Attendance Procedures
ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES
Philosophy
The purpose of the Attendance Procedures is to prioritize student attendance. At Canton High School, we believe that learning is an ongoing process that requires daily interaction of students with their teachers and peers. Canton High School strives to build a community of learners, and this community is hindered when students are absent. Parents and guardians are partners with the school in assuring that students have consistent attendance and arrive at school and to class on time.
Absences
Parents or guardians are required to call in all absences to the office at 781-821-5050 ext. 1 or 2050 in advance and no later than the morning of the absence. However, this notification does not excuse an absence. It simply notifies the school that a parent or guardian is aware of the absence. If an extended absence is anticipated, students or parents/guardians should contact the appropriate school counselor or assistant principal.
Absence Limits: Canton High School has established an “absence limit” for every student. We recognize that students will occasionally confront personal and family concerns that make attendance at school difficult. The absence limit is meant to recognize this while also continuing to prioritize school attendance. The expectation is that students not exceed 8 absences (full day or individual classes) in a single term.
All student absences from school and/or class will count toward the absence limit with the following exceptions:
Observations of religious holidays
Participation in school-sponsored activities
Pre-approved future planning visits (i.e. college visits, military recruiting, etc.)
Any other absence excused by the administration, nursing, or counseling department.
Students and their families should make every effort to use absences judiciously. All student absences that accumulate toward a student’s absence limit will be coded as Absent (A) in the school’s daily attendance or Truant (Tr) in the case of truancy.
We encourage direct and open communication between CHS and families to ensure a clear understanding of the attendance procedures. In an effort to promote proactive and direct communication, CHS will notify families when their child reaches 4 absences in a single term through direct messaging (phone and email). Supports/interventions can be discussed at that time as well, and to ensure students remain within the absence limits for each term.
Suspensions are not considered absences from school and therefore will not count toward a student’s absence limit. Within a reasonable timeframe, when a student returns from suspension, to exceed no more than the length of the suspension, students have the ability to complete and make up all work that is missed for full credit.
If students miss 15 minutes or more of any class, without the teacher’s permission, they will be marked as absent for that class, and that absence will count toward the student’s absence limit in that class. Students who skip a class, or miss more than 15 minutes of a class without teacher permission, will be subject to consequences in accordance with the Code of Conduct. There may also be academic consequences for skipping class; students may not be permitted to make up work missed during the period of class skipped. This includes tests and quizzes.
Students who skip class may be prohibited from participating in after-school activities (including athletics) on the day of the class they skip.
Attendance and Course Credit
With the understanding that excessive absences impact a student’s ability to extract the full potential of the curriculum, instruction, and assessment offered in a particular course, students who have excessive absences in a course will not receive credit for that course.
Students who exceed their absence limit in a single semester for a particular course will have their credit withheld in that course. Credit will be withheld when a student reaches 16 absences in a semester (class by class, not just full-day absences).
Credit Recovery
Students who have had their credit withheld as a result of excessive absences will have the option of recovering those credits. Credit recovery plans will be specific to each individual student. Options for recovering credit may include but are not limited to:
Mandatory attendance in before and after school extra help programming or tutoring.
Opportunities to regain lost class time.
Improved attendance in subsequent marking periods.
Attendance and Extracurricular Participation
Students may not participate in extracurricular or after-school activities, to include athletics, if:
They are absent from school on the day of the event or activity.
They are absent for more than one class period on the day of the event or activity. Students who miss more than one class period for reasons related to illness or medical appointments must provide documentation from a medical professional if they wish to participate on the day they missed classes. Students who miss class to attend a funeral may participate after school on the day of their absences.
They skip a class during the school day; this includes students who miss more than 15 minutes of a class without a teacher’s permission.
They are dismissed by the nurse for reasons related to illness.
Students who exceed the absence limit in a class may lose extracurricular and social privileges, which may include athletics and performing arts. This includes attendance at school-sponsored dances and athletic and performing arts events. Seniors who exceed the absence limit may lose their senior privileges.
Attendance and Externship Participation
Students selected to participate in the Senior Externship must maintain good attendance throughout the school year. Students who exceed the absence limit in Semester 1 or Term 3 may not be eligible to participate.
This means that in full-year classes students cannot exceed 16 absences in Semester 1 or 8 absences in Term 3 in order to remain in good standing and be eligible to participate. In Semester 2 classes, students cannot exceed 8 absences in Term 3.
Absences and Make-up Work
Students will be afforded the opportunity to make up missed assignments and assessments they miss during absences within the allotted absence limit for that class. The exceptions to this are absences due to skipping class and truancy.
