Attendance
owatonna area learning center
Attendance Line
(507) 444-8000
- Attendance Procedures
- Student Responsibilities
- Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
- Excused Absences
- Unexcused Absences
- Policy
Attendance Procedures
- If a student is absent from school in the morning, the parent or guardian is asked to call the ALC office between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. The phone number is 444-8000. If a phone call is received, a note from the parents is not necessary.
- Any student who has been absent for any part of the day is required to report to the ALC office when he/she returns to school to acquire a hall pass, which will be given to the student's current class period teacher.
- If a student has been in school any part of the day, but plans to be absent from school later, the school must be notified by written permission or by a telephone call from the parent prior to the time the student leaves. The student must sign out in the office before exiting the building.
- If a student becomes ill, he/she must receive permission to go home from the school nurse or the attendance secretary. Students who become ill and leave school without permission will be marked truant.
- Absences due to family vacations, college visits, or for an event that is a significant educational opportunity must be arranged prior to the absence in order to be determined excused. Under no circumstances will students be excused for pre-arranged absences occurring on state mandated testing dates.
Illness
One of the goals of health services is to assure a healthy environment. Many students and families are frequently concerned about when students should stay home or attend school. The following information is intended to help with this decision.
- If student has a fever of 100 degrees or more, the student should stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal (without fever reducing medicine).
- If the student has vomited or had diarrhea, the student should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
- If student has any rash that may be disease-related or the cause is unknown, check with the family physician before sending the student to school.
- If student is ill at home, please call the school attendance line daily to report the reason for the absence. It is helpful to report specific symptoms and/or diagnoses.
Attendance on Days of School Activities
- Students are reminded that except for doctor and dental appointments and school-approved activities, attendance for the last four periods of the day is required on the day of a game or a performance. Violations of this rule will be referred to the principal's and activities director's office.
- Parents/students will be informed of absences either through the Parent/Student Portal within Infinite Campus or by an automated telephone call.
Student Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of each student to do the following:
- Attend all classes on a daily basis.
- Monitor the total number of absences in each course. Report any errors to the teacher of the course.
- Monitor the total number of school-authorized absences. When more than three class periods of a specific course are missed during a quarter, the student will inform the teacher of the class of any subsequent school-authorized activities.
- Attend every class considered to be his/her "official" and "current" schedule. Students should continue attendance to a class even if he/she anticipates changing or dropping that class. Until the class is officially dropped and the counselor has provided a new "official" schedule, students are expected to attend each of the classes on their schedule. Failure to do so will constitute an unexcused absence.
- Report, when ill, to the Health Office.
- Follow all check-in and check-out procedures.
- Contact teacher(s) to arrange make-up work.
- Students arriving to first hour after the bell has rung must report to the office and get a pass to enter class. Students arriving within 10 minutes will be marked tardy. Students arriving after 10 minutes will be coded unexcused.
Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of each student's parent/guardian to do the following:
- Ensure the student is attending school.
- Monitor the total number of absences in each course. Report any errors to the teacher of the course.
- Call the Attendance Office prior to a student's absence when a student will be absent. Parent/guardian must call 444-8000 within 24 hours of the student's return to school. Following 24 hours, all absences will stand as unexcused or truant. All students, regardless of age, must have an absence excused by a parent/guardian if the student lives at home.
- Schedule appointments before or after school.
- Schedule family vacations during official school breaks and summer vacation.
- Work cooperatively with the school and the student to resolve any attendance problems that may arise.
- Communicate and discuss with the student the Owatonna Alternative Learning Center Attendance Policy.
- Contact the Owatonna Alternative Learning Center Health Office (444-8048) for assistance if the student has any long-term or chronic health conditions that may result in frequent absences from school.
Excused Absences
To be considered an excused absence, the student’s parent or legal guardian must contact the school and indicate the reason for the student’s absence from school within 24 hours of the absence. If extenuating circumstances exist, please contact the school's administrator.
The following are examples of absences will be considered excused and count towards a student’s excused absences per year.
- Illness
- Serious illness in the student’s immediate family.
- Funeral
- Family vacation
The following types of absences are excused, but do not count toward the absence total for attendance procedures.
- Court appearances occasioned by family or personal action. Student/parent must provide paperwork to school to verify court appearance.
- Religious holiday.
- Removal of a student pursuant to a suspension. Suspensions are to be handled as excused absences, and students will be permitted to complete make-up work.
- Funeral-death of an immediate family member
- Medical, dental, or orthodontic treatment, or counseling appointment when doctor’s note is provided or approved by the school nurse.
Consequences of Excused Absences
- Students whose absences are excused are required to make up all assignments missed or to complete alternative assignments as deemed appropriate by the classroom teacher.
- The typical student misses 5-7 days per school year.
- When students reach 5 excused days, families will receive a letter informing them of how many days their student has missed.
- When students reach 7 excused days, families will receive a letter informing them of how many days their student has missed. A conference or phone call may be arranged with the student and family to discuss the student’s attendance.
- When students reach 10 excused days, families will receive a letter of concern informing them that if their student misses more than 10 days the absences will be required to be excused by a doctor or the school nurse.
- If a doctor or school nurse excuse is required but not provided, the absence will be considered unexcused.
Unexcused Absences
The following are examples of absences which will not be excused.
- Absences that are in the excused category, but are beyond the student’s 10 days of allowed excused absences per year.
- An absence which was not approved by the parent and/or the school district.
- Any absence in which the parent failed to comply with any reporting requirement of the school district’s attendance procedures.
- Includes days missed for illness where the absence is required to be excused by a doctor or the school nurse and no documentation is provided.
- Student needed at home (i.e. babysitting, etc.).
- Student late due to oversleeping, missed bus, car issues, etc.
- An absence related to student's work schedule. (Excused if current/weekly work schedule is provided to the ALC office.)
- Any other absence not included under the excused absence attendance procedures.
Consequences of Unexcused Absences
- After each unexcused absence, the school will notify parents indicating concern regarding school attendance. A letter from the county attorney’s office explaining the importance of attendance and the consequences of educational neglect may be sent.
- After 1 unexcused absence, families will receive a letter informing them of their student’s unexcused absence.
- Student may be required to serve detention.
- After 3 unexcused absences, families will receive a letter informing them of their student’s unexcused absence.
- A letter will be filed with the county under state guidelines indicating the child is considered a “continual truant”.
- A phone call or conference may be arranged with school administration, social worker, or counselor with the parent/guardian and the student.
- Student will be required to serve detention or In-School Suspension.
- After 5 unexcused absences, families will receive a letter requiring parents/guardians to attend a meeting with the county attorney’s office, representatives from Human Services and the school district. At this meeting a plan for regular attendance will be developed.
- Student will be required to serve detention or In School Suspension
- If a student accumulates 7 unexcused absences, the student will be considered “habitually truant”. A letter will be sent to families and a copy sent to Child Protective Services and the county attorney.
- Student will be required to serve detention or In School Suspension
- Student may be referred to Truancy Court.
- Absences resulting from official suspension will be handled in accordance with the Pupil Fair Dismissal Act, MN Stat. 121A.40-121A.56.