POLICY MANUAL - Calhoun County Schools

To participate in a program designed to provide responsible and accurate informationabout legal and illegal drug use.To be informed of all Board policies and prohibitions related to drugs and medication.Adopted: 06/29/95Revised: 06/26/98; 07/10/03ATTENDANCE POLICYAlabama law requires that all children ages seven through seventeen be enrolled in andattend school. In addition, all children who choose to enroll in school, even if not ofcompulsory school age, are subject to the school attendance and truancy laws of thestate. All students should attend school regularly and be on time for all classes in orderto receive the greatest benefit from the instructional program and to develop habits ofpunctuality, self-discipline and individual responsibility. There is a direct relationshipbetween poor attendance and class failure. Students who have good attendancegenerally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more.In accordance with state guidelines, a student who is in attendance less than half of theschool day is deemed absent for reporting and truancy purposes.I. Classification of Excused or Unexcused AbsenceA. A written excuse will be required of every student after absence, to bepresented the day the child returns to school. The principal of the localschool, or designee, will determine and code the excused or unexcusedstatus of an absence. If an acceptable reason for excusing an absence is notpresented within three (3) days of the child's return to school, the absence willbe coded as unexcused. (See paragraph C below for absences beyond the5th in a semester).B. Basis for Granting Excused Absence Status: (See paragraph C below forabsences beyond the 5th in a semester).1. Personal illness of the student2. Inclement weather that would be dangerous to the life or health of achild if school is attended. Normally, inclement weather is defined aswhen buses do not run due to adverse weather conditions.3. Legal quarantine4. Death in immediate family5. An emergency or any other extenuating circumstances as determinedby `the principal or principal's designee. (Non-emergency absencesmust have prior approval before the absence in order to have excusedstatus.)C. After the fifth absence in a semester, additional documentation / verification ofthe nature of the absence will be required in determining if the absence isexcused or unexcused. A doctor's excuse must be presented or, in theabsence of a doctor's excuse, the parent must arrange for a conference5.07