Absence Policy

Absence Policy

Rationale:

At Riyadh Najed Schools we recognize that attending school regularly has a positive impact on learning, progress and therefore the best life chances for children. We recognize that attending school regularly and punctually is vital to the educational process and encourages a good pattern of work. We will encourage good attendance for all pupils, by offering an environment in which students feel valued and part of the school community.

Aims

• To promote a culture across the school which identifies the importance of regular and punctual attendance?
• To make attendance and punctuality a priority for all those associated with the school; including students, parents and teachers.
• To further develop positive and consistent communication between home and school.
• To set targets to improve individual and whole school attendance levels.

Attendance in class is vital for learning. Regular class attendance along with assigned work, successful completion of class work and participation in class discussions, experiments and written work are directly related to success in school. There is no way to duplicate the classroom experience after a student has been absent.

It is the responsibility of the student to make up and complete homework/assignments that have been missed. Absent students are not, under any circumstances, exempted from handling homework, or any other assigned work on time. It’s the absentees’ duty to refer to the school, classmates or any relevant source to be aware of the assigned duties. A zero will be assigned for any work not completed within the time limit set by the teacher.

We expect from our students to show positive interaction towards school through abiding by the school regulations; therefore, we would like to emphasize the following:

1. Playing truant and being absent without permission or mitigating circumstances would result in deducting half a mark of accumulative average.
2. Students who were absent and failed to present mitigating circumstances shall not be allowed to re-sit for exams.
3. Student’s absence affects his or her accumulative average.
4. Students who were absent must do their assignments as expected.
5. Classes shall not be rescheduled for absent students.
6. Regular attendance of students and doing the duties assigned to them, the completion of projects, tasks and active participation in class are strong indications of success.
7. The absence for any reason, except for illness, must be arranged with the school principal, and the reasons accepted for excused absence is illness, death, family matters beyond the control of the student, reports and medical appointments.
8. The absence with or without excuse, and the delay will be included in the student permanent record.
9. To meet the requirements of the American Diploma Program, students cannot miss more than 25% of classes in any subject either with or without excuse. This 25% includes both excused and non-excused absences.

Attendance Requirements Grade 9 – 12

When a student is absent for 25% or more of a particular course their enrolment in that course is cancelled. Regardless of the reason for absence a minimum of 75% attendance is an essential requirement. Students who have missed 25% or more of a course must repeat the course the following year.

• To meet the requirements of the American Diploma Program, students cannot miss more than 25% of classes in any subject.
• This 25% includes both excused and non-excused absences.
• A student who fails to meet this course attendance will need to repeat the course the following year
• Parents or a responsible adult will be notified when a student’s absence reaches 15%, and again once absence reaches 20%. This includes only unexplained absences.
• The school will undertake to communicate with parents once a student’s absence reaches 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% absence for a particular subject. Once a student reaches 20% absence, an individual plan will be developed to encourage and support a student’s attendance in the relevant subject or subjects.
• Students who are absent 25% or more of a subject, prior to the end of the academic year will meet with the disciplinary committee to decide the best course of action. This may include suspension from school or exclusion from attending class.

Students who repeat a course due to absence are expected to complete all of the assessment and class work provided by the teacher. Subjects which were passed do not need to be repeated. Repeating a subject may prevent graduation at the same time as the rest of the cohort.

Excused Absences:

Ministry of Education outlines what constitutes an “excused” absence. The following are considered reasons for Excused Absences:

• Illness/Injury
• Medical or dental appointment
• Family emergencies (discuss with the principal)
• Religious holidays
• Bereavement (immediate family)
• All others will be determined by the principal

Parents must email or call the principal’s office the day their child is absent from school.

Unexcused Absences:

It is vital for the student’s academic success that he/she be in school. The school calendar has clearly outlined dates the school will be in session. All students are expected to be in school when it is in session. Any absence which is not included in the list of excused absences is an unexcused absence. All other absences are unexcused and unlawful for reasons other than those stated above. The principal will decide what consequences will be appropriate for unexcused absences. Truancy, vacations and no reason indicated are all unexcused absences. If a child is suspended from the bus and does not attend school, that absence is unexcused. However, if a child is suspended from school, that absence is excused.

Students suffering, vomiting or diarrhea will be excluded from school and may not participate in school activities until they are symptom-free without medication for 24 hours. Students with an undiagnosed rash may be excluded from school. Parents will be called when a student’s condition prevents participation in normal school activities.

Parents need to be sure that they have sent updated telephone numbers and address changes to the school. If there is an emergency, this information is very important. School staff has the capability to telephone everyone in a class and school with important information; however, if your phone number is not current, you will miss the call.

Parents are regularly notified through weekly reports, SMS messages and letters of the absence and lateness of their children.

