Student Life

Attendance

There is no substitute for the uninterrupted personal contact between teacher and student.  As a result, it is important that our students value the time that they have in school.  We want our students in class, knowing that their academic achievement, or lack thereof, is directly related to their presence in school.  The School Improvement Team of Reynolds High School recognizes the importance of students attending school on a regular basis and, as such, developed the following attendance policy for the 2011-2012 school year:

1)       Documentation for an absence must be brought to the attendance desk within 2 days of returning to Reynolds.  If not, they will be coded as unlawful (unexcused).  Notes should include the student’s full name, dates of absences, reasons for absences, parent or guardian’s name and signature.  This note should be brought to the attendance desk before school.  Notes for students to check out during the school day should also be brought to the attendance desk before school begins on the day the student needs to check out early.

2)       Lawful (excused) absences consist of:

a)       Illness or injury

b)       Quarantine

c)       Death in immediate family

d)       Medical or Dental appointment

e)       Court or administrative proceedings

f)        Religious observances

g)       Educational opportunity

To qualify for religious observances or educational opportunity, the student and parent must request approval from the principal at least 3 school days prior to the absence.

3)       Six or more absences for a class per quarter are considered excessive.  Students with excessive absences can be denied credit for the course.  A student is required to complete a grade/attendance waiver form for each class in which they have been excessively absent.  If a student fails to submit a waiver form, they will automatically be given an administrative F for that quarter.  In general, two or more unexcused (unlawful) absences result in a denied grade/attendance waiver.  Waivers are due two days before the end of the quarter.

A committee consisting of an administrator, 3 teachers, and a guidance counselor will review grade/attendance waivers.  The committee will meet prior to the end of every quarter.  For 4th quarter, seniors must submit their waivers before the first day of exams and will be notified prior to graduation practice.

If a student follows proper attendance procedures and improves their attendance in the quarter following a denied grade waiver, they may have their prior quarter grade reinstated.  In order to qualify for grade reinstatement students must properly document every absence the following quarter.

4)       If a student has more than 18 absences by the end of 3rd quarter in A/B day classes or 10 in a 2nd semester block class, the student may not be eligible to attend prom without approval from the principal.

5)       According to School Board Policy (AR 5110)

“If a student in grades 10, 11 or 12 accumulates ten (10) absences in a school year, excused or unexcused, the student’s parking privileges shall be revoked for the remainder of the school year unless:

(1)     the student agrees to participate in an “Attendance Improvement Plan” approved by the Principal or a designee; or

(2)      the Principal finds that there was an extraordinary cause or excuse for the student’s excessive absences, such as a long term illness, injury or disability.

If a student’s parking privileges are revoked at a school, the revocation also applies to the Career         Center and vice versa.”  Please note that parking fees are nonrefundable.

6)       If a student accumulates 8 or more tardies per quarter in a class, they will receive an Unsatisfactory conduct on their report card and be subject to administrative referral.  According to Board policy, an accumulation of 10 tardies shall be equal to one unexcused absence.    

7)       A student has one day for every day that they were absent to complete and turn in their make-up work. For example, a student is absent on Monday, returns to school Tuesday and their make-up work should be turned in on Wednesday.  If a student does not return the completed assignment within the given period of time, the teacher is not required to accept the assignment and may result in a zero.



Checking-In, Checking-Out
Check-In
1. Any student not in class by 9:00 a.m. must report to the Attendance Office to receive a note to enter class. Student who have not checked into school or reported to class are not authorized to visit any other parts of the school building.
2. Students who persist in checking into school late risk the loss of parking privileges and will subject themselves to disciplinary action.
3. Students who ride the bus and consistently report late to class will be reported to to the adminstration for disciplinary action.

Check-Out
1. Any student needing to leave school during school hours must check out through the Attendance Office. This does not include students attending classes at the Career Center.
2. It is the student's responsibility to use proper check-out procedures. Those who fail to do so will be disciplined for skipping school.
3. Requests for checking-out from school are to be submitted to the Attendance Office to before 8:50 a.m. the day of the request. All requests must bear the signature of the parent or guardian and a telephone number where they can be reached for verification.
4. A student will not be allowed to leave school with anyone other than a parent or guardian without parental permission.
See the R.J. Reynolds Student Handbook for more information about proper Check-In and Check-Out procedures.

Hall Passes
A student must have a hall pass top be out of class. The hall pass must be properly signed in ink by the teacher issuing the pass, as well as by the one receiving it. ALl passes must contain the date and time that the pass was issued. Students possessing hall passes illegally will be subject to disciplinary action.

Skipping Class
All students are expected to be in their assigned classes each day. Common sense dictates that students that are in class will make better grades than they would if they are absent.

The school understands that there are times in which a student has a good reason not to be in school and has established procedures to recognize excused absences.

In cases where the student does not have good reason to be out it is considered an unexcused absence. Another name for an unexcused absence is "skipping," which can be defined by these actions:

1. Leaving class without permission.
2. Not attending an assigned class or activity during the day.
3. Being absent without a parent or guardian's prior knowledge.
4. Leaving class without permission or under false pretenses.
5. Not reporting to class within the first 10 minuts without a note from a teacher or administrator.
6. Being in another teacher's class without proper approval by the teacher of the scheduled class.

Illness
A school nurse will be on the campus one day a week. She will be stationed in the Office of Student Services.

If medication is need by the student during the day, the parent or guardian must complete a Medication Form. These can be picked up in the Main Office. These should be updated at the beginning of each year, as well as anytime a medication dosage is changed.

Last Modified on September 2, 2011