Attendance

Your student’s regular attendance in the building is vital to their academic success. On the rare occasion that an absence or early dismissal during the school day is necessary, this information must be communicated to our Attendance Office.

Attendance Expectations

Students are expected to be on time.
School begins promptly at 8:00 am and at 8:55 am on Thursdays. Students must be in their classrooms by this time.
Students must be present in school to participate in sports/extracurricular activities.
Families must report an absence to the Attendance Office in order for the absence to be excused. Please find instructions on how to report an absence below.
Students are expected to communicate with their teachers regarding make-up work related to any absences
A planned absence form must be completed and submitted to the Attendance Office for absence planned in advance (College visits, vacations, religious holidays, etc).

Reporting an Absence

To report an absence, please contact the Attendance Office at 708-442-8407, or [email protected], or self-report online on the Skyward Parent Portal. Please see the steps below for accessing the Skyward attendance feature.

Early release absences can be reported to 708-442-9090 or [email protected].

Only parents or guardians in Skyward may report an absence.

Please allow at least 30 minutes after reporting an early release to pick your student up.

As a reminder, students may use up to five parentally excused absences per semester. After these five absences, a doctor’s note must accompany each additional absence in order to be excused. Students may not be able to make up work missed during unexcused absences. Please send all doctors’ notes excusing absences to [email protected].

Types of Attendance and Make-Up Work

Excused	School Authorized	Unexcused	Unverified
Personal illness Doctor appointments Observance of a religious holiday Family emergency Students are allowed 5 of these absences per semester.	Field trips Meetings with school personnel School-sponsored athletic competitions	Absences beyond the 5 allotted excused absences without a doctor’s note	Absences that have not been authorized by the school and have not been excused by a parent/guardian. Reflected as a “U” in Skyward.
Mental Health Days (5 days per year) (All Students) Civic Event (1 day per year) (All Students) College Visit (2 days per year for Jr’s & Sr’s)	These absences are not counted in the total number of student absences for the year	Parents/guardians must report these absences to the Attendance Office	Parents/guardians must report absences to the Attendance Office
Parents/guardians must report these absences to the Attendance Office ([email protected]).	Families do not need to contact the Attendance Office for school-authorized absences	When absences are unexcused, students may not be able to make up class work and/or assessments.	When an absence is unverified, students may not be eligible to make up classwork or assessments. Unverified absences may also result in the loss of social privileges, including attendance at games or dances.
When an absence is excused, students are expected to make up missed work within one day for each day absent. Teachers may require students to retake a missed test upon returning. Work not completed by the deadline may receive reduced credit.		To excuse absences beyond five days with a doctor’s note, please submit documentation to the Attendance Office	To excuse absences beyond five days with a doctor’s note, please submit documentation to the Attendance Office. Please contact the Attendance Office to verify absences.

Planned Absences: Absences known in advance (vacations, religious holidays, college visits, civic events, etc) require a planned absence form (please see the QR code below or pick up a form in the Main Office).
Chronic Illness / Extended Absences for Illness or Hospitalization: Students with chronic illness or extended absences should contact a member of their Student Services team (nurse, dean, and/or counselors).
Illness During the Day: If a student becomes ill during the day, they should ask school staff for a pass to the health service office.

Report an Absence on Skyward

1. Access the Skyward Parent Portal by clicking the button below

2. Once in the parent portal, select “Attendance” on the left-hand side menu

3. Select “Absence Request”

4. Select “Add Request”

5. Enter all information relevant to the absence, including date, time, reason, and comment. When completed, select “Save”. You will receive an email receipt of the absence once you select “Save”. An email will be sent once the absence has been received and approved by the Attendance Office.

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 report to the Attendance Office and sign out.
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 Assistant Principal’s Office.

GENERAL ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

It is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility to call the Attendance Office by 10:00 a.m. 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) 442-7500 Ext. 2191, 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.

Most commonly used Attendance Codes:
E - excused (attendance office was notified by parent/guardian)
W - waived/excused (attendance office was notified by parent/guardian & documentation provided)
U - unverified (attendance office was NOT notified by parent/guardian)
C - cut (all unverified absences become cuts in Skyward two weeks following the absence)
K - unexcused (attendance office was notified by parent/guardian, but not excusable)