Attendance Policy

At Bloomfield High School we exemplify an environment of mutual respect and cooperation, a commitment to excellence in all endeavors, and the encouragement of positive character traits. The Bloomfield School District requires that all children achieve mastery in the basic skills, and any absence from school interferes with the child s opportunity to master these skills. In an effort to increase student success, to prepare students for attendance expectations in their future careers, and to exemplify our commitment to excellence, Bloomfield High School has established the following attendance policy.

Bloomfield High School is committed to academic excellence and understands that learning is increased with consistent attendance. In accordance to Bloomfield School District Policy, this attendance policy states the responsibilities of Bloomfield High School teachers, students, and parent/guardians regarding school attendance, defines absences and tardies, specifies loss of credit due to absences and tardies, and outlines attendance school make-up procedures to reinstate credit.

ATTENDANCE POLICY SUMMARY

  • Students with any unexcused absences or truancies will not receive credit for that class unless attendance school make-up time is completed.
  • No Grade Status (NG) is determined by an accumulation of attendance points in each class during a grading period (quarter). A student s letter grade will become an NG when he or she accumulates 6 or more attendance points in a class during a grading period. There are 4 codes in power school that have a numerical value attached to them. These codes and their numerical value are as follows:
TRUANCY (TRU): 6 POINTS
ABSENCE (AB): 6 POINTS
VERIFIED ABSENCE (VER): 1 POINT
TARDY (T): 1 POINT
  • Effective Quarter 2 of School Year 2016, when any combination of the above attendance codes equals 6 or more attendance points in a class during a grading period, a student s letter grade will change to NG, and he/she will need to make up time in attendance school in order to have the NG removed.
  • Approved School Activity absences and Pre-Arranged Release absences (10 days max per year) are not counted toward the absences allowed per quarter. However the student must make up any assigned work missed in those classes.
  • For admittance into attendance school, students must have an Attendance School Pass (ASP) for the correct day and session and schoolwork in their possession. No food, drink, electronic device or any other disruptive items will be permitted in the attendance session area. A student that is disruptive, as determined by the teacher, during attendance school will be removed from that session of attendance school and will forfeit the time for that session. Students arriving late will lose the opportunity to attend the session. Bloomfield High School rules including the dress code will be enforced in each session.
  • ASP s admitting a student to a make-up session are issued only in the main office and are presented when entering the make-up session.
  • All absences or tardies that occur during the first half of the quarter must be made up before mid-term. All absences and tardies that occur after mid-term must be made up by the end of the quarter. To avoid any problems it is strongly suggested that the student make up the time within two (2) weeks of the occurrence.
  • Absences occurring during the last week of the quarter must be made up during the first week of the following quarter.
  • An absence review committee is provided for extenuating circumstances.

Attendance Code Definitions

  • AB: Unexcused absence - The student was absent from or was more than 10 minutes late to class and the school was not notified by parent/guardian.
  • AB/OK: Absence Made Up - The student completed attendance school for the absence.
  • VER: Verified Excused Absence The student was absent and considered excused because of doctor note, court note, or parent note/phone call within the 5 day time limit.
  • VER: Home Hospital Sick 10 days or more with appropriate paperwork completed.
  • VER: Testing/Counselor - Student is in a school sponsored testing situation.
  • VER: Check Out Parent/Guardian student checked out, through the attendance office, prior to the student leaving campus.
  • VER/OK: Absence Waived - Attendance record changed/approved by appeals committee.
  • T: Tardy Student was up to 10 minutes late to class.
  • T/OK: Tardy Made Up - Student completed attendance school to make up tardy.
  • TRU: Verified Truancy - student left class and/or school without prior approval from teacher and/or parent/guardian.
  • TRU/OK: Truancy Made Up - The student completed attendance school for the truancy.
  • ISS: In School Suspension - Student is placed in a detention at the school and is in attendance.
  • SUS: Suspension - The student has been removed from school setting for disciplinary reasons.
  • SA: School Activity - The student is out of class due to a school sponsored activity.
  • V: Vacation/Education leave The student is absent due to a prearranged vacation or educational leave. (10 days max per year)

ATTENDANCE POLICY GOALS

Bloomfield High School s attendance policy will help students accomplish the following goals:

  • Develop student responsibility
  • Develop quality citizenship
  • Increase respect for teachers, other students, and learning
  • Achieve success in their courses
  • Prepare for future employment

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Role of the Student

  • The student shall gain the most of their educational experience by regularly attending and being on time to all classes.
  • Students shall be present in assigned or designated areas at all times.
  • Students shall follow proper check-in/check-out procedures.
  • Students shall obtain make-up assignments from the teacher due to absences and shall turn them in according to arrangements made with the teacher.

The Role of the Teacher

  • Teachers shall keep an accurate roll of all absences and tardies.
  • Teachers shall emphasize the importance of punctuality by beginning class promptly with meaningful instruction.
  • Teachers shall discuss attendance issues with students as they arise and inform the
  • school administration if attendance does not improve.

