New Attendance Policies 24-25

It is our mission as a school to best prepare all students for success not only in post-secondary education opportunities but in all aspects of life (53G-6-803 Subsections 1.a and 1.b). Student attendance has become the major issue in being able to provide the best, most well-rounded educational experience. This includes not just absences, but tardy (1- 10 mins), way late tardy (after 10 mins) and Truancy (R277-607-3 Utah State Board of Education Policy. Subsections 1.a, 1.a.i, and 3.d, in addition R277-607-4 Subsection 1).

To provide better support and a clearer understanding of how attendance will impact students, Alta High School will be modifying our current Attendance Policy. The current policy was modified and implemented in the Spring semester of 2024. Alta High school students responded, meeting the expectation set for them within that policy. Some of the outcomes included a greater pass rate from the students, higher overall GPA than the previous quarter, and less interruptions at the start of a class when instruction begins. The Attendance Policy will be applicable to ALL students, therefore impacting their ability/eligibility to represent Alta High in school sponsored activities (53G-8-211 Subsection 1.k).

POLICY

1. The first four unexcused attendance codes during a quarter will not generate an Attendance Alert (°) next to their grade. The 5th attendance code will reflect on Skyward as an Attendance Alert (°) with their bolded grade (ex. °A, °B-, °C+) (R277-607-3 Subsections 1.a.ii, 3.b, and 3.c, and R277-607-4 Subsection 2.a, and 2.b). This is the first form of communication to a student and parent/guardian that identifies a concern regarding attendance. A student with one (1) or more Attendance Alerts (°) may be brought into an intervention discussion with a member of the Attendance Intervention Team (AIT). The student may be in jeopardy of being allowed to participate in a school sponsored event. This is referred to as an Activity Hold. A recurrence of Attendance Alerts (°) may be determined by the AIT to advance to a greater level of intervention which may include an attendance contract. Codes that count within this policy includes: A, T, W, A-VT (a list of attendance codes and their meaning found below) (R277-607-3 Subsections (1) and (2) and R277-607-4 Subsection 2. 53G-6-203 Subsection 4.a, R277-607-3 1.a.i (punctual attendance)).

a. Regarding the 5th Attendance Alert (°): Situation: a student who has received an Attendance Alert (°) will be notified only by the appearance of the Attendance Alert (°). The student will be responsible to meet with the Attendance Office for a pre-intervention meeting and options available to clear the Attendance Alert (°). A member of the Attendance Intervention Team (AIT) (R277-607-3 (3)) may meet with the student to discuss meaningful incentives which promote regular and punctual student attendance. Once the Attendance Alert (°) appears, the student will be able to take advantage of intervention opportunities before or after school. If the student does not complete the intervention, an Activity Hold will be considered, incentivizing the student to complete the intervention and, therefore, removing the Attendance Alert (°).

b. Chronic absenteeism of any kind, detrimentally impacting a student’s participation in academic and educational pursuit, may cause the AIT to discuss supportive interventions. This effort is outlined in CSD Policy 500.35-1 7.2.2.

c. After an intervention has taken place. The same process that is outlined in 5th Attendance Alert (°) will be put into place.

1. Communication via Skyward.
2. AIT meeting with parent/guardian and student.
3. Loss of opportunity to participate/represent Alta in a school activity will be added by the Assistant Principal or Attendance Professional (Activity Hold).
   1. Unless Attendance Intervention is completed, or
   2. AIT determines exigent circumstances.

2. Students have the opportunity to remediate any Attendance Alert (°) with the teacher of that class. Upon completion of the attendance intervention, the Attendance Alert (°) will be removed as mentioned above in the remediation intervention (R277-607-3 Subsections 3 & 4).

INTERVENTIONS FOR MAKING UP ATTENDANCE ALERT (°) R277-607-3 Subsection 3 & 4

To clear an Attendance Alert (°) students must clear all attendance codes above the four allowed by selecting from the options listed below. To do so, a student must pick up a form in the Attendance Office for each Attendance Alert (°). Advisory make-up will be 15 mins for a tardy; 30 mins for an absence. All other classes:

• 60 minutes of time will modify one absence (A, W, AVT)
• 30 minutes of time will modify one tardy (T)

Students and parents/guardians are responsible for following through and verifying that the selected option has been completed. All Attendance Alerts (°) must be made up within a week of receiving to be allowed for continued, full participation in their school sponsored activity (53G-8-211 Subsection 1.k). Should parents/guardians have concerns regarding extenuating circumstances that result in a student exceeding the allowed number of absences, please call the school to make an appointment to meet with your student’s assistant principal (R277-607-4 Subsection c. and 53G-6-206 Subsections 2 and 3).

