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FHS Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy

 

Falcon High School adheres to both D49 policy and state law that requires students to attend school both regularly and on time as to receive adequate education and training. Parents must contact the school within 48 hours of an absence (excluding weekends) in order for it to be considered for excusal. State acceptable reasons for an excused absence include:

 

  • Absences because of temporary illness or injury
  • A student who is absent for an extended period due to physical, mental, or emotional disability
  • A student who is pursuing a work-study program under the supervision of the school
  • A student who is attending any school-sponsored activity
  • Absences by those who are in the custody of court or law enforcement authorities
  • Absences determined by school administration to be excusable, such as doctor’s appointments, appointments with outside agencies, and suspensions/expulsion.

 

Reported absences that do not fall within the state’s excusal parameters will be coded as “parent approved” absences, which are considered “unexcused” absences.

Students with 2 or more consecutive days of state excused absence are required to provide proper documentation from a doctor, dentist, or agency related to the absence. Additionally, once a student exceeds 10 excused absences in an academic year, the school may require verification of excuse from a doctor, dentist, or agency related to the absence, regardless of the length of absence.

 

District 49 School Board policy requires FHS to take the following steps as unexcused absences accrue:

 

  • 3 days unexcused absences or a combination of 7 days total absences: parents/guardians will be notified in writing
  • 5 days unexcused absences or a combination of 10 days total absences: 2nd letter will be sent out to parents/guardians
  • 7 days unexcused absences or a combination of 12 days total absences: A notice of non-compliance will be filed with El Paso County Courts
  • 10 days unexcused absences or a combination of 14 total days of absences: A petition that requires the student and guardians to appear in truancy court is filed

 

Note that days absence is cumulative of all missed periods (16 periods = 4 missed days)

 

Students may be considered absent to a class if they arrive or leave more than 10 minutes from the scheduled time. If you feel a teacher has made an attendance error you must contact the teacher within 48 hours to verify the appropriate attendance and request a correction. FHS also may make attendance changes up to 48 hours from the absence or attendance concern.

 

In addition to official letters and notices, students found to be “skipping” school or class periods will be subject to disciplinary action that may include office referrals, lunch detentions, after-school detentions or suspension.

 

Tardies

 

At Falcon High School, students have six minutes to arrive on time to their next scheduled class. Students are considered tardy when they arrive after the allotted passing time. When students arrive after class has already started, it creates a disruptive environment for both the teacher and non-tardy students. As such, students will receive discipline for excessive tardiness. Excessive tardiness occurs when a student is consistently tardy to class. The procedures for penalties for excessive tardiness are listed below:

 

  1. 1st Step: If a student is tardy 5 or more times to a single class or accumulates over 10 total tardies (After School Detention)
  2. 2nd Step: If a student accumulates 15 total tardies or 10 in a single class (2 After School Detentions)
  3. 3rd Step: If a student is tardy to a single class 15 times or accumulates 20 total tardies (Attendance contract for habitual tardiness)

 

Non-compliance towards an attendance contract will result in additional disciplinary actions, including loss of privileges and/or suspensions.

 

Additionally, students arriving more than 10 minutes late to class without an excused pass are considered excessively tardy and may receive an office referral for their truancy. Students missing more than half of the class period may be considered absent for that class period.

 

The full District 49 Attendance Policy can be found on the district website at:

http://www.d49.org/Page/5323.


Any questions or concerns regarding the Attendance Policy may be directed to Mr Champlin, our Dean of Students: michael.champlin@d49.org