Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Attendance Policy

There is probably no factor more important to successful academic progress than consistent school attendance. The faculty and staff of this high school are committed to the philosophy that every student should attend every class every day.  Regular attendance and promptness are expected in all classes and are essential for success in school.  Learning to participate in group discussions, developing an appreciation for the views and abilities of other students, and forming the habit of regular attendance are legitimate objectives for any course.  The learning and experiences that are lost due to absence can never be replaced adequately.

The importance of school attendance is demonstrated in Florida law which states that regular school attendance is required between the ages of six and eighteen and permitted at the age of five, except as provided by statute.  Miami-Dade County Public Schools has the affirmative obligation to improve student attendance through a monitoring process that will classify all absences as excused or unexcused, to inform parents of student absences, and to see that compulsory attendance laws are enforced.  This obligation will be satisfied through the implementation of an attendance review procedure that monitors both the type and number of student absences. 

A.       School Attendance

Students are to be counted in attendance only if they are actually present or engaged in a school-approved educational activity that constitutes a part of the instructional program for students.

            1.     Excused Absence

a.       Students may be legitimately absent from school for the following reasons.

1)       Student illness

2)       Medical appointment

3)       Death in the family

4)       Observance of a religious holiday acknowledged by a majority of the faith

5)       Events or activities that are approved and sponsored by the school

6)       Other individual absences beyond the control of the parent or student as determined and approved by school administration

b.       Students with special circumstances should have their parent contact school administration.  In some instances, this may enable the student to receive a permissible excuse to do the work assigned in advance.

c.       All suspensions are considered excused absences.

2.       Unexcused Absence

a.       Any absence that does not fall into one of the excused absence categories will be considered unexcused.

b.       Any student who accumulates five or more unexcused class absences in a designated semester course or ten or more unexcused absences in an annual course will be subject to the withholding of final passing grade(s).

c.       Students and/or parents may request administrative screening and/or review of all absences by the Attendance Review Committee for the issuance of grades.\

d.        Students will receive an "F" for work done, due, and assigned during an unexcused absence.

3.       Admit Process

a.        Students returning to school after an absence must go to the Attendance Office between 6:45 and 7:15 AM a not from their parent or guardian that contains the student's name, reason and date(s) of absence(s), parent's phone number and signature.

b.        Students will receive an Admit to Class form that must be present to each of their teachers at the beginning of the class period.

c.        Students who do not present a note to the Attendance Office when they return to school have 2 additional days to submit the requested information before the absence(s) is/are rendered unexcused.

d.        Notes that are submitted after the three day acceptance window will not be honored unless approved by an administrator.

e.        Students have the responsibility to request from their teachers any work missed during an excused absence. The work must be submitted pursuant to their teacher's directions.

f.        Parents should retain Admit to Class forms after they have been present to and signed by their child's teachers.

4.       Planned Part-time Absences

a.       Teachers should recommend to students that all doctor or dental appointments be made after school hours.

b.       Students must obtain a hall pass from their teacher to come to the attendance office.

c.       Students will not be released from school until contact has been made with the parent or guardian listed on the Emergency Contact Card.

d.       The parent or guardian must physically report to the attendance office to remove the student from school.

e.       The Permit to Leave School must be signed by a parent or guardian and presented the following school day to each teacher whose class was missed as a result of the absences.

5.       Emergency Part-time Absences

a.       Students who become ill during the school day must obtain a hall pass from their teacher to go to the attendance office.

b.       Students who are ill are not released from school until contact has been made with the parent or guardian listed on the Emergency Contact Card.

c.       The parent or guardian must physically report to the attendance office to remove the student from school.

d.       The Permit to Leave School must be signed by a parent or guardian and presented the following school day to each teacher whose class was missed as a result of the absences.

6.       School-Related Absences

a.       Students participating in a school-sponsored activity are considered legitimately absent from class.  Such absences may include field trips, interscholastic competitions, exhibitions, or student government activities.

b.      Students are required to request and complete all class work missed within three days after returning to class.

c.       Students are not to be given extra or penalty assignments for legitimate participation in school-sponsored activities.

B.       Indoor and Outdoor Suspensions

1.       A student who is placed on suspension is expected to makeup all written assignments missed during the suspension period.

2.       Failure to make-up assignments will result in the student being given an academic grade of “F” for those assignments.

3.       It is the student's responsibility to request makeup assignments within forty-eight hours after returning to school. The teacher will set an appropriate deadline for the submission of make-up work.

4.       A student who completes all assignments missed during a suspension shall not be subject to the withholding of passing grades unless the student has, in addition to the suspension, attained five or more unexcused class absences in a designated semester course or ten or more unexcused absences in an annual course.

5.       Absences associated with indoor and outdoor suspensions are considered excused.