Attendance Policy

Attendance Procedure

It is the responsibility of the home to have students in regular attendance. In accordance with the Missing Child Law (ORC3313.205), THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE WILL BE EFFECTIVE. The parent and/or legal guardian must notify the school the morning of the absence as early as possible with the reason for the absence. If a call is not received, the school will try to contact you. If the parent and school do not have telephone contact, the student will not receive permission for make-up work (unexcused). Notes are not accepted. Each building in the district has a 24-hour attendance line which should be used to report absences. For a list of these numbers, click here. A student is considered truant until the parent contact has been made. ORC3313.1205 requires the parent to provide the school with the current address (not PO Box), telephone number, parent employment number, and an emergency number.

Excused Absence

The school administration is the determining agent for excused absences. Parents may request that a student be excused for the following:

  • Illness of child
  • Illness in the family requiring the presence of the child
  • Death of relative
  • Quarantine at home
  • Observance of religious holiday
  • Family emergency
  • Medical/dental appointment
  • Extenuating circumstances excused by administrator

Anyone absent from school one complete period will be considered absent for 1/2 day. Anyone arriving at school late (as designated by each building) is considered tardy.

Students absent from school all day will not be permitted to participate or spectate in any extracurricular activities for that day. Students entering school after 1/2 of the school day or leaving school before the school day ends will not be permitted to participate or spectate in extracurricular activities unless permission is granted by the principal. Students absent from school the day prior to a weekend will need their excuse validated by the office prior to weekend participation.

The State of Ohio report card standards require school districts to average an attendance rate of 93% or better. In order to meet this standard, students of Avon schools are allocated a sick bank of 10 days per year. A student who has been absent from a class 10 times or from school 10 days during a school year (including a family vacation) will not be permitted make-up for assignments or tests unless a doctor's excuse or funeral visitation verification is provided. They will be considered unexcused (no make-up).

Students who acquire five (5) unexcused absences within a school year will be referred per Lorain County Juvenile Court standards to the school's designated attendance liaison. The liaison will meet with students and/or parents on school grounds for counseling purposes as the program dictates.

Failure to comply with attendance procedures will result in disciplinary action or referral to the Lorain County Juvenile Court. The steps leading to this are governed by the Lorain County Public Schools' attendance policy. Parents may examine the policy in its entirety in the principal's office.

Doctor's Note/Funeral Verification

Doctor's notes and medical authorization for absences, and/or funeral verification for absences must be submitted to the office within two school days in order for students to receive make-up work. Those verifications received after two school days will only change the student's attendance status (i.e. unexcused to excused, excused to doctor's excuse, etc.).

OHIO SENATE BILL 181 - SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROVISIONS

Habitual and Chronic Truants

The bill implements the Governor's plan to create legal definitions of habitual truant and chronic truant. Attached is a chart outlining the process through which children in either category will be adjudicated.

Truancy Intervention Plans

The bill requires each Board of Education to adopt a policy to guide employees of the district in addressing and ameliorating the attendance practice of any pupil who is a habitual truant.

Parent Responsibility

The legislation also provides for greater responsibility by expanding juvenile court jurisdiction by granting them exclusive original jurisdiction: (1) concerning the parents, guardian, or other person having care of a child who is alleged to be an unruly or delinquent child for being a habitual or chronic truant, based on and in relation to the allegation against the child, (2) generally, over all criminal cases in which an adult is charged with the offense of "parental education neglect," (3) to hear and determine violations of the prohibition against a parent, guardian, or other person having care of a child of compulsory school age failing to send the authority over the parent, guardian, or other person having care of a child alleged to be a delinquent child, unruly child, or juvenile traffic offender, based on and in relation to the allegation against the child.

In addition to granting the juvenile court authority over parents, the bill specified that the juvenile court must require the parent, guardian or custodian of an alleged delinquent child, unruly child, or juvenile traffic offender to attend all proceedings of the court regarding the child, and that failure to so attend may be treated as contempt.

