Attendance-Teacher

Time and Attendance

Punctuality and consistent attendance are critical to the success of students and of the school as a whole. 

The school day for teachers begins at 8:00 am and ends at 3:30 pm.  All teachers must report to the main office to sign in by 8:00 am.  Following sign in, teachers and other educators must report to their collaborative team meetings, which run from 8:00 am until 8:30 am. Attendance at these meetings is mandatory, and they are held every morning except Wednesday morning (Wednesday there are planning period meetings).

Leave should be taken judiciously, since the number one influence on student achievement is the teacher in the classroom.   Teacher absences have a profound impact on student learning.  Studies have shown a direct correlation between teacher absences and student achievement data.  Qualitatively, as well, disciplinary infractions increase and school climate is negatively affected by the absence of our greatest resource- our teachers.  In addition to having an impact on students, absences, especially unexpected ones, require the use of substitutes, or in the absence of a sufficient number of substitutes, class coverage by colleagues.   We try to avoid having teachers cover classes at all costs, however if there are too many unexpected absences (morning call-ins), that is the result. In addition, there are limited funds for substitutes.

The following are the procedures for taking leave, both planned and unplanned:

1. Planned sick or general leave – fill out a leave request form, and give it to your SLC administrator, with a copy to Ms. Doctor (High School) or Ms. Lemus (Middle School).  Be sure to get approval before you take the leave.  Along with the leave request, you must leave sufficient work and plans for your classes.

2. Unplanned or emergency leave, or lateness or early departure- You must call and e-mail your SLC administrator, and copy the e-mail to Ms. Doctor (high school) or to Ms. Lemus (middle school).

3. After gaining approval from your SLC administrator, submit approved leave form and make request  for a substitute from Ms. Doctor (HS) or Ms. Dora Lemus (MS) . 

4. Upon returning from unplanned/emergency leave or lateness, fill out a leave form and give it to Ms. Doctor (high school) or Ms. Lemus (middle school).

Leaving the Building

If you must leave the school building during the day (other than your duty free lunch period), please request authorization from  your SLC administrator, and sign out in the book in the main office.  Planning periods are meant for planning and/or meetings with colleagues, students or parents, so leaving the building should be for emergencies only. It is not sufficient to inform the main office staff of your departure, you must inform your SLC Administrator.  This communication is KEY in case their is an unexpected emergency on campus in order to appropriately evacuate the building.

How you Can Help Reduce Absenteeism  

We respect and honor the teacher contracts and reasonable requests for leave, AND we reach for a higher professional standard by asking and encouraging the following:

• Professional development days are work days. A great deal of planning and resource goes into the development of our teachers and staff. The district has scheduled PD for the year. Avoid using these days for leave.

• Schedule appointments during holidays whenever possible. 

• Consider leaving early for an afternoon appointment closer to dismissal time to reduce time out of class. 

• If a planned appointment cannot be scheduled outside of school time, consider using your planning time so as to minimize the interruption to supervised student learning. 

• Consider the financial reward of avoiding absences. Leave is paid to you directly upon leaving the system. 

Think of all the money you could be saving!

 (see Substitute Policy)

(For Teacher Documentation and Response to Student Truancy see Truancy Protocol-an attachment)