Whispering Pines SDA School

Lawful Absence, Tardiness, and Early Dismissal

Absence and tardiness excused within the WPS Attendance Policy are as follows:

  a) The student sustains illness or injury that physically prevents him/her from being able to attend school

  b) The local health officer or the State Board of Health orders the isolation of the student for reasons other than non-inoculation

  c) The student is absent due to the death of a family member

  d) The student has an emergency medical or dental appointment, or such an appointment approved in advance by the principal

  e) The student is a party to, or is under subpoena as, a witness in the proceedings of a court or administrative tribunal

  f) The student obtains prior approval to take advantage of a valid educational opportunity, such as travel

  g) The student is visiting a parent/legal guardian who is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or immediately returned from, deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting

If requested, supporting documentation for any absence/tardiness must be submitted to the school.

If absent or tardy, the student must present a written excuse to each of his/her teachers. Subject area teachers will sign the note, document the excuse, and return the note to the student. Once all teachers have signed the student’s note, the student must return the note to the Main Office.

As soon as possible, parents/guardians should contact the principal in case of extended student absence due to illness or the death of a family member. The principal will notify all relevant   subject  area teachers and  will  help to coordinate a plan for the completion of missed schoolwork.

Please note that the responsibility for obtaining missed assignments rests with the student or, in the case of very young children, the parent or guardian. Please contact the teacher directly, or check the Parent Portal of the Jupiter Ed system or the subject teacher’s homepage (see www.whisperingpinesschool.org).

Unlawful Absence, Tardiness, and Early Dismissal

  a) Inexcusable absence or tardiness includes all reasons not covered above.

  b) Appropriate immunization is the responsibility of the parent/guardian, and it is strongly encouraged that each child receives the required immunizations before the school year begins. Exclusion from classes due to lack of immunization does not constitute excusable absence. The absence of any student barred for lack of proper immunization will not be excused.

  c) Any unexcused absence with or without the knowledge or approval of the parent/guardian is considered truancy.

To be counted present, a student must be in attendance at least 75% of the school day.

A note from home is required upon the student’s return to school following an absence. An absence is listed as unexcused until the note is received. Notes must be received within two days of a student’s return to school.

A doctor’s note will be required for multiple health-related absences or for a history of absences.

Students who lack the number of days needed for promotion, or who have missed classes for reasons not considered excusable, may be required to attend summer school or other compensatory instructional sessions, if available (arranged at the discretion of the administration).

In the case of a student with insufficient attendance – whether for excusable or inexcusable reasons -- the number of compensatory instructional sessions needed will be at least the number of days the child lacks to be eligible for promotion. The duration of each compensatory instructional session may be no less than two-and-a-half (2.5) hours.

Family vacations should be planned to coincide with vacation days and weeks of the annual school calendar. Teachers are not obligated to make prior arrangements for assignments, projects, and other instructional

been presented. Student absence for tests for students who have been on vacation. Teachers will not be required to repeat lessons that were given during the period that the student was on vacation.

Students who have missed classes for this reason may be required to arrange for absence compensation (see above).

Early Release from Classes

Early release of a student from classes results in a loss of valuable instructional time. Whenever possible, medical appointments and other important business should be scheduled outside of the school day.

However, should it be necessary for a student to leave school early, arrangements should be made as far in advance as possible. If leaving a telephone message, please give a contact number so that we may call to verify your request, if necessary. Please note that students must be in attendance for atleast75% of the school day in order to be counted present for that day.

Whenever possible, the time of early dismissal should correspond to the changing of periods (see your child’s schedule), and students should be told in advance that they are to report to the Main Office at that time. This helps to minimize interruption of instruction for all students.

Any person removing a student from school before the regular dismissal time must sign out the student in the Main Office. Please be prepared to present photo I.D. if requested by school personnel.

Alternate Pick-up/Dismissal Arrangements

The safety of our children is of paramount importance. In the event that there is a change in a student’s standard pick-up arrangement -- e.g., the student will be picked up from school by someone other than usual, will leave school using an alternate mode of transportation (for example, will ride home with another child instead of taking the bus), or will remain at school instead of leaving at dismissal time – we ask that you inform the school as far in advance as possible. Written communication, in the form of a note sent with the child, is strongly preferred. If this is not possible, please call the school no later than 11:00am.

As dismissal time is very busy, there is no guarantee that changes can be made at the last minute. For your child’s safety, please ensure that any change of routine is communicated to the school clearly and early. Please leave a contact number so that we may call to verify your request, if needed.

Parents/guardians must inform the Main Office if someone other than the designated pick-up person will be picking up their child(ren) from school. Again, should it not be possible to communicate the change in writing well in advance, please call the school before 11:00am to notify the Main Office of the changes. Students will be released to none other than a legal guardian or other designated person, unless prior notification was given and/or verified. Anyone other than the designated pick-up person must be prepared to present photo ID, if requested. Students will not be released to other minors.

Tardiness

We believe there is a direct relationship between academic successes and regular, punctual school attendance. Additionally, absence and tardiness are disruptive to the learning environment, and compromises the educational experience of all students. Attendance is ultimately the responsibility of the student and his/her parents or guardian. Please see that your child is present and on time to school each day.

Please note that:

     - school begins at 7:45 a.m. Students may be dropped off at school as early as 7:30 a.m.

     - students arriving between 8:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. must go directly to class but will be marked late if no valid note is presented.

     - students arriving after 8:20 a.m. will be marked late if no valid note is presented.

Any child arriving late to school must present a note from a parent or guardian; however, parental notification does not necessarily constitute an acceptable excuse. Please see above, Lawful Absence, Tardiness, and Early Dismissal, to determine what constitutes excusable tardiness. Additionally, the principal or teacher in question may use his/her discretion in extenuating circumstances.

Three (3) unexcused tardies or five (5) excused tardies are equal to one (1) absence.