ATTENDANCE POLICY
FDD-R (LOCAL)

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE	State law requires every child in the state who is at least six years of age and not more than eighteen years of age to attend school. Kindergarten students must comply with the same compulsory attendance laws as other students. Pursuant to state law, a student must attend class for 90% of the days the class is offered in order to receive credit for that class. If a student is in attendance for fewer than 90% of the days the class is offered, they may not be given credit for the class. While a district may not decrease the number of days a student must be in attendance in order to obtain class credit, the law does not prevent a District from imposing stricter requirements. A student may appeal the denial of class credit to the attendance committee, which shall hear the student’s petition. The committee may grant class credit if it determines the absences are due to extenuating circumstances. District policy establishes guidelines for determining extenuating circumstances and ways for students to make up work or regain credit lost because of absences.
ELEMENTARY AND INTERMEDIATE ATTENDANCE POLICY	District policy requires a student to provide a doctor’s statement any time a student is absent from school for six cumulative days in a year due to illness or other medical condition. This also applies to all non-documented illness-related absence(s) beyond the sixth cumulative absence. Failure to provide a doctor’s note after the sixth cumulative absence for illness in a school year will result in the student receiving an unexcused absence. If the student fails to make up the work and/or has not been in attendance 90% of the time, the student may not be promoted to the next grade level. An attendance committee will hear petitions for promotion from students who are in attendance fewer than 90% of days in the school year. The committee may grant credit when absences due to extenuating circumstances are determined to be acceptable. District policy establishes guidelines for determining extenuating circumstances and ways for students to make up work and meet promotion requirements work in order to meet promotion requirements.
HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE POLICY	After a student’s third cumulative absence during a semester due to illness or other medical condition, the student shall be required to provide a doctor’s note. Failure to provide a doctor’s note for any illness related absence after the third such absence will result in the absence being deemed an unexcused absence and the student will be required to make up the time lost for all time missed. If the student fails to make up the time lost, and/or has not been in attendance 90% of the days a course is offered, the student will not receive credit in the course or courses taken that semester. An attendance committee shall hear petitions for promotion for students who have exceeded three absences across-the-board in a semester. The committee may grant promotion to the next grade level when a student’s absences are due to extenuating circumstances. District policy establishes guidelines for determining what constitutes an extenuating circumstance and procedures for making up work and meeting promotion requirements. Students with either excused or unexcused absences shall be afforded the opportunity to make up missed work.