Attendance Policy
Attendance Summary and Procedures
The following attendance policies and procedures are in effect for the school year
If a student is marked absent by a teacher in a class and that absence has not been excused by a parent or guardian in advance:
An attendance “robocall” will be made in the late afternoon on the same day of the reported unexcused absence.
If the absence is not excused by the day following the reported unexcused absence, the student will receive a green slip of paper from the attendance office reminding them to ask a parent or guardian to excuse the absence. The slip also directs students to approach their teacher if the absence was reported in error, so that the absence can be removed from Skyward.
If the absence remains unexcused after the above notifications, the student will serve an after-school detention on the date identified on the green slip they received from the attendance office. Typically the date of the detention is one week after the absence was recorded.
Students with excessive absences in a class (defined as 15 or more combined excused and unexcused [excluding medically waived, administrative, and non-totaling] absences in a semester) will need to pass the final exam with a score of 59.5% or better in order to have the opportunity to receive credit in that class. Students in these instances must also earn an overall passing semester grade in the class to earn credit. If a class does not have a final exam (like Seminar), there is no opportunity to earn credit in that course.
Medically-waived absences include absences due to a verified healthcare appointment (i.e. verified by a medical or dental office note). Absences due to quarantine are also medically waived with documentation of a positive test or physician's note.
If you test positive for Covid, your absences can also be medically-waived by sharing documentation of a positive test result (like a photo of the positive home test or a lab report) with the attendance office. If you have any questions, please contact the Attendance office at (269) 323-5259, or email jthrash@portageps.org.
How to excuse absences and process early dismissals from class
Parents and guardians can excuse absences by contacting the attendance office at 269-323-5259. Beyond losing out on the academic benefit of attending class, excused and unexcused absences can impact your lunch pass eligibility, and unexcused absences result in detention.
Students who need to leave school prior to the end of the school day must process an early dismissal at the Attendance Office before leaving the building; these will be collected on your way out the doors. For safety reasons, any student leaving or entering the building during the school day (including leaving and returning from lunch) must enter and exit through the main student entrance.
Early dismissals before the end of class, regardless of the amount of time remaining in that class, are considered an absence. Remember, your lunch is part of your 5th hour: any excused or unexcused absences during lunch contribute to the total number of your absences.
Pre-Arranged Absences
Students should fill out a Pre-Arranged Absence From for anticipated absences of three (3) or more days at a time, and we suggest the form be completed several days in advance of the absence. Pre-Arranged Absences (unless related to a medical condition for which the student has a Medical Waiver) are considered excused absences, and excused absences are totaling absences.
Unless other arrangements are made with the student’s teachers, all assignments listed below are due on the first day of return to school. Tests and quizzes are to be made up at the earliest convenience of the teacher. In addition, certain long-term graded assessments may have non-negotiable due dates. Students will be given sufficient advance notice of the specific, non-negotiable due dates. These due dates will remain in effect regardless of the pre-arranged absence. A student with a non-negotiable due date occurring during a pre-arranged absence should discuss submission options (such as early submission or electronic submission) with their teacher prior to the pre-arranged absence.
Information about our tardy policy
A tardy is when a student arrives within the first nine minutes of their class. Each student is given four "free" tardies per class, per semester, and parents and guardians cannot excuse tardies (even for first period). After four tardies in a class, our tardy consequences apply. See the graphic for more information about our tardy policy
See the High School Student Handbook for more details.
