Attendance

Please strive to honor the following:

Attend college visits before or after school hours, during regularly scheduled vacations or during certain holidays. Yes, many universities are open during “minor” holidays.
Talk with family members about scheduling life events on weekends or during school holidays/non-attendance days. Life events include but are not limited to: weddings, family gatherings and unique celebrations.
If a student is overwhelmed and needs a day off school, please consider restructuring their family obligations/chores.
Plan family vacations around official school holidays or non-attendance days. See district calendar.
Be mindful of non-school related/all-star/travel extracurricular opportunities that run during the school year.
If a student is healthy, they should be in school.
Schedule doctor visits before, after school and/or on the weekends.

ATTENDANCE / TARDY POLICY / TRUANCY

COMMONLY USED ACRONYMS AND CODES

E	Excused (Attendance office was notified by parent/guardian)
W	Waived / Excused (Attendance office was notified by parent/guardian & document provided)
U	Unverified (attendance office was NOT notified by parent/guardian)
C/K	Cut (all unverified absences become cuts in Skyward two weeks following the absence)
ADA	Alternate Day Assignment is an in-school suspension
ADL	Alternate Day Lunch is Lunch Detention
OSS	Out of School Suspension
PLC	Late Start Day Detention

ATTENDANCE PHILOSOPHY

At Riverside Brookfield High School we believe that student attendance is an integral part of the educational process. In addition, we believe that no classroom activity or experience can ever fully be replicated outside that time and place of its environment, so students need to miss as few classes as possible. Student absences can hamper course progress and lead to increased work for students and teachers in attempting to make up for lost experiences. Every course emphasizes the participation of students and needs their committed, regular presence to allow for the greatest educational success. It is the responsibility of parents/ guardians to ensure the regular attendance of his or her child. In partnership with the school, parents can instill the positive habit of responsibility and reliability in their student which regular daily attendance fosters. The attendance policy outlined in this section of the handbook complies with Illinois School Code and is designed to develop the most responsible, successful students possible. Regular class attendance will help to develop habits of self discipline and responsibility which translate into greater achievement academically and in all areas of life.

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

The Illinois Compulsory School Attendance Law (Article 26 of the Illinois School Code) holds the parent responsible for the enrollment and regular attendance of children enrolled. RBHS expects parents/guardians to make responsible efforts to ensure the regular attendance of their students and to inform the school of any absence and the reason for the absence.

When absences become excessive, RBHS will require parents/guardians to present medical documentation of physical and emotional conditions causing a student’s absence. Court appearance will necessitate authorized documentation.

GENERAL ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES
It is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility to call the Attendance Office on the day of the absence for the student to receive full make-up privileges.

Parents or guardians may report absences by calling the RBHS Attendance Line, 708-442-8407, 24 hours a day. Failure to call within 24 hours of the absence will result in an unexcused absence.

Any deviation from this procedure must be discussed with the Dean and is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility. Only calls from parents or legal guardians will be accepted. The following information must be provided to excuse the absence for valid cause:

Parent / Guardian must identify themselves
Student name
Reason for the absence

If a parent/legal guardian anticipates being out of town and, therefore, will be unable to provide official notification of a student absence, the parent/legal guardian must provide written documentation of the adult designated to approve student absences. This written notification must be turned into the Attendance Office prior to the parent/legal guardian leaving town.

Please scan QR Code to enter attendance.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Section 26-2a of the Illinois School Code, considers VALID CAUSE for a student’s absence to be:

Personal illness
Observance of a religious holiday
Death in the immediate family
Family emergency
Circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the safety or health of the student.
Situations beyond the control of the student as determined by the Board of Education of the District.

HEALTH OFFICE: PARENT AND GUARDIAN EXCUSED GUIDELINES

Please call the attendance line and excuse your student if they are experiencing any of the
following symptoms (708) 442-8407.

