call the attendance clerk or grade level administrator when concerns arise.
Work cooperatively with the school and student to solve any attendance problem that may arise.

It is the responsibility of the teacher to:

Maintain an accurate attendance record for their classes.
Start and end each class on time.
Hold students accountable for tardiness by assigning classroom-level consequences to affected students.
Communicate truancy concerns to Student Services and the families of affected students.

It is the responsibility of the administrator to:

Encourage all students to attend their classes every day and on time.
Communicate with families around major attendance concerns of their student(s).
Work cooperatively with the parent/guardian and the student to develop acceptable attendance patterns.
Share truancy data with Hennepin County and other outside agencies as necessary.

Please note: the school reserves the right to determine whether or not an absence is excused or unexcused.

PRE-ARRANGED ABSENCES AND STUDENTS LEAVING SCHOOL

General Considerations:

Vacations should be planned to coincide with scheduled school breaks.
Families should prearrange absences with the attendance clerk at the front desk, in order for the student’s attendance record to remain accurate.
Administrative approval is required on anticipated absences lasting longer than five (5) consecutive school days.
Students are automatically unenrolled from Osseo Senior High School after fifteen (15) consecutive missed school days, regardless of the absence type, as required by the state of Minnesota. A student would need to re-enroll at the district enrollment center before the school could regenerate their class schedule.
- When the absences are the result of a medical issue, the student may be placed on homebound instruction. For more information on homebound instruction, please contact Assistant Principal Erica Barlow .

When a student must leave school during the school day (appointments, illness, etc.):

Before the student may leave school, the student shall present a note, or a phone call must be received from his/her parent/guardian, asking that the student be excused and giving the reason (e.g. doctor’s appointment, family concern, etc.). If a note is sent, the student must bring it to the attendance desk BEFORE 7:30 AM on the day of the absence. If the note is brought in AFTER 7:30 AM, students with appointments (medical, dental, etc.) may be requested to bring verification of the appointment, upon return, to the attendance office. Failure to follow these procedures may result in an unexcused absence for the classes missed.
If a student becomes ill during the day, or an emergency situation arises during the day, he/she must have the approval and “Leave School Permit” from the health service specialist or an administrator before leaving. Failure to follow these procedures may result in an unexcused absence.
Students may only be released to designated family members listed in Synergy.

ATTENDANCE-RELATED DEFINITIONS

What is considered an ‘excused absence’?

Illness.
Religious instruction not to exceed three hours a week.
Family vacations (students benefit if vacations coincide with school breaks).
Serious illness or death of a family member or close relative.
Appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of school hours. (Driver education MUST be scheduled outside of school hours.)
Approved school activities.
Family emergencies.
Court appearances.
Absences resulting from suspension or other school sanctions.

What is considered an ‘unexcused absence’ or ‘truant absence’?

Absences without parental permission or administrative approval.
Oversleeping or missing the bus/ride.
Failure to follow the proper procedures when leaving the school building. (See procedures for When a student must leave school)
Work at home.
Work at a business, except under a school-sponsored work release program.
Babysitting or family member care.
Leaving class early without permission.
Arriving to class after the first 10 minutes of the period.
Any other absence not included under the attendance procedures set out in this policy.

What is the difference between an unexcused absence and a truant absence?

An unexcused absence becomes a truant absence in Synergy after twenty-four (24) hours. In many cases, these two terms are used interchangeably.

What does it mean to be tardy (excused / unexcused)?

A student is considered tardy any time the student is not in their classroom when the bell rings to begin the class period and arrives before 50% of the class period has passed.
- Excused tardiness: any tardiness for which the student is excused in writing by an administrator, faculty member or attendance clerk. Students will be allowed to enter classes with a pass from another teacher.
- Unexcused tardiness: any tardiness for which the student does not have a written or verifiable excuse from an administrator, faculty member or attendance clerk.

ADDRESSING TARDINESS

Classroom teachers will place their tardy policy in their course syllabus for families to review. Classroom teachers may apply classroom-level consequences to students exhibiting patterns of unexcused tardiness.

Unexcused tardiness and Oriole Hours

NEW: Every three tardies results in one (1) Oriole Hour. This is applied in addition to any classroom-level consequences for recurring tardiness to a particular period of study.

Hall Sweeps

Hall sweeps are performed regularly to ensure students arrive to class on time. Students caught in a hall sweep are subject to administrative consequences, beginning with phone calls home and the assignment of after school reflection time.

Parking Privileges (See "Students Parking on Campus" for more information)

Students must be cleared of all Oriole Hours before being eligible to pick up a trimester parking pass.
Students with ten or more Oriole Hours will have their parking privileges suspended until their Oriole Hours balance falls to fewer than ten.

ADDRESSING ABSENCES

Minnesota State law requires the reporting of all students who consistently truant school and are under the age of 18. At Osseo Senior High School, student truancy is addressed at both the school and county level.

