Statement of Policy
At Russellville Middle School all student absences will be initially recorded unexcused when the absence occurs. An unexcused absence begins with the first bell of school and continues to be recorded until the time in which a student first becomes present and accounted for in Infinite Campus. (School sponsored activities are not counted as absences). Any part of the day or the whole day will be recorded as an unexcused absence for any time missed. The responsibility of having the unexcused absence changed to an excused absence will be the sole responsibility of the student when he/she returns to school after missing all or any part of the school day.
At three unexcused absences, the student is considered a truant. At six unexcused absences the student is considered habitually truant at which time the Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP) may refer the student to the court. The following timeline will take place:
At TWO unexcused absence(s) the school attendance clerk will call home.
At THREE unexcused absences the school administration will call home and send certified letter sent home from the school.
At FOUR unexcused times the FRYSC will make a home visit/Parent Meeting. Their purpose is to see if assistance can be provided to break down barriers that are causing poor attendance.
At FIVE, the DPP will make a home visit and give final notice.
At SIX or more unexcused absences may refer the parent/guardian to the court system. 18 year olds WILL BE referred to the court system NOT to the parent.
Students with 15 or more absences and/OR tardies in a school year’s time will no longer be eligible to participate in extracurriculars OR end of the year field trips.
Once a student has been absent for 15 days, in addition to submitting a doctor’s excuse for the absence, a medical excuse form must also be submitted in order for the event to be marked excused. If a student has an identified chronic condition, documentation should be provided at the beginning of the year.
Armed Forces (AFD & AFR)
AFD or Armed Forces Day which states that if a student’s parent or guardian is a member of the United States Armed Forces or a member of the National Guard or Reserve is called to federal active duty, the student will be excused for one day when the member is deployed and an additional excused absence for when the service member returns from deployment. Student can make up work and is considered present for calculating average daily attendance.
AFR Armed Forces Rest and Relaxation – A school principal shall give the student excused absences for up to ten days for visitation when the member is stationed out of the country and is granted rest and recuperation.
Student’s/Parent’s Responsibility
Late arrivals: All students are expected to be in class by 8:00 a.m. every day. Those students arriving after 8:00 must be signed in at the front receptionist’s desk by the person dropping them off at school that day and receive an admit slip from the office. Students without an admit slip WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER CLASS.
Check-out Procedure: Students who must leave school early for an appointment are to follow the procedure below:
Have the parent/guardian come to the school office and sign the student out at the indicated time. (Must be on the school emergency contact list in Infinite Campus.)
Upon returning after a check-out, report to the office for an admit slip to return to class. An exception may be made to “d” if it is determined that the reason for leaving is justifiable (ex. doctor’s appointment) and that the parent or guardian coming to school would cause hardship. In those cases, students may be released only after school personnel talk with parents or guardians. NO EXCEPTIONS!
A student who has been out of class/school upon his/her return to school a Parent/Guardian or student will present one of the following to the office, within 3 days of returning to school, to have his/her recorded unexcused absence changed to a recorded excused absence: (NO POST-DATED EXCUSES WILL BE ACCEPTED)
A written (no phone calls) parent note from his/her custodial person stating a legitimate reason for the absence (limit 5 per year).
A written statement from a doctor (the statement must justify the time missed).
Official statement from an officer of the court stating time of summons and time of release.
Written evidence of a death that warranted the student’s absence. (Absence for longer than one day requires personal contact by a guardian explaining the circumstances).
A note of approval of the absence, preferably obtained in advance of the absence from the office. (This would reflect extreme and unusual circumstances and is not a replacement for items a-d.)
Head lice: NO REQUIREMENT of being checked by the health department, but checked on re-entry by school nurse or other designated school employee. ONLY 4 DAYS per year will be excused for head lice.
SB80 allows the principal of the school to grant an excused absence to any student who is absent from school to attend activities that have “significant educational value”. A student who receives an excused absence under SB80 shall be counted as present when calculating average daily attendance for the purpose of SEEK.
Any student who fails to meet the above required circumstances shall have his/her absence remain recorded as unexcused.
RMS Tardy Policy
A Tardy is defined as not being physically in the designated area a student is expected to be in at the sound of the school bell that signals that students are expected to be correctly located. Teachers DO have discretion to expand the rigor of this policy (i.e. Must be in seats).
Once the bell has rung, a student will need to get a Tardy Slip in order to enter class.
A Tardy Sweep teacher will be in the hall for three minutes following the bell. After that, you will need a slip from the school Administration (Principal, AP, or School Counselor).
Students without an tardy slip WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER CLASS
Cumulative Unexcused Tardy Consequences
3rd Tardies - Meeting with RMS Principal or principal designee
4th Tady - Placement in ISS, 1 Full Day, Parent Contacted
5th Tardy - Placement in ISS, 3 Full Days, Parent Contacted, Referred to School Counselor
6th Tardy - Consideration of Alternative Placement