IMOPRTANT NOTES

• Parents will be notified when a student reaches 5 absences. Parents may be requested to attend a mandatory meeting with the Principal or Assistant Principal when a student reaches 5 absences in any class.
• For any absences beyond 5, the academic standing of a student will be jeopardized.
• Excessive absences increase the chance students will fail the course due to excessive missing work.
• Students placed on Academic Probation will not be given the same make-up opportunities. They will need to attend class to complete their work.
• Students with excessive absences and tardies demonstrate a lack of commitment to their education and may not be accepted to RNS for the following school year.

ACADEMIC PROPERTION

If a student reaches 5 absences in any class per semester, the student will be placed on Academic Probation. If the student meets the following requirements, while on probation, he/she can maintain the grade and receive credit for the course at the end of the semester.

Requirements:

• Attendance must be excellent.
• Punctuality must be excellent.
• Commitment to academic work must be demonstrated.
• Cooperation with the teacher must be demonstrated.

An absence includes all type of non-school related absences including the following: illness, doctor visits, travel, vacations, etc. Please note that these are not considered excused absences. It is very important that students miss as few days as possible so that they do not miss classroom instruction and activities that cannot be made up. Because colleges are particularly interested in a student’s motivation, focus, and work habits, a student’s attendance and tardy record for each year will be documented in his/her recommendation letter.

Procedure:

1. Parents will be informed of the “academic probation” status by means of a letter from the school principal. The student and his/ her parent(s) will be required to meet with the high school principal to discuss the conditions of academic probation.
2. The student and his/her parent(s) will sign a contract with the principal stating the expectations of the student, parent (s) and school for the duration of the academic probation.
3. Learning Support may be recommended.
4. Students who remain on academic probation after one semester or at the designated deadline for improvement may be withdrawn from the program.

Attendance Procedure :

1. It is expected that the students will attend class every school day on time. All teachers will take roll and keep a record of absences and tardies.
2. All absences, regardless of whether the note is from a doctor, are counted against the 5 absences described in the attendance policy.
3. Students who arrive late to school must report to the registrar/counselor in the High School Office and sign-in.
4. Students who arrive after 7:00 a.m. are considered absent from first period and parents will be contacted. Parents must confirm via telephone or in person that they are aware of their child’s tardiness.
5. If a student has to leave school prior to the end of the day, a parent must check him/her out through the High School Office. If the student is returning to school, the parent must check him/her back in through the High School Office.
6. If parents plan to travel for an extended period of time, they must contact the school prior to travel and designate a temporary guardian.
7. Students who are absent from any of their scheduled classes will not be allowed to take part or participate in that day’s co-curricular activities (athletics, art, etc.). Exceptions will be made for verified doctor or dental appointments and for other absences where prior approval is obtained through an administrator.

Early Dismissal

No student will be permitted to leave the building before the close of school unless a written request or phone call from home is presented and approved by the administration.

Guidelines

All early dismissal requests must be written, signed by a parent or a call from a parent must come to the Principal or Principal Assistant.

1. The early dismissal request must have the following information: student’s full name, Parents’ full name, reason for request, parent phone number or a phone number where the parent can be reached. Early dismissals will be verified by phone with the originator of the request.
2. Students will not be granted early dismissal unless verification is received.
3. All students who have been granted an early dismissal must sign out at the gate monitor desk.
4. The administration has the right to deny any request for early dismissal.
5. Urgent reasons for early dismissals are limited to doctor or dental appointments which cannot be made outside school hours, or immediately family emergencies.
6. Students who are granted early dismissals should leave the building immediately.
7. Parents are required to inform the school office in advance in writing or though a phone call if a student is to be picked during school hours.
8. An early pick-up slip will have to be signed by the person coming to collect the child.
9. If new driver or others are to come to collect the child, written permission from the parents must be submitted or phone call should be done.

Make Up Work

Please note that students will be allowed to make up work whenever possible, but there are certain types of graded activities that require a student to be present in the classroom when they are happening and thus are impossible to make up if a student is absent. These types of activities include debates, discussions, group work, rehearsals, warm-ups, etc. (Please note: this is not an exhaustive list.) Participation points cannot be made up. The decision as to what is required for make-up and the time and place of make-up work will be the responsibility of the teacher working in conjunction with the student. It is the student’s responsibility to check with the teacher and to complete the required make-up work within the allowable make-up period following the student’s return to school: 1 day absence = 1 day make-up period. Major projects and major exams with due dates known well in advance are exempt from this make-up time allowance. Major projects, papers and presentations cannot be made up unless there are extreme circumstances surrounding the absence. Please note that if you are present at school on the day of a test but miss the class period of the test, it must be made up on that same day or a grade of a 0 will be given. Students who are truant from a class are not allowed to make up the work missed.
Please be aware that all make-up tests will be a different version of the original test.
Students placed on Academic Probation will not be given the same make-up opportunities. They will need to attend class to complete their work.

Absence from Final Exams

If a student is absent from a final exam for any reason, he/she must see the High School Principal and must provide proper documentation. The grade will be changed when a make-up exam has been taken. Under no circumstance will a final exam be administered before the scheduled date of the exam.

We value your cooperation and support in following up on these matters to ensure that your children do not lose out by missing exams and tests because they have accumulated too many absences from classes.