Jerome Joint School District No. 261

STUDENTS 3050P

Attendance Policy

A telephone call or a note, written or electronic, from either parent or guardian is necessary when a student is

absent or late for any reason. Notes must be given immediately to the attendance secretary. All students arriving

late to school must check into the school office at any time during the day. All absences and tardies will be

recorded on the report card.

Before the end of the school day, the school shall attempt to contact every parent, guardian, or custodian whose

child is absent from school but who has not reported the child as absent for the school day, to determine whether

the parent, guardian, or custodian is aware of the child’s absence from school.

Student Check-Out

Students may NOT be taken from the school or playground unless the parent, guardian, or custodian has signed

them out in the office. Students who are the age of 18 or older may sign themselves out in the office. School-

sponsored activities require a teacher or sponsor to be responsible for the students. Therefore, if a parent,

guardian, or custodian desires to take their student at the completion of an activity, written notification must be

given to the teacher or sponsor. Students may only leave the activity or event with their own parent, guardian, or

custodian unless prior written authorization is given to the teacher or sponsor.

Tardies

It is the responsibility of each student to arrive at class and be in the assigned seat when the tardy bell rings. Some

controls must be placed upon each student to assume an orderly beginning to each class.

Classroom tardies should be handled by the teacher. Excessive tardies may be referred to the Administration for

assistance. The high school will develop an Attendance Review Process to handle credit appeals. Other schools will develop an Attendance Review Process to handle grading issues affected by attendance in their building.

Activities or Preplanned Absences

It is the student’s responsibility to notify teachers prior to being absent. Teachers may require the work to be

completed and turned in prior to departure. If not requested by a teacher, students will have one (1) day to make

up work for each day missed, upon return.

Absences for school-sponsored activities are excused, but students are held responsible for the work missed. In

order to participate in an extracurricular activity, including practice, students must be in school during the

afternoon of the date of the event or in the afternoon on the last school day prior to the activity, if the activity falls

on a non-school day. Every effort will be made to schedule events, activities and meetings that do not occur

during class time.

Excused Absences

An absence shall be excused when the absent is due to:

1. Those that occur due to school-sponsored activities, since these are considered an equivalent educational

experience. These exemptions will, for example, apply to students participating in dance events, music

related events, academic field trips, and others deemed co-curricular.

2. Those that are related to visiting a college, university, or another institution of higher learning prior to

possibly attending the said institution. Students in grades 9th - 12th may have up to three days of excused

absences for trips of this nature per academic year. Verification of attendance may be requested.

3. Bereavement in the immediate family (grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, sister, brother). Any

extended bereavement may be reviewed by the school administration;

4. Subpoenas to appear in court or court-ordered, out-of-school placements for special services; and

5. Illness or hospitalization verified by a medical practitioner’s statement. Please note that all medical

practitioner’s notes must be submitted to the front office no later than two school days after a student

returns to school to qualify for an attendance policy exemption.

Unexcused Absences

Any absences NOT listed above will be counted when calculating the attendance record.

Examples of unexcused absences include: Family trips or vacations, visiting friends or relatives, in and out of school suspension, attending school activities or tournaments when the student is not an actual participant, personal appointments, recreational activities, and all others absences not defined as excused including all other illnesses

without a physician’s note. Any unexcused absence is a truancy.

Truancy

Attendance at school is more than a legal obligation. It is a privilege. Every child of compulsory school age must be

in attendance unless otherwise exempted as provided in Idaho Code §§ 33- 204, 205 or as determined by school

authorities.

The absence of a student from class or any portion of a class for any reason other than those listed under Excused

Absences is to be considered an unexcused absence and therefore, an act of truancy.

Any student who, in the judgment of the Board of Trustees, repeatedly has violated the attendance regulations

established by the Board; or any child whose parents or guardians have failed or refused to cause such child to be

instructed as provided by Section 33-202 of Idaho Code will be declared a habitual truant and a truancy petition

will be filed with the court as per Section 33-206 of Idaho Code.

Legal Reference: Idaho Code § 33-202

Idaho Code § 33-204

Idaho Code § 33-205

Idaho Code § 33-206

Idaho Code § 33-207

Policy History:

Adopted on: 04/28/2009

Revised on: 10/24/2023