Students are urged to make up missed work due to absences as promptly as possible. Students will be given one day in excess of the number of days of consecutive absences to complete make-up work. For example, if a student is absent for four consecutive days, upon return to school, the student will be given five days to make up the work missed. Work not completed within this time may receive a zero.
Students who miss an assessment during a one-day absence are expected to take that assessment on the day they return. If illness prevented a student from adequately preparing for the assessment, the student should provide documentation of a doctor's visit.
Students who miss assessments for absences in excess of their allotted absence limit will be expected to complete those assessments immediately upon returning to school or class. If students are afforded the opportunity to take missed assessments after school, then this requirement will take priority over any extracurricular activity or event after school.
Students may not be permitted to make up work from any class they miss due to skipping or truancy.
Tardy to School
Parents or guardians are required to alert the school if students will be late. They should call the office at 781-821-5050 ext. 1 or 2050 in advance and no later than the morning students will arrive late. This notification does not excuse the tardiness. It simply notifies the school that a parent or guardian is aware that a child will be late to school.
Students arriving to their first period class after the 8:00 bell will need to sign in at the attendance desk and be marked tardy (T) for the day. Students who arrive to school tardy, before 8:15, more than three times in a single term will account for their tardiness in accordance with the Code of Conduct.
Students who arrive to school after 8:15 will be considered absent for their first period class, and this absence will count against their absence limit in that class. Every subsequent class that a student misses by more than 15 minutes because of their tardiness to school will similarly count as an absence in that class, and this absence will count against their absence limit. Students who arrive to school tardy, after 8:15, without appropriate documentation (i.e. signed doctor’s note), will account for their tardiness in accordance with the Code of Conduct stipulation about skipping class.
Tardiness and extracurricular participation: Students may not participate in extracurricular or after school activities, which may include athletics and performing arts, if they have been tardy to school more than eight (8) times in a single term. This includes tardies before and after 8:15am, and it includes those with or without parental notes or call-ins.
Tardy to Class
Students who are late to periods 2-6 by less than 15 minutes, without a proper pass, will be held accountable in accordance with the Code of Conduct policy for addressing tardiness.
Students who are late to class by more than 15 minutes, without a proper pass, will be marked absent for that class and that absence will count against the student’s absence limit for that particular class. Chronic tardiness will be addressed by the assistant principal in accordance with the Code of Conduct stipulation about skipping class.
Early Dismissal from School
Students who intend to be dismissed from school before the end of the school day must bring a note from home stating the student’s full name, grade level, reason for dismissal, and time of dismissal. This note must include a parent or guardian’s signature. Students should bring this note to the Main Office before school in the morning. Students who are being dismissed must sign-out in the log in the Main Office just prior to leaving school, noting the time of dismissal.
Students will be marked absent (A) in any class that they miss due to an early dismissal from school, and this absence will count against the student’s absence limit. This includes dismissals to attend pre-scheduled medical appointments.
If a student is dismissed to observe a religious holiday, participate in a school-sponsored event, or attend a pre-scheduled post-graduation planning visit (i.e. college visit, military recruiting, etc.), the class absences will not count against the student’s absence limit. If a student is sent home by the school nursing staff for reasons related to illness, the class absences will not count against the student’s absence limit.
If a student is dismissed because of illness, they are not allowed to attend or participate in any school-sponsored events or activities for that day without prior consent from the principal, or assistant principal.
Truancy
A student will be considered truant for the day when the student is absent from school without parental verification. Absences due to truancy will count against a student’s absence limit. Students may not be permitted to make-up any work missed during the period of truancy.
Appeal Process
The purpose of the Canton High School Attendance Policy is to prioritize student attendance and minimize confusion and misunderstanding that could potentially enable poor attendance. The school faculty is aware that unforeseen circumstances, beyond a student’s control, can impact attendance, and could possibly lead a student to accumulate absences that exceed the specified limit. The school has established an appeals process that students and their parents or guardians may consider if a student accumulates excessive absences beyond the absence limit. Students and their parents or guardians may consider an appeal if they believe the school should excuse absences that exceed the absence limit.
All attendance appeals should be presented to the appropriate grade level assistant principal. The appeal should consist of a written explanation of the appeal and why the student and their parents or guardians believe the school should excuse absences that have exceeded the absence limit. The appeal should include appropriate documentation, especially if the student incurred absences due to unforeseen medical concerns.
The assistant principal will consult with the school counseling, nursing, and teaching staff before rendering a final decision.
Only the school administration can excuse absences beyond the absence limit.
Ending the School Year Early
Because of our interest in the educational progress of each Canton High School student, all students are expected to complete the entire school year.
All summer activities or plans must be arranged after the final posted school day, which includes the 5 possible weather-related extension days. Exceptions to this expectation must have the approval of the principal.