Student Planner 2013-14 - Pinkerton Academy

In order for a college visit to be excused, the student must submit a letter, on official letterhead from the college visited,indicating the date and time of the visit. College visit days only apply to members of the senior class.Students are allowed to have a maximum of three days per school year only if the following conditions are met:1. Specific vacation request forms (available in the attendance offices) must be completed and submitted at least twoschool days prior to departure. A parental note must be submitted at the time the form is requested.2. Students must assume the responsibility of contacting all of their teachers for assignments, and for completing allassignments punctually.Vacation absences in excess of 3 days will be charged against the student’s attendance record for the purpose of theattendance policy.Attendance Waiver: Any student (or the parent of that student) who has exceeded the 5-day limit because of verifiablefamily emergency, illness, injury, or extenuating/special circumstances and who has not “cut” classes nor been truant,may request that the attendance policy be waived. All such requests must conform to the following procedure: Uponreturn to school, or within five school days, the student must submit medical documentation (or documentation of thefamily emergency) to the attendance office. The student’s attendance administrator will prepare a complete record of thestudent’s attendance history including absences, suspensions, cuts, and times tardy. The administrator will forward thatrecord, the student’s application for waiver, and their recommendation to the Dean of Students who will make the finaldetermination regarding the request for waiver of the attendance policy. The attendance office will not, at the end of amarking period, respond to the question, “How many days did I miss and which days were they?” It is the responsibilityof the student to submit documentation immediately after an absence.Attendance Waiver if day(s) are related to a students’ disability: If a parent or adult student feels that they havegone over the attendance policy due to a disability, they can write a letter to their attendance administrator requestingto have the days absent that are related to their disability waived. The parent or adult student should identify what thestudent’s disability is and give a reason why they think the absence was due to the disability. We cannot require medicaldocumentation, but it would certainly be in the best interest of the student if parents provided any medical documentationthey have. This information will be attached to an attendance appeal form by the student’s Associate Dean and given tothe Dean of Students. The Dean of Students will decide if days will be waived. This has nothing to do with the manifestationprocess and is a protection under section 504. If reasonable accommodations have been made for this student, thenthere is no reason to apply for a waiver.Medical Documentation for any excused absences shall be in the form of a note presented exactly as it was issuedby the practitioner. Any alterations, additions, changes on the note, or notes obtained unethically will automatically disqualifyit from consideration. The documentation must also state that the student was seen on the specific day(s) inquestion, and that it was either impossible or inadvisable for the student to attend school for that day or a designated periodof time of up to 30 days. If a student’s medical status will result in continued absences beyond the 30 days, the schoolshall require the student to be seen monthly for re-evaluation of medical status and to provide an updated note from themedical follow-up for an additional 30 days, and so forth. Pinkerton reserves the right to verify all medical notes andalso reserves the right to retroactively enforce the failure policy for attendance for any term affected by forged notes.Fraudulent or altered medical notes will be returned to the practitioner who may take legal action. Any submissionof an altered medical note will result in a minimum penalty of a 3-day suspension from school for the student involved.It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of how many classes the student has missed in any given markingperiod, and to ask the teacher whenever there is a question of absences. It should also be noted that the following reasonswill be acceptable and will not count against the student in regard to the attendance policy:1. Religious holidays2. Bereavement *3. Subpoenas and court orders *4. Extreme weather conditions5. School sponsored activities6. Specific reference to attendance exception in the Individual Education Plan of a special ed student.7. Specific reference to attendance exception as part of a Section 504 accommodation plan.* Please be aware that documentation may be required.If students miss a class for any of the above 7 reasons, it is their responsibility to present appropriate information andverification to the attendance office just before or just after the absence.7