Attendance Services
Attendance and Attendance Services
Phone: (417) 523-0064
Fax: (417) 523-0099
E-mail: nquinn@spsmail.org
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A comprehensive system of attendance records will be maintained for each student. Each teacher is responsible for the accurate reporting of daily attendance in the classroom. The building principal is responsible for supplying information to parents in regard to student absences, and for submitting attendance information to the Superintendent’s office.
Unreported absences or excessive tardies will be brought to the attention of the Attendance Advisor who serves each building on an itinerant basis and/or the Attendance Coordinator for the district. That person will make the necessary contact with the family and take whatever actions are felt to be appropriate in attempting to correct the problem.
Attendance Guidelines
- Daily Absence Reporting
- Parents should notify the attendance office each day a student is absent. Students not excused from school by parents may be considered truant.
- If the parent, for some reason, fails to notify school, the school may contact parent.
- Students who return to school without a parent’s excuse may be considered truant until the parent can be contact to verify the absence.
- All absences, including those approved in advance by parents or school officials, except those for school-sponsored activities, will count against a student’s days absent. The student should be careful in the use of absences because of the class participation grade.
- The school encourages doctor and dental appointments after school hours whenever possible to reduce the number of classes missed for medical reasons.
- Students who leave school during the school day without prior parental consent and without checking out through the appropriate attendance office may be considered truant. Students must have parental consent and check out of school through the attendance office to be properly excused.
- From time to time, events or activities of a specific or peculiar nature may arise that provide great opportunity to students and require extended and/or unusual absences from school. Should student and parents find themselves faced with such an opportunity and desirous of participation, the school staff will cooperate to the extend possible to assure the opportunity for these activities. When such absences are being planned, the student and/or parent should, well in advance of the absence, contact the school. The purpose of such contact should be to plan a schedule for make-up work.
- Make-up work is permitted and is graded for full credit for all absences with the exception of truancy and class cuts. Students are responsible to find out what assignments or homework assignments they missed and then complete the work. When absences are anticipated, the student is to contact his/her teacher(s) to determine what assignments are to be completed during the absence. It is the student’s responsibility to check with the teacher regarding work missed during the absence and the procedure to follow. Should the student choose not to contact the teacher(s) within five school days and arrange for work missed, the teacher is absolved of any responsibility for the student’s negligence in this matter and will record a grade of “F/O” for each of the assignments missed during the absence. All make-up assignments and alternative assignments will be completed within a reasonable time frame to be determined by each teacher.
Attendance Procedures
The purpose of the instructional process in this community is to assure all students an opportunity to receive the best possible education governed only by their abilities and interests. The instructional format for courses offered in Springfield Public Schools requires that students attend classes regularly. The compulsory attendance statute of the State of Missouri also reinforces this expectation. Independent study courses and correspondence courses are not offered by our secondary schools.
Truancy
An elective absence, which was not approved in advance by parents or by school officials. Work missed because of truancy is a violation of state statutes as well as school regulations and may result in suspension or other disciplinary action.
Suspension
An absence required by school authorities as disciplinary action for inappropriate student behavior. One of the consequences of suspension from school is the lost opportunity for learning. Generally, students are not allowed to receive credit for make-up work missed due to suspension. Assignments such as major term projects, major exams, final exams, etc., which generally exceed the time reference to the suspension, should be accepted by a teacher for credit.
School Activities
Students represent activities. When a student serves as an authorized representative of his/her school, the student is not considered absent. Students who choose to participate in extra-curricular activities resulting in classes missed are to make up all assignments missed.
All Other Absences
All absences, including those approved in advance by parents or school officials, except those for school-sponsored activities, will count against a student’s days absent. The student should be careful in the use of absences because excessive absences may affect a student'’ class participation grade.
Class Participation Factor
Up to 10% of the semester grade in any class may be determined by class participation. Class participation may include such factors as attendance, punctuality, student preparation and contributions to the class learning environment, and cooperative attitude. Exceptions to this 10% maximum class participation factor are physical education. These classes, due to their nature, use a greater class participation factor previously approved.
Make-Up Work
Students are responsible for obtaining and completing make-up work. Make-up work due to truancies may not be completed for credit. Make-up work due to suspensions may be allowed for credit.
Leaving the School Grounds
Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds during the school day except with the approval of parents and school officials and then only within policies approved by the administration and Board of Education.
Requests to Leave School
Requests by parents for a student to be excused from school during the day should be made only when necessary. When such a request is necessary, the student should bring to the principal’s office a written statement from a parent explaining the reason for the request. When absences in such cases begin to interfere seriously with a student’s work in school, the teacher and/or principal may deem it necessary to confer with parents.
When it is know in advance by a student and the parents that it will be necessary to leave school during the day, a written request should be presented to the office in the morning, and in such case, the student must have the approval of the principal or designee before leaving school.
Tardies
A student is tardy to school if he/she is not in the class by 8:00 a.m. When a student is delayed in getting to school on time, the student should report to the office for a Tardy Pass to his/her first class. This pass is presented to the teacher who returns it to the office with the attendance report. Pupils, who are frequently tardy, whether at the beginning of the day or to classes during the day, may be subject to disciplinary measures.