Attendance

School Attendance

It is the belief of Middletown Public Schools that regular school attendance is a necessary component for academic success. Consistent attendance, punctuality, and readiness for work are characteristics that any post-school experiences will require; to that end, we would be remiss to ignore these criteria when preparing our students

Students are required to be in school all days and hours school is in session. Doctor appointments should be scheduled for after school. Excessive absences, dismissals and tardiness will result in disciplinary action and referral to the Attendance Officer. Students missing more than 10% of the school year are considered truant from school. This equates to just two days per month. Every 5 tardies or dismissals are calculated as one day absent.

School Absences

If you are absent from school:

Student parents/guardians should call the school at 846-7250 before 7:20 am on the day that the student is absent. Please be sure to state the full name of the student and the reason for their absence in the message. Please request to speak with the Attendance Clerk or select their extension from the automated message when you call the school.
If a student is marked "Absence-Skipping" and a reason for the absence has not been reported to the school by 8:00 AM on the day of the absence, a robo-call/text will be sent to the primary parent/guardian listed on the student's contact information requesting further information.
Faculty are not required to provide students with opportunities to make-up work that is missed during a period of unexcused absence
A student who has been absent five (5) or more consecutive days because of illness may be required to present a doctor's certificate upon return to school.
Vacations taken during school time are considered unexcused absences
Doctor/Dentist appointments, medical illness, court appointments, and college visits (official verification required for all) are considered excused absences.
A death in the family or a religious holiday may also constitute an excused absence
Excused absences are considered verified with proper documentation: observance of religious holiday; medical appointment; prolonged illness; surgery/hospitalization; death in the family/extenuating family emergency; college visits; court appointment; DMV driver's test; or school sponsored field trip. Absences warranted by unusual circumstances must be approved by the school administration. Student attendance can be reviewed on the PowerSchool Parent Portal at any time. Students are responsible for obtaining any assignments missed during verified absences.
Students who are deemed to be chronically absent (i.e. Absent more than 10% of the total school days "to date") will be referred to the Dean of Students. Home visits may occur as deemed appropriate by the school administration
Excessive school absences may result in one or more of the following correspondence: text message, voice phone call, email, certified letter
Continued school absences will be subject to Truancy Court referral

Tardy to School

If you are late/tardy to school:

A student is considered tardy to school if they are not present in their first period class by 7:20 AM.
Any student reporting to school after 7:20 AM needs to sign in with attendance clerk in the Main Office to obtain a tardy slip.
In order to be considered eligible to participate in extracurricular activities/athletics for the school day, students must be present for 80% of the school day. This means that students must be at school no later than 8:05 AM.
Tardies are only excused for the same reasons outlined in the "School Attendance" section above: observance of religious holiday; medical appointment; prolonged illness; surgery/hospitalization; death in the family/extenuating family emergency; college visits; court appointments; DMV driver's test; or school sponsored field trip. Absences warranted by unusual circumstances must be approved by the school administration. Student attendance can be reviewed on the PowerSchool Parent Portal at any time. Students are responsible for obtaining any assignments missed during verified absences.
Faculty are not required to provide students with opportunities to make-up work that is missed during a period of unexcused absence. Students are permitted up to three (3) unexcused tardies each quarter and will receive a disciplinary consequence on the fourth (4th) tardy. Each additional tardy will constitute further disciplinary action. Every 5 unexcused tardies and/or dismissals equate to one full absence.
Disciplinary consequences relating to tardiness will be administered on an escalating scale for continued lateness. These consequences may include, but are not limited to: after-school detention, Saturday detention, additional community service, loss of parking privileges, loss of leadership position in extracurricular events, loss of extracurricular participation privileges, and/or truancy court referral.
Please refer to RI General Law regarding school attendance,

Tardy to Class

If you are late/tardy to class:

Students should be in their classrooms by the time the bell sounds. A student who cannot produce a valid pass if tardy to class may be assigned one of several consequences including, but not limited to, an "X" period or after-school detention(s)
If the student does not have a pass, they must be admitted to class but are subject to associated disciplinary action

Unexcused Class Absence

Each class cut/skip will result in the assignment of an after-school detention. Students will be offered the learning opportunity and resulting grades. Repeated infractions will result in additional disciplinary consequences including, but not limited to, Saturday Academy, suspension, and/or referral to the Attendance Officer

