Regular and uninterrupted attendance at school is important in helping students reach their maximum academic potential and obtain maximum benefit from the school’s instructional program. Attendance is also required by Nebraska law. We do understand that some absences from school are unavoidable, but please note the following:
Nebraska law (LB 800) now requires schools to refer every student who reaches twenty absences or the hourly equivalent of twenty absences to the County Attorney, regardless of the reasons for the absences. The school and County Attorney understand that not every referral will merit legal action.
Student Activities – absences due to participation in school-sponsored events do not accumulate toward the twenty day absence count.
Truancy – students who are truant from school will be subject to disciplinary procedures. Only minimum credit may be given for work missed due to truancy.
Reporting a Student Absence
If a student will be absent from school we ask a parent or guardian to call the school office at 436-1215 before 8:30 a.m. If we do not hear from a parent/guardian, we will attempt to make a contact during the day. If a contact has not been made on the day of the absence, it is necessary for a parent/guardian to send a note with the student on the day of return which states the cause of the absence. Student absence reports are available to parents any time, via the Synergy system.
Participation in Activities
If a student is absent during the school day, he/she will not be allowed to participate in school programs and activities held that day or evening. This is also true if a student is assigned to in-school suspension or is suspended from school.
Health and Dental Appointments
Although it is preferred that health and dental appointments not be scheduled during school hours, students may need to be excused to keep appointments which can only occur during the school day. Prior to the start of the school day the student should have the office issue a health or dental absence excuse. A student returning from an appointment must report to the office. Phone calls to excuse students during the day should be made as early in the day as possible.
Make-up Work
Students who have had an excused absence will be allowed a reasonable time to make up their class work. Each teacher will explain his/her specific make-up procedures to students during the first few days of school. A parent of a student who is absent more than three days, and is expected to continue being absent for several more days, may call the school office to request assignments or make-up work and to arrange to pick up the books and assignments from the office. If a student wants assignments after day one or two, he/she may call a friend to get those assignments.
The school staff will support the student’s initiative to make up work. However, it is very important to understand that often there is no way to recreate an equivalent experience for what was missed in class.
