Attendance Policy

West Lafayette Jr/Sr High Attendance Policy

Attendance:

A student’s attendance is essential to learning—learning that includes not only factual subject matter but also good attendance habits, effective work habits, positive attitudes, and sound ideals. Reading the material and performing satisfactorily on tests does not compensate for the loss of insight gained through class discussions, explanations, or supervised work. Furthermore, every student contributes to one another; therefore, an absent student short-changes those who are not.

Every absence, whether excused or not, interrupts the student’s understanding of the material being presented and weakens their interest in the continuing program. Research indicates that educational achievement is closely tied to attendance.

Requests by parents to the school for students to leave early for jobs, vacations, and a variety of other reasons are unfair when weighed against the priorities of students’ attendance at school and the important business of finishing the grading period. The school calendar is published early to help parents and students schedule around final test time.

The student, parent, or legal guardian, and the school must cooperate to achieve the school’s philosophy of education regarding school attendance; however, students must be encouraged to exercise self-discipline within the framework of the stated policy. The framework itself must be flexible enough for educationally sound exceptions.

Procedure for Reporting Absences:

Our priority at West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School is helping students learn and grow socially, emotionally, and academically. Regular attendance in all classes is vital to that growth. We value working together with all stakeholders to help all students maintain regular attendance and achieve their academic and life goals.

Parents/guardians must report all attendance matters by 10:00 AM. This includes students who are:

Arriving more than ten (10) minutes late
Leaving during the school day
Absent all day

If an absence is not reported by 10:00 AM, you will receive an automated email and phone call reminding you to report it. If your student's absence still has not been reported, a second automated email and phone call will occur at 3:30 PM.

Absence Requests Processing and Voicemail are monitored systems and will not automatically post. When reporting an absence, late arrival, or early departure, only report using one method. While we will do our best to process requests quickly, please notify us at least 60 minutes prior to when you need your student released for an early departure.

Allow up to 24 hours for the changes to be reflected in the system.

Preferred attendance reporting method: Report through the Skyward Website or Skyward App using Absent Processing Request. All absences, including early releases or late arrivals, can be done in advance of the requested date(s).
Leaving a message with the Attendance Office by phone for each day the absence occurs at (765) 746-0414.
For urgent issues, you can speak with an Attendance Secretary between 8:00 AM and 3:15 PM at (765) 746-0400, option 1.
If your student will be returning to school after you have checked them out or is coming in late, please have them enter through the Main Entrance and sign in at the attendance desk.
Upon returning to school the day following an absence, the student should go directly to class. The office will contact the student if there is a question about the absence.
To submit medical and college visit notes directly to attendance, please use the following email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please be sure the attachment is legible and printable. Your student can also bring medical and college visit notes and submit them to the front office.
Parents/guardians must report absences for recurring appointments every time. One medical note may be used to exempt all absences, but start and end dates must be provided in the note.
Medical notes will be processed using the exact information (dates) provided on the note.

PLEASE NOTE:

Voicemail and Skyward Absence Request Processing are monitored, but don’t post immediately. If you are requesting an early dismissal that needs to occur in 60 minutes or less, please call (765) 746-0400, option 1 to speak to an attendance secretary.
Medical notes and college visits will be entered and the system will be updated within 24 hours of receiving documentation.

To enter an Absence Request using the Skyward Website:

Log in to Skyward Family Access and select Attendance from the menu options.
Click Absent Requests
Click Add Request next to the name of the student you want to submit a request for.
The All Day box defaults to checked. If this is correct, leave the default start and end times as is.
Enter the Start Date and End Date. NOTE: If an extended absence spans over the weekend, two separate absences must be entered.
To request a partial day, uncheck All Day and enter the Start Time (when the student needs to leave school) and End Time (when the student will return to school) your student will be absent.
Use the Reason drop-down and Comments box to explain absences.
When finished, click Save.
The absent request will appear Pending.
You will receive a confirmation email stating the request has been created.
Once the school office has processed the absence request, you’ll receive an additional email confirmation.
Approved absences will be visible on the attendance tab.

To enter an Absence Request using the Skyward App:

Log in to your Skyward App
Click on the main menu (three lines) option in the right corner of the screen or swipe from the right side. Choose Attendance.
Click on the Add Absence Request link.
Enter the Start Date and the End Date.
The All Day toggle defaults to on (green). If this is correct, enter a reason and comment and click SUBMIT.
Enter the Start Time (when the student needs to leave school) and End Time (when the student will return to school) your student will be absent.
Choose a Reason for the absence from the drop-down menu.
Add a Comment for the office.
When finished, click SUBMIT.
The absence request will appear as Pending.
You will receive a confirmation email stating the request has been created.
Once the school office has processed the absence request, you’ll receive an additional email confirmation.

To call and leave a message, please use the following number: (765) 746-0414.