Hall Passes

Students accessing the hallways during class time cause a disruption to the experience of other students/classes. Hall passes should only be assigned by faculty and staff and should only be used for valid reasons, such as going to the restroom or attending appointments
Students must have their passes signed by the receiving teacher prior to the start of an Advisory. This pass must be shown to their Advisory teacher before leaving their home Advisory. The privilege is extended to students for academic reasons only
Any misuse or fraud while using hall passes is considered a violation of the school's civic and social expectations and may result in one of several disciplinary consequences including, but not limited to, hallway restriction, detention, and in-house suspension

After-School Appointments

Any discipline-related after school appointments take priority over all other activities. Any student who is assigned detention will not be allowed to participate or attend any extra-curricular activities, school athletic events, or any school sponsored dances/social activities until the detention assignment has been fulfilled. Students assigned to detention must have some academic work to be done during the detention period.
Students without a pre-arranged appointment with a teacher, or those who are not being supervised by an activity advisor/coach must vacate the building at the end of regular school hours

Dismissals from School

If you are dismissed from school before the end of the day:

As much as possible, medical and dental appointments should be made for a time after school hours
If it is imperative that a student be dismissed from school, a written, dated request from a parent/guardian must be given to the Attendance Clerk. This request should include the student's full name (first and last), grade, dismissal time, and reason for dismissal
- The student should be given a dismissal slip to be shown to the classroom teacher at the assigned time
- The student must report to the Attendance office to sign out prior to leaving the building
Faculty are not required to provide students with opportunities to make-up work that is missed during a period of unexcused absence
Parents should make every attempt to avoid coming to school without advanced notice to dismiss their child and/or calling last minute. To minimize disruption to the academic environment, office staff will not call classrooms to dismiss students during a scheduled class
- Please Note: Only authorized individuals (i.e. parent/guardian and/or those listed as "emergency contacts" for a student) are allowed to dismiss a student from school. Students will not be released to anyone who is not listed in the school's database as an authorized contact
A student must bring in a medical note (signed by the professional treating the student) within 24 hours of the dismissal. If a note is not presented, the absence will be listed as "Unexcused"
In order to be considered eligible to participate in extracurricular activities/athletics for the school day, students must be present for 80% of the school day. This means that students being dismissed from school must remain in the building until at least 12:30pm
No student will be dismissed for work unless such approval has been granted by the Principal as part of a structured program
Students are not allowed to use school phones to call to be dismissed by parents, except in cases involving the nurse or where permission has been provided by school administration or the Attendance Clerk.
Students dismissed from school prior to 12:30pm may not attend sports or extra-curricular activities, including MHS proms that day unless provided with written documentation of destination. Students are expected to return to school once appointment is complete.
All students must be in school for at least 4 out of 5 blocks (80% of the day) to participate in sports or activities. If a student is dismissed, it must be for a documented appointment. As stated in the bullet above, students are expected to return to school once appointment is complete with documentation. Documentation is to be brought to the attendance office to file.
A parent conference may be called if there are frequent class/school dismissals. Excessive dismissals will result in disciplinary and/or court action
STUDENT ENTRANCE AND EXIT PROCEDURES:
- If tardy to school, all students (regardless of age) must sign in when entering MHS with the Attendance Clerk.
- If a student needs to leave MHS early, all students (regardless of age) must sign out with the Attendance Clerk.
- Students who come into school tardy or need to leave school early must enter/exit through the Main Office doors per school safety reasons. Students who violate this will be referred to the Dean of Students/MHS Administration.
Students whom are 18 years of age and older must sign a form, acknowledging that the school is not responsible for their actions after their dismissal. We encourage to have a parental note, giving permission for dismissal regardless of student age

Attendance

School Attendance

School Absences

If you are absent from school:

If a student is marked "Absence-Skipping" and a reason for the absence has not been reported to the school by 8:00 AM on the day of the absence, a robo-call/text will be sent to the primary parent/guardian listed on the student's contact information requesting further information.

Faculty are not required to provide students with opportunities to make-up work that is missed during a period of unexcused absence

A student who has been absent five (5) or more consecutive days because of illness may be required to present a doctor's certificate upon return to school.