The Role of the Parent/Guardian

  • Parents/guardians should avoid interruptions of the academic year and plan medical appointments and vacations at times that will not require students to be out of school.
  • Parents/guardians will show support regarding district policies and state law by expecting regular school attendance for student success.
  • Parents/guardians shall contact the attendance office and notify the school of student s absence, in the case of illness or other legitimate reasons for absences, within five (5) days of the absence.
  • The role of the parent/guardian is further summarized by the following:
  • New Mexico Compulsory Attendance Law requires every school age child to be in school. Parents/guardians are responsible for their children s regular school attendance and may be charged with a misdemeanor if they fail to ensure their student s regular attendance. Parents/guardians are responsible for notifying the school when an absence occurs within five school days of the absence.

The Role of the Administration

  • The administration shall enforce and uphold New Mexico State Compulsory Attendance Law that may include a referral to juvenile court for excessive absenteeism.
  • The administration shall identify students with attendance issues and work cooperatively with parents/guardians and students to improve attendance.
  • The administration shall maintain an earnest and persistent effort to improve student attendance.

The Role of the Attendance Office

  • The attendance office shall keep administrators and parents/guardians informed of attendance problems.
  • The attendance office shall notify parents/guardians of excessive absenteeism by phone message, calling machine, or letter.
  • The attendance office shall review attendance daily and resolve discrepancies in student attendance records.
  • The attendance office shall provide check-in /check-out slips upon authorization by phone or in person by a student s parent/guardian.

ATTENDANCE

To earn credit, a student must attend school on a regular basis. If a student has six (6) or more attendance points per class per quarter that are not made-up, the student will receive no grade (NG) for the quarter grade in that class. All absences and tardies that are not made-up will result in no grade for the quarter grade in that class.  Absences must be excused within 5 days of the absence date. First period tardies must be excused the day of the tardiness.  All unexcused absences must be made up at attendance school in order to avoid loss of course credit.

Students who have not met the attendance requirement but have received a passing grade will receive no grade (NG) if the excessive absences/tardies are not made up or excused through the review process. NG is not available to students who failed academically; those students will receive an F grade regardless of their attendance. A (NG) differs from an F in that NG does not figure into the student s overall GPA. However, both NG and F result in loss of credit. For athletic eligibility purposes, student government, and other programs that have a minimum GPA requirement, NG is counted as a failing grade

  • Students released from their regular classes in order to participate in school approved, extra curricular activities are not considered absent.
  • Absences due to suspensions or confinement in county detention do not need to be made up. However assignments from each class must be made up according to individual teachers classroom policies/procedures.
  • The make-up of excessive absences or tardies in attendance school does not excuse students from completing the class work and assignments missed during the absences(s). Make up of the missed work is subject to requirements outlined in individual teachers classroom policies/procedures.

PRE-ARRANGED RELEASE

Bloomfield School District allows students to make application to an administrator to miss up to ten (10) school days of each year for pre-arranged release. These pre-arranged release days will not contribute to the accumulated total of absences. Forms are available in the attendance office and must be picked up at least two days prior to the absence. Students may take no more than ten (10) pre-arranged release absences (PA) per year without having to complete make-up sessions.

ACCESS

Bloomfield High School provides computerized attendance information updated daily to assist parents/guardians and students. Students and parents/guardians may check class grades and attendance records through PowerSchool. A link is provided at www.bsin.k12.nm.us. In addition, parent/guardians may check attendance by calling 634-3410 between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

ATTENDANCE SCHOOL AND AVOIDING LOSS OF CREDIT

  • On the sixth attendance point per class, per quarter, students will be required to complete a subject specific session(s) or general session(s) of attendance school to make up the missing class time. Students are required to attend either a subject specific or general session of attendance school for each class period absence or tardy. A full day absence requires a student to attend 4 full attendance school sessions. Attendance school sessions are 50 minutes in length. Students are required to attend 25 minutes of a general or subject specific session for each unexcused tardy.
  • All truancies and unexcused absences must be made up by completing attendance school. Attendance school sessions will be offered after school on designated days with some Saturday sessions available. All absences or tardies that occur during the first half of the quarter must be made up before mid-term. All absences and tardies that occur after mid-term must be made up by the end of the quarter. To avoid any problems it is strongly suggested that the student make up the time within two (2) weeks of the occurrence.
  • Absences occurring during the last week of the quarter must be made up during the first week of the following quarter. An attendance school schedule will be available from the attendance office. Students must sign up for attendance school in the main office. The goal is to have make-up sessions subject specific, so tutoring help can be given. Students must select the subject they wish to attend, or they will be assigned a general make-up session.
  • For admittance into attendance school, students must have schoolwork in their possession. No food, drink, electronic device or any other disruptive items will be permitted in the attendance session area. Bloomfield High School rules including the dress code will be enforced in each session. Sessions will start promptly. Students arriving late will lose the opportunity to attend the session.
  • A student that is disruptive, as determined by the teacher, during attendance school will be removed from that session of attendance school and will forfeit the time for that session. Failure to make up absences or tardies will result in no grade (NG) for the class(es).