Signs or symptoms of a communicable disease that cannot be contained at school.
An oral temperature greater than 100 degrees. All students must be fever free for 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medication before returning to school.
Vomiting (not related to a single event such as gagging, positioning, mucus, running after eating or eating spicy food.
Diarrhea of two or more loose watery stools.
Uncontrolled coughing.
Pink eye or purulent conjunctivitis (defined as pink or red conjunctive with white or yellow eye discharge.) The student must receive treatment for 24 hours before returning to school or provide a note from a health care provider stating that the condition is not contagious and the student may return to school.

EXCUSED ALL-DAY ABSENCE:

Parents/guardians must call the Attendance Office, 708-442-7500 X 2191, to make arrangements for the student to be excused following the guidelines listed above. Whenever possible, the call should be made a day in advance.

EXCUSED PARTIAL DAY ABSENCE:
Early Release:

Parents/guardians must call the Attendance Office, 708-442-7500 X 2380, the day the student is to leave the building for the appointment. Once the early release is called in, the student must pick up their Early Release Pass from the Attendance office. It is the student’s responsibility to retrieve their Early Release Pass before school hours or in between periods. The student must then sign out at the welcome center before leaving the building or it will not be considered an excused absence. When returning from appointments, the student must sign in at the welcome center.
If any documentation is needed for a planned early release, (medical appointment, etc.) the student must report to the Attendance Office at the start of the school day and provide proper paperwork for early release approval.
Students must be released from the classroom and sign out at the Attendance Office.
Students may not be allowed to contact parents using their cell phones to obtain permission for early release; all such calls must be made in one of the following locations: Student Health Services, Attendance Office, Student Services or the Main Office.

Late Arrival:
It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to notify the Attendance Office, 708-442-7500 X 2191, if the student will be arriving late to school. The call must be made prior to the student’s arrival. If the reason for the late arrival is not a valid reason (see Unexcused Absences) the student will receive an unexcused tardy or absence on their record.

ILLNESS DURING SCHOOL DAY
If a student should become ill during the school day, the student must first secure a pass from their teacher and then go to Health Office, Room 139. The nurse will contact the parent/guardian. If it is determined that the student will go home, the student must report to the Attendance Office prior to leaving. Students may not text parents during the day to go home sick. Students must use a school phone.

MENTAL HEALTH DAYS FOR STUDENTS

Under Public Act 102-0321, students in Illinois may be absent from school up to 5 times (5 separate school days) without having to provide a doctor’s note to the school. The conditions of this law are as follows:

The student’s parent/guardian is required to provide notice to the school of the student’s absence and inform the attendance office that the absence is a mental health absence.
The student shall be permitted to make up any work missed during a mental health absence.
Once a student is called out for a second mental health day, the student’s counselor will contact the family to connect them with the appropriate support services based on the student’s mental health needs.

How to use a Mental Health Day:

Parent/guardian reports the student’s absence to the Attendance Office prior to 10:00 a.m. on the day of the student’s absence.*

Attendance Office Phone: 708-442-7500 (Ext: 2191)

Attendance Office Email: [email protected]

*Parents/guardians must report the mental health day absence to the school by 10:00 a.m. on the day of the mental health absence in order for the student to receive full make-up privileges.
When reporting a student’s mental health absence, please include the following information:
- Student’s name (first and last)
- Student’s grade level (9, 10, 11, or 12)
- Reason for absence = mental health day

*Students/families will be required to provide a doctor’s note to excuse mental health absences beyond 5 days.

Continuum of Support: MENTAL HEALTH DAYS

1st Mental Health Day	2nd Mental Health Day	3rd Mental Health Day	4th Mental Health Day	5th Mental Health Day
No additional support provided unless requested by the student/family.	A member of the Student Services team will call home to set the student/family up with appropriate support services.	A member of the Student Services team will call home to set the student/family up with appropriate support services.	A member of the Student Services team will call home to set the student/family up with appropriate support services.	A member of the Student Services team will call home to set the student/family up with appropriate support services.

Exclusions:
Per page 10 of the Student Handbook, “student participation in any athletic or extracurricular activities/non-competitiveactivity requires a student to be present in school for 50% of their classes or in attendance due to participationinaschool-sponsored activity on the day of the practice, dance, event, contest, or competition.” As such, students will notbe permitted to participate in any after-school activities on the same day as a mental health day absence.