Vacations taken during school time are considered unexcused absences

Doctor/Dentist appointments, medical illness, court appointments, and college visits (official verification required for all) are considered excused absences.

A death in the family or a religious holiday may also constitute an excused absence

Students who are deemed to be chronically absent (i.e. Absent more than 10% of the total school days "to date") will be referred to the Dean of Students. Home visits may occur as deemed appropriate by the school administration

Excessive school absences may result in one or more of the following correspondence: text message, voice phone call, email, certified letter

Continued school absences will be subject to Truancy Court referral

Tardy to School

If you are late/tardy to school:

A student is considered tardy to school if they are not present in their first period class by 7:20 AM.

Any student reporting to school after 7:20 AM needs to sign in with attendance clerk in the Main Office to obtain a tardy slip.

In order to be considered eligible to participate in extracurricular activities/athletics for the school day, students must be present for 80% of the school day. This means that students must be at school no later than 8:05 AM.

Please refer to RI General Law regarding school attendance,

Tardy to Class

If you are late/tardy to class:

Students should be in their classrooms by the time the bell sounds. A student who cannot produce a valid pass if tardy to class may be assigned one of several consequences including, but not limited to, an "X" period or after-school detention(s)

If the student does not have a pass, they must be admitted to class but are subject to associated disciplinary action

Unexcused Class Absence

Hall Passes

Students accessing the hallways during class time cause a disruption to the experience of other students/classes. Hall passes should only be assigned by faculty and staff and should only be used for valid reasons, such as going to the restroom or attending appointments

Students must have their passes signed by the receiving teacher prior to the start of an Advisory. This pass must be shown to their Advisory teacher before leaving their home Advisory. The privilege is extended to students for academic reasons only

Any misuse or fraud while using hall passes is considered a violation of the school's civic and social expectations and may result in one of several disciplinary consequences including, but not limited to, hallway restriction, detention, and in-house suspension

After-School Appointments

Students without a pre-arranged appointment with a teacher, or those who are not being supervised by an activity advisor/coach must vacate the building at the end of regular school hours

Dismissals from School

If you are dismissed from school before the end of the day:

As much as possible, medical and dental appointments should be made for a time after school hours

If it is imperative that a student be dismissed from school, a written, dated request from a parent/guardian must be given to the Attendance Clerk. This request should include the student's full name (first and last), grade, dismissal time, and reason for dismissal

Faculty are not required to provide students with opportunities to make-up work that is missed during a period of unexcused absence

Parents should make every attempt to avoid coming to school without advanced notice to dismiss their child and/or calling last minute. To minimize disruption to the academic environment, office staff will not call classrooms to dismiss students during a scheduled class

A student must bring in a medical note (signed by the professional treating the student) within 24 hours of the dismissal. If a note is not presented, the absence will be listed as "Unexcused"

In order to be considered eligible to participate in extracurricular activities/athletics for the school day, students must be present for 80% of the school day. This means that students being dismissed from school must remain in the building until at least 12:30pm

No student will be dismissed for work unless such approval has been granted by the Principal as part of a structured program

Students are not allowed to use school phones to call to be dismissed by parents, except in cases involving the nurse or where permission has been provided by school administration or the Attendance Clerk.

Students dismissed from school prior to 12:30pm may not attend sports or extra-curricular activities, including MHS proms that day unless provided with written documentation of destination. Students are expected to return to school once appointment is complete.

A parent conference may be called if there are frequent class/school dismissals. Excessive dismissals will result in disciplinary and/or court action

STUDENT ENTRANCE AND EXIT PROCEDURES:

If tardy to school, all students (regardless of age) must sign in when entering MHS with the Attendance Clerk.

If a student needs to leave MHS early, all students (regardless of age) must sign out with the Attendance Clerk.

Students who come into school tardy or need to leave school early must enter/exit through the Main Office doors per school safety reasons. Students who violate this will be referred to the Dean of Students/MHS Administration.

Students whom are 18 years of age and older must sign a form, acknowledging that the school is not responsible for their actions after their dismissal. We encourage to have a parental note, giving permission for dismissal regardless of student age

Middletown High School

130 Valley Road

Middletown, Rhode Island

401-846-7250

Principal: Mrs. Sweet