TEACHER MAKE-UP

Teachers who desire to do so may allow students the opportunity to make up absences by attending special make-up sessions in their own classes. Teacher initiated make-up hours are allowed only for the class of the teacher providing make-up; hours are not transferable to another teacher. The assigned work must be academic in nature (no service work).  

*Make-up hours required for absences and tardies in these individual teacher sessions are the same as outlined for make-up in Attendance School.

ABSENCE REVIEW PROCESS

Students and their parents/guardians may appeal to the Absence Review Committee to waive, reduce, or change the make-up requirement for absences in excess of the three allowed per class per quarter. Reviews are reserved for uncontrollable attendance issues, i.e., physician-verifiable illness, bereavement, court appearances, verified emergencies, etc. The waiving of a student s attendance obligations through the absence review process is infrequent. In the case of chronic, pre-existing, or extended unforeseen health conditions, a school official or designee can waive the review process and excuse absences. This requires that the student or parent/guardian be in regular contact with a school official or designee.

To be considered, reviewed absences must meet the following criteria:

  • Absences must have been parent/guardian-excused (indicating parent/guardian knowledge of the absences and appropriate school notification) within five (5) school days of the student s return to school.
  • Verification by a physician may be required for absences due to illness, where absences are excessive. The excuse must be date specific.
  • An explanation of why the absences are being appealed must be verified by a parent.
  • Absence review submission forms must be completed and submitted within 5 days of absence in question. Absence Review Forms will be available in the attendance office. The review forms must be signed by a parent. The Absence Review Committee will not rule favorably on the following: verified truancies, leaving school without checking out properly; unverified illness where absence is excessive; educational leave taken without prior approval; chronic tardiness; or absences not excused by a parent/guardian at the time of the absence or within five (5) school days of the student s return to school.

Check In/Check Out

  • Once a student has been to school and needs to leave for any reason, it is imperative that the student checks out through the attendance office. All checkouts must be confirmed directly with parent/guardian contact by telephone or in person at the time of checkout or prior to checkout.
  • A parent/guardian should contact the attendance office early in the day to arrange a student s checkout.
  • Students leaving school without following proper checkout procedure will be considered truant. If students enter campus after first hour classes or more than 10 minutes late, they must check-in through the attendance office. They will be given a check-in slip with the date, time, and reason for the check-in to be given to the current teacher.

ATTENDANCE DEFINITIONS

  • A student is considered absent from school or from a class any time he/she is not present.
  • School activities and assemblies that are scheduled during school time between 8:30 a.m. and 3:35 p.m. are considered part of the regular school day. Students are required to be at the activity or in a school supervised alternate area during that time. If a student needs to leave school for any reason during the school day, he/she is required to check out through the attendance office using proper check out procedure. (See Check In/Check Out)
  • Unexcused absence (AB): Student is absent and (1) the school receives no information explaining the absence or (2) the reason given for the absence is one that is not accepted by the school, truancy court, or state law as a valid excuse for missing school, i.e. going out to lunch, skiing, sleeping in, babysitting, shopping, etc. Students who come to class after the (10) minute tardy period are marked absent.
  • Verified absence (VER): The absence is excused when the parent/guardian has notified the school of an illness. Physician or dental appointment, bereavement, court appearance, or, in rare cases a family emergency or special religious observance. In cases where absences become excessive, the administration may require a physician note to verify illness.
  • Tardy (T): The student comes to class late up to ten (10) minutes after the bell rings. A student is tardy when he/she is not sitting at the desk ready to work when the bell rings, as determined by the teacher.
  • Make-up absence, tardy, or truancy (AB/OK, VER/OK, T/OK, TRU/OK ): The student attended Attendance School for the prescribed amount of time to help make up for time and instruction lost due to an absence or tardy.
  • Truancy (TRU): Either parents/guardians or the school are not aware of the student s absence or the student did not follow proper checkout procedure. Parents/guardians, police, or school personnel verified the student s absence as truancy.
  • Activity Absences (SA): Students participating in activities that do not involve the entire student body will be excused by an administratively approved Activity Release form. Students are not penalized for the absence, but must make-up assigned work per teacher s disclosure statement. If a student begins to accumulate excessive activity absences, the teacher should submit a referral to the appropriate assistant principal.
  • Suspensions-in school and out of school (ISS and SUS): The suspended student is counted present on attendance records and cannot be penalized for nonattendance on days of suspension. Make-up work must be provided for suspended students. Work must be completed within the time requirements of the individual teacher.
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