Parent of habitual truants and chronic truants also receive special attention from the juvenile court. The bill states that, if a child is adjudicated a delinquent or unruly child for being a "chronic truant" or a "habitual truant: and if the court determines that the parent, guardian, or other person having care of the child has failed to cause the child's attendance at school in violation of law, the court: (1) may require the parent, guardian, or other person to participate in any community service program, preferable a community service program that requires the involvement of the parent, guardian, or other person have care of the child in the school the child attends, (2) may require the parent, guardian or other person to participate in a truancy prevention mediation program, and (3) must warn the parent, guardian, or other person of the consequences of continued truancy.

Increased Information Sharing

As part of our continued efforts to promote school safety, the bill r4equires the notification of school officials if a child is found to be a delinquent child for any of a list of specified acts by: (1) reducing to 14 years of age or older the age of delinquent children to whom it applies, (2) requiring the notice to also be given to the school principal, and (3) expanding the list of offenses in relation to which the provisions applies.

Open Records of Violent Juveniles

The bill also opens the records of the most violent juvenile offenders. Current laws for the sealing of the record of a delinquent child will not longer apply if the delinquent act was aggravated murder, murder, rape, sexual battery, or gross sexual imposition.

Tardies

Since Avon Schools operate under a yearlong attendance program (compliant with S.B. 181), students will be allocated four excused tardies per year. Further, tardies are excused with proper written verification of doctor's appointment, funeral visitation, court appearance, etc. On the fifth tardy students will be unexcused without proper notification as stated above, and will be handled in this manner:

  • Five tardies—advisory letter sent home
  • Six tardies—conference with the principal
  • Seven tardies—warning letter sent home
  • Eight tardies—student assigned to Saturday School (Off. referral)
  • Nine tardies—referral to Lorain County Attendance Liaison
  • After nine tardies—referral for further disciplary action

Perfect Attendance

The perfect attendance award is given to students who have no days or parts of days absent or tardy (excused or unexcused) for the first three marking periods and most of the fourth.

Assignments

For absences of more than two days, parents may request homework assignments by calling the building office. Assignments may be available by 3:15 p.m. in the office. Each building has their operating procedures in place to deal with this situation. As a parent you need to contact your child's building or check their handbook to know that procedure.

Make-up Work

While it is the responsibility of the student and the teacher to see that make-up work is completed, make-up work is primarily the responsibility of the student. The student is responsible to get make-up assignments and to complete and submit work assigned within the designated time. Typically, a child will be granted one (1) extended day per each day absent (excused).

Students who miss class work through absences that result in their being given an incomplete in that subject are required to make up work as the teacher directs. If the work is not completed then, the student will receive a grade of "F" on the uncompleted work. Any extension of this time limitation must be approved by the principal.

Early Dismissal

Students should present a written request by 8:05 a.m. in the school office where they will receive an Early Dismissal slip. All requests must include a reason. Telephone calls to release students are discouraged. The Voice Mail number for attendance is NOT to be used for this purpose or for the purpose of requesting homework assignments.

A parent is required to come into the building when they give their child a signed early dismissal request. If a parent calls to request their child be dismissed for an emergency or an appointment that has just been made, that parent will need to come into the office to sign out their child, thus providing us with a signature. Also, when a child returns from an appointment or comes into the building tardy, the parent does need to come into the building with that child.

Family Vacation

Students who are going on a family vacation should pick up a "Student Vacation Request Form" in the school office one week prior to the vacation. The form should be signed by the parent and each teacher, with assignment given, and should be returned to the school office before leaving on vacation.

The student will assume the responsibility of meeting with each teacher to make up all missed class work. Students who are absent on a short-term basis (1-2 days) should make up missed assignments within a week after returning to school. Students who are absent for an extended period of time should make up their missed assignments as the teacher directs.

If work is requested ahead of time for the absence it is understood that the student will make an effort to complete and submit work upon return.

While most family vacations will be excused by the administration, days missed while on vacation count as an absence in a student's bank of 10 days per year.

Custody

Our office needs to be notified of any change in the status of custody of a student. Children will only be released to the legal guardian(s) as noted on the Emergency Medical Form, unless the office has been notified of other arrangements by the custodial parent. In addition, custody papers must be on file in the guidance office when a divorce or change of custody takes place.