OPTIONS:

• Engagement Time Sessions: 7:10 A.M.-7:40 A.M. Students will complete the necessary amount of time needed with the teacher in whose class the student received an Attendance Alert (°). The teacher will sign the attendance form and the student will return the form to the Attendance Office within 3 days or a minimum of 24hrs BEFORE the next game/performance (53G-6-206 Subsection 1 and R277-607-4 Subsection 2.g).
• Perfect Attendance: 10 consecutive school days with perfect attendance, including no tardies or way late tardies, will clear one Attendance Alert (°). Perfect attendance does not include school activity (N) or excused absence (E) codes (53G-6-206 Subsection 1 and R277-607-4 Subsection 2.g).
• CLUBS, TEAMS, PERFORMANCES: Coaches, advisors, and other supervisors may employ a similar or more aggressive attendance procedure, detailed in their disclosure or parent meeting. These protocols align with our attendance policy and are integral to the Attendance Intervention Team. Encouraging regular attendance is paramount with broader goals beyond sports eligibility.

STUDENT GRADES: The students will still be earning their grades even if the Attendance Alert (°) is showing on their Skyward grade report.

ATTENDANCE INTERVENTION TEAM (AIT): The AIT may consist of parents, coaches, advisors, attendance office personnel, teachers, counselors, and administrators.

ATTENDANCE CODES:

An absence is defined as any class period that a student did not attend. Students are marked according to the following codes:

ABSENCE (A): When a student misses class, the teacher will mark the student absent. These absences will count toward the Attendance Policy.

GUARDIAN APPROVED ABSENCE (G): An absence approved by a parent/guardian within five (5) days of the absence occurring (CSD Policy 500.35-1.6). In 53G-6-201 Subsection 10 states, (a) “Valid Excuse” means: (i) an illness, which may be either mental or physical, regardless of whether the school-age child or parent provides documentation from a medical professional; Lack of documentation will result in a “G” code. Documentation provided and parent/guardian communication will result in an “E” code. (see EXCUSED ABSENCES)

TARDY (T): A student will be marked tardy if he/she arrives to class within the first ten minutes after the starting time of each class period. Students are given five minutes to get from one class to the next and should use their time wisely to arrive on time to class. The tardy code will count towards the Attendance Policy.

WAY LATE (W): When a student arrives to class any time after the ten minutes allowed for a tardy, the student will be marked as way late. The way late code will count towards the Attendance Policy.

EXCUSED ABSENCES (E): If a student misses a full day, the parent/guardian shall notify the Attendance Office within five (5) days of the absence (CSD Policy 500.35-1.6). Approved written documentation (i.e. dentist note, doctor note, legal note, obituary, wedding announcement, or other approved documentation) should be provided. Pursuant to 53G-6-803 Subsection 5 “…., an LEA shall record an excused absence for a scheduled family event or a scheduled proactive visit to a health care provider if: (a) the parent submits a written statement at least one school day before the scheduled absence; and (b) the student agrees to make up course work for school days missed for the scheduled absence in accordance with LEA policy. Excusals shall not be accepted after the five (5) days or for previous quarters. The code for excused absences will not count towards the Attendance Policy.

TRUANCY (A-VT): If police or school personnel verify an absence as truancy, the absence code (A) will be changed to a truancy code (A-VT). School activities and assemblies that are scheduled during school hours are considered part of the regular school day. Students are required to attend the activity or be in a school-supervised alternate area during said time. The truancy code will count towards the Attendance Policy.

VACATION RELEASE (E-EL): Canyons School District policy allows a student to miss up to ten (10) school days per year for pre-approved vacation release. The parent/guardian gives approval by calling the attendance office prior to the student’s leave of absence. It is the responsibility of the student to contact his/her teachers regarding assigned work and grades prior to the leave of absence for a vacation release. Seniors attending college visits need to request a vacation release. The code for vacation will not count towards the Attendance Policy.

SCHOOL ACTIVITY (N): Students participating in activities sponsored by Alta High School or Canyons School District will be excused administratively. The code for school activities will not count towards the Attendance Policy.

SUSPENSION (S): When a student is placed on suspension, they are not allowed on school property or to attend school sanctioned activities. The code for suspension will not count towards the Attendance Policy.

HOME & HOSPITAL (E-HH): Due to medical issues, a student may not be able to attend school for a period of ten days or longer. The parent/guardian should contact the Attendance Office to arrange home and hospital services. The code for home and hospital will not count towards the Attendance Policy.

CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT PROCEDURES – No change