Absences, Early Dismissal, and Assignment Guidelines

Absences

Types of Absences

There are two types of absences:  excused and unexcused.  

Excused absences:

• Illness of a student.  A parent or guardian must verify the student’s illness.  If school personnel determine the illness absences are excessive, Minnesota law permits the school to require the family to provide medical verification or to see the school nurse.

• Religious observances required by the student’s religion.

• Extreme family emergency (e.g. house fire, critical injury to parent/guardian, funeral of a close family member).

• Medical appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of school hours.

All other non-pre-arranged absences are considered unexcused. 

Pre-arranged Absences (Excused)

If a student will miss school for an extended period of time, a Pre-Arranged Absence form must be completed. In addition, the absence needs to be discussed with the student’s teachers. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with teachers and arrange to make up work missed due to any absence. Failure to do so may result in the student not receiving credit for the makeup work.

Early Dismissal/Late Arrival

• Please fill out the online Absence form if you will be picking up your student, excusing them early, or dropping them off late and include the time they will be dismissed early or arriving late. All students leaving early or coming in late to school need to sign in or out through the front office.

• For students who are transported by an adult to school: Students who need to leave school early must report to the front office. The adult picking up should call the office prior to arrival or when outside the building. The student will be called down/and or released when the parent is outside the building. 

• If returning, please call the office upon return and have the student check-in at the front desk.

• For students who transport themselves to school: Parents/Guardians must call the front office and give permission, before students may sign out and be dismissed.

Closed Campus

Students may not leave the school building after they arrive until the end of the school day. Exceptions to this include students who have parent/guardian permission and have signed out in the front office.

Family Emergencies

In the event of a family emergency, please contact the front office at 651-464-8989. 

Emergency messages will be delivered to students immediately in a safe and confidential matter.  We ask that parents do not text or call students directly during class time. Phones are a distraction to the person receiving the message or call, and to those around them. 

Absences and Assignments

• Students can view the missed assignments  in Google Classroom and/or Infinite Campus. They may also email the teachers.

• For field trips, discipline-related suspensions, and unexcused absences, assigned due dates still apply. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the work assigned.

• Vacations/Trips - A plan must be established with teachers prior to the trip, and any work missed during the absence should be completed promptly. To repeat, to be excused, vacations/trips must be pre-approved by the school principal, using the Pre-Arranged Absence Form above.

Tardies

Tardies at the beginning of each hour will count per semester and will be tracked weekly. 

• 1st - 5th unexcused tardy - Warning from office 

• 6th - 10th unexcused tardy - Office will contact parents; possible meeting

• 10th unexcused tardy and higher - Referral in Campus, consequence issued from office - After School/Lunch Detention and possible loss of passing time.

Late to School

Arriving late to school could impact parking privileges, in addition to the consequences listed above.