At the school level:

Student Services monitors truant absences through weekly attendance reporting. Consequences for truancy at the building level are communicated to students weekly.
- NEW: For every two (2) periods of truant/unexcused absence, one (1) Oriole Hours is assigned. Students with unserved Oriole Hours may not participate in after school activities, including, but not limited to: sports practices/games, clubs, and dances.
- At three (3) school days of truancy, a parent/guardian letter will be mailed to the student’s residence and a phone call will be placed to inform the family of the truancy.
- At five (5) school days of truancy, an additional parent/guardian letter will be mailed home, and the school social worker will request a parent/guardian conference with the student and their administrator to develop a corrective attendance plan.

At the county level:

At six (6) days of truant absences, grade level administrators refer students and their families to the Hennepin County Be@School truancy diversion program. A representative from Be@School will schedule a Parent Group Meeting (PGM) with the family. This meeting usually takes place at the school.
At nine (9) days of truant absences, grade level administrators update truancy information for the student and their families with Hennepin County. A representative from Be@School will schedule a School Team Attendance Review (STAR) meeting with the student and their family.
At 15 days of truant absences, Osseo Senior High School may petition Hennepin County’s truancy court for a hearing.

HOW TO MAKE UP ORIOLE HOURS

There are a number of ways to make up Oriole Hours. They include, but are not limited to:

Attending after-school study tables or a restorative circle with administration.
Attending Tuesday Tutoring or Independent Study.
Completing a credit-bearing experience in Zero Hour (see Mr. Woods for more information).
Participation in a family/school meeting regarding a scholar's academics, attendance, or behavior.
Completing acts of service for staff (with staff permission).
Completing truancy-related assignments in Schoology (Student Services & ATS Course).
Completing an academic plan to submit missing assignments.

OTHER ATTENDANCE INFORMATION

Homebound Instruction

Students, who are expected to be absent for 15 consecutive days because of the same illness, may receive homebound instruction. This involves a teacher coming to the home to provide help in the student’s classes. If a 15-day absence is anticipated, parents will need a physician’s statement to verify the length of the absence. All requests for homebound instruction should be directed to an assistant principal. This program will be provided at district expense when appropriate.

Attendance and Open Enrollment

Students who open enroll in Osseo Senior High School will be held to the same attendance thresholds as students living in the school’s attendance area. However, open enrolled students found to be habitually truant can have their open enrollment status terminated at the end of the school year.

Specifically, open enrollment may be terminated at the end of the school year for:

a child under the age of 17 years who is absent from attendance at school without lawful excuse for one or more class periods on seven school days per school year.
a child who is 17 years of age who is absent from attendance at school without lawful excuse for one or more class periods on seven school days per school year and who has not lawfully withdrawn from school.

For more information, please consult Minnesota Statutes, Section 124D.03, Section 12.

Attendance and Extra-curricular Activities

This policy applies to students involved in athletics, music, drama, dance team, debate, declamation, cheerleading, royalty and all other activities scheduled during or outside the school day.

If a student is unable to remain in school because of fatigue, ill health or injury, he/she will not be allowed to participate in the activity that day, except under the conditions stated below in item number 5.
School-initiated absences will be accepted and participation permitted.
A student may not participate in an extracurricular activity (practice or meet/game) if he/she has an unexcused absence for any class during the day.
If a student is suspended from any class, he/she may not participate in an extracurricular activity that day.
If a student is absent from school due to medical reasons, he/she must present a medical statement from a physician, school health service specialist or an administrator clearing the student for participation that day. The note must be presented to the coach/advisor before the student participates in the activity.
If a student does not satisfactorily complete or misses their scheduled after school reflection time, he/she cannot participate in any after school activities for that day.

Absence for State Tournaments

When OSH teams are involved in State Tournaments, students are encouraged to attend contests. If this requires missing school, special pre-arrangements will be used. Spectators are to be excused for reasonable transportation times prior to and following athletic contests but are to attend other classes on that day. If time permits, prior notice will be sent to parents. Administration will announce the procedure to follow for leaving school before each state tournament.

Physical Education Excuse Procedures - Types of Excuses:

Excuses for one (1) to three (3) days (minor ailments and minor injuries such as colds, sprained ankles, etc.) – the student needs a written note from his/her parent/guardian. These notes are not to be taken to the health service specialist but are to be given to the Phy. Ed. instructor at the beginning of class. If there is a question about the validity of the note or the number of days excused, the instructor may send the student to the health service specialist for verification with the parent/guardian.
Excuses for more than three (3) days – the student must obtain a written excuse from the doctor and have it signed by the school health service specialist before giving it to the Phy. Ed. instructor. If the student is out of Phy. Ed. longer than three (3) days, the instructor and health service specialist will determine if the student should be assigned to an adaptive Phy. Ed. class, remain in the class with no modifications, or be asked to re-enroll in the course for future credit. Phy. Ed. is a requirement for graduation.
Medically excused for more than six (6) weeks; but not permanently – the student will drop current Phy. Ed. class(es) and reschedule for when he/she is recovered from the illness or injury.

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