The following information should be included in voicemail messages:

The student’s first and last name (as it appears in Skyward)
The student’s grade
The name of the person calling and the relationship to the student
The reason for the absence
The date(s) of the absence(s) OR time the student will be leaving if not the entire day
A telephone number for verification

Pre-Arranging An Absence:

Students leaving/returning during school hours:

Students may not leave school during the school day without prior permission from their parent/guardian. It is the parent/guardian's responsibility to contact the school as early as possible and report the time their student will be leaving.
If the student is leaving during a class period, it is their responsibility to stop by the main office and pick up a pass. The student will present this pass to their teacher at the beginning of class, which will give them permission to leave and report to the main office at the designated time. Passes will not be issued to students until a parent/guardian has first notified the school.
If the student is leaving during a passing period (see bell schedule), they will not need to obtain a pass; they will report directly to the main office at their designated time.
All students leaving during school hours must report to the main office, sign out, and exit through the Main Entrance (Door #1). Likewise, all students returning during school hours must enter through the Main Entrance and sign in before heading to class.
Parents/guardians who have not contacted the school prior to picking up their student should plan to come into the building and sign them out in the main office. There may be additional delays in locating the student, especially if they are in PE, band, orchestra, or lunch. It may not be possible to interrupt a class during testing.

The following consequences may be assigned if the procedure is not followed:

1st offense: Warning
2nd offense: A detention will be assigned
3rd offense: Detentions will be assigned
4th offense: In-School Suspension
5th offense: Out-of-School suspension and/or individual disciplinary action will be taken by administration during a conference with parent/guardian(s) and student

Attendance Policy and Recording:

The School Board, as an agency of the State, is required to enforce regular attendance of students. The Board recognizes that the presence in the classroom enables the student to participate in instruction, class discussions, and other related activities. As such, regular attendance and classroom participation are integral to instilling incentives for the student to excel.

Attendance shall mean to be physically present in a school or at another location where the school’s educational program is being conducted, during regular school hours on a day on which the educational program in which the student is enrolled is being offered.

Attendance shall be required of all Corporation students, except those exempted under other provisions of State law, during the days and hours that the school is in session or during the attendance sessions to which the student has been assigned.

Exempt Absences: A student shall NOT be recorded as absent to the state from school for these exceptions. These absences do NOT count towards a student's allowable NINE. Exemptions all start with “E” in attendance codes.

State Statute Exemptions:

Exceptions to compulsory attendance that shall be recognized by the school corporation as provided by state statute are:

A. service as a page or honoree of the general assembly (I.C. 20-33-2-14)

B. service on a precinct election board or helper to a political candidate on the date of an election (I.C. 20-33-2-15)

C. subpoena to appear in court as a witness in a judicial proceeding (I.C. 20-33-2-16)

D. service in active duty with the National Guard for not more than ten (10) days (I.C. 20-33-2-17)

E. participating as a member of the Indiana wing of the Civil Air Patrol for not more than five (5) days (I.C. 20-33-2-17.2)

F. participating in an educationally related non-classroom activity that is consistent with and promotes the educational philosophy and goals of the school corporation, facilitates the attainment of specific educational objectives, is part of the goals and objectives of an approved course or curriculum, represents a unique educational opportunity, cannot reasonably occur without interrupting the school day, and is approved in advance by the school principal (I.C. 20-33-2-17.5)

College visits can be exempt if students submit documentation from the admissions office verifying their visit. Students should submit the note to the main office within 48 hours following their return to school (excluding holidays and weekends).

Please contact the school at least three weeks in advance to obtain the required form for an educational trip related to your studies. This is not needed for college visits.

School-Related: A student who is present in the building but not in class will be classified as an “S” school-related absence.

Non-Exempt Absences:

Local Excused: A student SHALL be recorded as absent to the state from school for these absences. These absences do NOT count towards a student's allowable (9) per semester. Local Excused all start with “L” in attendance codes.

Please submit written documentation to the school within 48 hours of return.

illness verified by a note from a physician
recovery from an accident (verified by a physician’s statement)
professional appointments – Parents are encouraged to schedule medical, dental, legal, and other necessary appointments other than during school hours. When appointments are necessary during the school day, the student shall report back to school immediately after the appointment with a signed statement from the doctor, dentist, lawyer, counselor, etc.
death in the immediate family
observation or celebration of a bona fide religious holiday
military-connected families’ absences related to deployment and return
school nurse visits
school or mental health counselor visits

Absences that count toward the students allowed nine (9) per semester.

