Full time Utah Virtual Academy High School Students must enroll in a minimum of five (5) credits each semester, with a typical course load equaling six (6) credits per semester. Due to state attendance policies, students cannot drop below 5 credits. Students requesting to take more than 6 credits are approved on a case by case basis.
UTVA requires that all students attend school a minimum of 5.5 hours per day. Requirements are aligned to The Utah Department of Education requirements for all Utah high school students. Student attendance hours will be tracked according to the school’s excessive absence and truancy policy. Utah statute requires UTVA to withdraw the student on the 10th consecutive day of absence.
UTVA Attendance staff will track absences at specific target dates to support students:
· 3 consecutive days: email/auto dialer sent to notify student and LC
· 5 consecutive days: email/auto dialer sent; mentor intervention; student moved to Tier 2.
· 7 consecutive days: email/auto dialer sent; mentor intervention; student moved to Tier 3.
· 8+ cumulative days: phone contact and/or home visit set up. Expectations and intervention plan put into place.
· 9 consecutive days: email; auto dialer sent; mentor intervention; student moved to Tier 4.
· 10 consecutive days: student is withdrawn from state accounting per state requirements; admin intervention
· 15 consecutive days: student is withdrawn from UTVA due to truancy.
Students must meet the required attendance hours cumulatively by the end of each week, month, and school year. Should a circumstance occur that requires an absence that cannot be made up within the school week, Learning Coaches will contact the student’s teacher to make a plan for success while the student is out of school.
According to the Utah Compulsory Attendance Laws (Utah Code 53A-11-101-105), parents and students are responsible for regular school attendance. Occasionally a student must be absent from school for reasons which are acceptable to the school and the courts, such as illness, medical appointments, family emergencies, or a death of family member or close friend.
If you need to excuse an absence for your student, the parent must report the absence through the following link: http://utahvirtualacademy.org/attendance/
Students who are going to be absent more than 2 days need to create a plan with the students’ teacher so that the student doesn’t fall behind. This plan may require the student to turn in work before the absence or turn in the work by a certain date after the absence. Failure to follow this plan will result in the school removing the absences causing the student to have unexcused absences.
If you are going to be absent more than 3 consecutive days, you should do the following:
1. Fill out the attendance interruption form at this link: http://utahvirtualacademy.org/attendance/
2. Call your student’s teachers to set up a plan
3. Follow the plan so your student doesn’t fall behind in the course
If an unexpected situation should arise and there is an extended leave of three days or more needed from courses, you should do the following:
1. Report the absence through the following link: http://utahvirtualacademy.org/attendance
2. Determine if Internet access is available (through libraries, etc.) so your student can access school while absent
3. Immediately contact teachers and the academic advisor to explain the situation and make a plan for work while your student is absent
According to the Utah Compulsory Attendance Laws (Utah Code 53A-11-101-105), parents and students are responsible for regular school attendance. Occasionally a student must be absent from school for reasons which are acceptable to the school and the courts, such as illness, medical appointments, family emergencies, or a death of family member or close friend. If you need to excuse an absence for your student:
· Report the absence through the following link: http://utahvirtualacademy.org/attendance/ within 2 days of the absence.
Failure to attend school or report absences correctly may result in your student becoming truant at UTVA and may result in the student being referred to juvenile court for habitual truancy.
If attendance is NOT logged for 5 unexcused days your student will be placed on a truancy list.
· Failure to update attendance could result in a referral to juvenile court for habitual truancy.
· After 10 days of unexcused absences the student may be withdrawn from UTVA for truancy.
Utah Virtual Academy is a public school. Students must attend at least 90% of the possible instructional hours for the school year AND must not miss school for ten (10) consecutive days. If a family needs to plan a vacation, this vacation must not include more than 10% of the possible instructional hours and must not last more than ten (10) consecutive days. Assignments due during a family-scheduled vacation must be completed prior to the vacation, and it is the student’s responsibility to contact his or her teachers prior to this absence. There are no exceptions to this policy. Assignments that are completed late due to a family-scheduled vacation during school are subject to the late work policy.