MULTIPLE & PROLONGED ABSENCES
For prolonged absences due to illness or emergencies, special arrangements may be made with the Attendance Office to avoid a call having to be made daily. If a student is able to do homework, arrangements may be made through the Attendance Office. If paperwork is not filed in advance, the absences may be considered unexcused, and all work performed on those dates will be issued failing grades, including but not limited to work completed during the class period, quizzes, tests, quarterly and semester exams, etc.

PRE-ARRANGED ABSENCES
Pre-Arranged Absence forms may be obtained from the Attendance Office. The form needs to be filled out for the following absences: college visits, family emergencies, vacations, or participation in a non-school related activity or sport. Students need to give themselves enough time, approximately a week, to complete this process in order to ensure that the absence will be excused.

The student must pick up the Pre-Arranged Absence form in the Attendance Office.
Fill out the top of the form with details regarding the reason for the absence and the relevant dates. Have the parent/legal guardian sign it.
Bring the form back to school in order to inform all the teachers of the absence, list on the form all homework that must be completed during that time, have each teacher sign the form after the student lists the homework, and have the form signed by counselor.
Turn the completed form in to the Attendance Office two days before the absence for approval by the Dean of Students. All absences not approved will become unexcused.
Parents or guardians will need to contact the Attendance Office in order to verify the absence.
If the form is not turned in/or on time for college visits, the absence will be counted in determining excessive absences. Vacations and participation in a non-school related activity or sport are not recommended when school is in session and may be counted towards excessive absences.

EXCESSIVE ABSENCES

After 15 consecutive unexcused school days, any student can be dropped from Riverside Brookfield High School.

Any student who is absent for 5% in one semester, excused or unexcused, will be considered as having excessive absences. Absences that result from participation in a school-related activity will not be counted in determining excessive absences; however, absences due to vacations and non-school related activities/sports may be counted.

Once a student has been absent for 5 days or more of a semester, a doctor’s note (licensed M.D. or nurse practitioner) will be required for each absence before an illness-related absence will be excused. The doctor’s note must be the original, legible copy on physician’s stationary signed by the doctor or nurse, and presented to the Attendance Office upon the student’s return. The note must state the date(s) the student was not able to attend school.

A student who is excessively absent will be referred to the building Small Team, which will develop an individualized intervention plan designed to remediate the attendance pattern.

HALLWAY RESTRICTION LIST

Students are placed on this list for excessive tardies, truancies or other behaviors which are disruptive to their education or the education of others, as determined by the administration. Once in their designated class, students on the hallway restriction list are prohibited from leaving without being escorted by a security member. The length of time that a student is placed on the list will be for a one week period. The list will be updated as needed; students may be added, removed or kept on the list for longer than one week, depending on their adherence to school guidelines. Parents will be notified when students are placed on the list, via email or by phone.

HERO
At the start of each period, classroom teachers will uphold a closed door policy. Students who have not passed through the threshold of their classroom door when the bell rings will be considered tardy and will need to obtain an un-excused HERO pass for entry into their classroom. Unexcused tardies accumulate and may result in a Dean’s Office consequence (See tardy policy). Failure to serve an assigned HERO consequence will escalate into an administrator assigned consequence.

HOMEWORK MAKE-UP

Students who have excused absences will normally be allowed to make-up the work they missed. Nevertheless, there are some classes that, due to the content or nature of an assignment, will not permit make-up of particular assignments. Students are responsible for make-up work following an excused absence. It is the student’s responsibility to contact his/her individual teacher about their make-up assignments the day they return to school.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL-SPONSORED EVENTS

To attend any school-sponsored event, such as, but not limited to, prom, graduation, athletic competitions, student performances, etc., a student must have served, or attempted to serve, existing detentions or other disciplinary actions issued by the Administration. All outstanding fees due to the Business Office must also be paid in full in order for students to attend any dance.

STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN ANY ATHLETIC OR EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES/NON-COMPETITIVE ACTIVITY

Student participation in any athletic or Extra Curricular activities/non-competitive activity requires a student to be present in school for 50% of their classes on the day of a practice, event, contest, competition, or performance. Students must contact their coach, sponsor, or teacher on the day of a practice or event to report that they missed part or all of the school day. This is true whether the practice is before or after school. The goal is to have the students stay home in order to get well, to concentrate on lessons they missed that day, and to limit the spread of illness to teammates and classmates.

TARDY POLICY

Tardy #	Teacher Action	Office Action
1-2	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
3	Mark Student Tardy	ADL (Alternative Day Lunch) Room 250
4-5	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
6	Mark Student Tardy Write Referral Indicate 6th Tardy	Late Start Detention - Cafeteria 8 am
7-8	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
9	Mark Student Tardy Write Referral Indicate 9th Tardy	Late Start Detention - Cafeteria 8 am
10-11	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
12	Mark Student Tardy Write Referral Indicate 12th Tardy	ADA (Alternative Day Assignment Room 250
13-14	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
15	Mark Student Tardy Write Referral Indicate 15th Tardy	ADA+ Social Suspension / Loss of Privileges + Loss of Senior Final Exemptions
16-17	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
18	Mark Student Tardy Write Referral Indicate 18th Tardy	1 ADA+ADL For The Quarter + Loss of Parking Pass
19-20	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
21	Mark Student Tardy Write Referral Indicate 21st Tardy	ADA+ADL (Alternative Day Lunch) For The Semester
22-23	Warning/ Mark Student Tardy	Warning
24	Mark Student Tardy Write Referral Indicate 24th Tardy	OSS (Out of School Suspension)

TRUANCY

Illinois School Code 105 ILSC 5/26-2a defines a “truant” as a child subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for a school day or portion thereof. “Chronic or habitual truant” shall be defined as a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for 5% or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days. When a student turns 17 years of age, a student can be dropped because of poor academic progress. 105 ILCS 5/26-2

Truancy - Parent Liability (122:26-10)

Any person having custody or control of a child to whom notice has been given of the child’s truancy and who knowingly and willfully permits such a child to persist in his truancy within that school year, upon conviction thereof shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and shall be subject to not more than 30 days imprisonment and/or a fine of $500 - $1,500 (105ILCS 5/26-1 – penalties on parents for non-compliance: Class C Misdemeanor). If a student is found to be truant, it may be required by RBHS for the parent/guardian of the student to accompany the student back to the school for re-admittance. Failure to do so may result in Out-of-School Suspension. Truancy tickets may also be issued by the local authorities. Truant students will receive ADA, Activity Building Restriction or OSS. Student discipline will be progressive.

Students may be searched if they re-enter the building or enter the building after the school day has started when a reasonable cause exists. Refer to BOE Policy 7:140 for additional information.

Truancy - General Liability (122:26-11)

Any person who induces or attempts to induce any child to be absent from school unlawfully, or who knowingly employs or harbors, while school is in session, any child absent unlawfully from school is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.

Truancy Ordinances exist in the communities served by District 208. Truant students are subject to the tenets of the local ordinances as well as school consequences. Riverside Ordinance 6-1-26 states “To prevent, reduce or control juvenile delinquency within this village, as provided in 105 Illinois Complied Statutes 5/26-1, it shall be unlawful for any minor between the ages of seven (7) and seventeen (17) years of age who is a truant, chronic or habitual truant, or truant minor, as defined in 105 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/26-2a, to be found on any public street or public way or in any public park or public building or in any establishment within the village during school hours of a school day in which classes are being held (Ord. 2523-A, 1-3-2005).”

Truancy	Administration
1	Parking permit suspended Days TBD Possible truancy ticket
2	ADA issued Possible truancy ticket Parking permit suspended Days TBD Possible building/event restrictions Loss of class credit for that specific day or period
3	ADA issued Possible truancy ticket Parking permit removed for the remainder of the year. Possible building/event restrictions Loss of class credit for that specific day or period.
4+	ADA and/or OSS Loss of class credit for that specific day or period. Possible truancy ticket Possible building/event restrictions
Class Cut
1	ADL detention issued
2+	ADL detention or an ADA