The two student absences that fall into this category are parent approved - P-PA (parent/guardian called in and verified absence) and unexcused - U-UN (no contact from parent/guardian). Students are allowed up to nine (9) non-exempt/non-locally excused absences in each class per semester. Questions about these absences or the attendance policy should be directed to Shelby Johnson, the administrator in charge of attendance, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Notices:

When a student accumulates four (4) non-exempt/non-locally excused absences in any class per semester, Skyward will email parents/guardians and the student.
When a student accumulates seven (7) non-exempt/non-locally excused absences in any class per semester, Skyward will email parents/guardians and the student.
When a student accumulates nine (9) non-exempt/non-locally excused absences in any class per semester, an administrator will meet with the student to sign a contract that reviews the attendance policy and consequences for exceeding the number of non-exempt/non-locally excused absences allowed by policy. Skyward will email parents/guardians and the student. A copy of the attendance contract will be emailed to parents/guardians and the student.
When a student accumulates ten (10) non-exempt/non-locally excused absences in any class per semester, they are considered chronically absent. Students will be required to remain at school from 8:10 a.m. to 3:02 p.m. during final exams. An additional meeting with the student will take place to review the attendance contract, and contact will be made with the parents/guardians.
Any student with eleven (11) or more non-exempt/non-locally excused absences in a credit class may receive no credit for the course. The student may be removed from class and placed in a study hall.

Unexcused Absences - no contact from parent/guardian.

The safety of our students is of utmost importance. When we have not received notification from a parent or guardian that a student will be absent, the student is considered unexcused.

To help remind parents/guardians, the following will occur for all unexcused absences of three periods or more:

A mid-morning automated phone call and email will be sent to the primary contact in Skyward, notifying you that your student is absent and we have not received verification.
If verification still hasn’t occurred, an automated phone call and email will be sent to the primary contact in Skyward after school, notifying you that your student was absent and we have not received verification.

IC 20-18-2-26.5 requires the school to do the following for full-day unexcused absences:

Three (3) Unexcused Absences: Skyward will email parents/guardians and the student.

Five (5) Unexcused Absences: The School is required to have an attendance conference with parents/guardians. An Attendance Success Plan will be completed and filed.
Seven (7) Unexcused Absences: The student may be referred to truancy mediation services through the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office. An administrator will contact parents/guardians regarding supports discussed in the Attendance Success Plan.
Ten (10) Unexcused Absences: IC 20-18-2-6.5 defines habitual truancy to include students absent from school for 10 or more days within a school year without being absent under a parental request filed with the school. Habitual Absence (Truancy): IC 20-33-2-25 requires the superintendent or attendance officer to report a student who is habitually absent from school to an intake officer of the juvenile court and/or the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS).
Eleven (11+) Unexcused Absences: Any additional unexcused absence will result in additional contacts to an intake officer of the juvenile court and/or the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS).

Truancy:

Truancy is the absence from school for all or any single period of the day when the absence is initiated by the student without parental consent, under circumstances not covered by law (I.R. 20-33-2) or recognized by the school. The following circumstances are considered an act of truancy:

The willful non-attendance by a student not to attend school. This act of non-compliance is not authorized and/or known by the parent/guardian.
A student does not report for an assigned class during the course of a school day.
A student misrepresents a pass and does not report to a designated location during the school day. An example would be reporting 20-plus minutes late for a class or wandering in the school without reporting promptly to a designated location.

* In dealing with truancy, the term “instance of truancy” shall be used with the understanding that this expression defines a period of truancy that may vary in length from one instance to the next.

Consequences:

First truancy: The student’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) will be notified by phone, email, and letter of the student’s truancy. Upon verification of the first truancy, the student will receive two (2) lunch detentions.
Second truancy: The student’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) will be notified by phone, email, and letter of the student’s truancy. Upon verification of the second truancy, the student will receive one (1) day of In-School Detention (ISD).
Third truancy: The student’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) will be notified by phone, email, and letter of the student’s truancy. Upon verification of the third truancy, the student will receive a 2% grade reduction in the present grading period for each hour declared truant. A conference with the student, the parent(s) or legal guardian(s), and a school administrator.
Fourth truancy: Upon the fourth truancy, the student will be considered a habitual truant, will receive an Out-of-School suspension, and may be recommended for expulsion to the Superintendent. In addition, for students under the age of 18, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will be notified of the expulsion, at which point an Indiana driver’s license may be revoked for the length of the expulsion. (I.C. 9-24-2-4).

Skyward Attendance Codes:

The following codes are how absences will be recorded in Skyward, indicating the specific situations:

E - Exempt - Does not count as absence to the state or school.
S - School Related - Does not count as absence to the state or school.
L - Locally Excused - Counts as absence with the state, not with the school.
P - Parent Approved - Counts as an absence with the state and school.
U - Unexcused - Counts as an absence with the state and school. Also counts as a truancy.
T - Tardy

Make-Up Work for Absences:

All assignments should be made up regardless of the reason for the absence (Exempt or Non-Exempt). The designated time limit is one day of that class for each day’s absence, beginning the day the student returns following an absence. It is the student's responsibility to schedule make-up work with their teachers.

Many teachers use Canvas, and students may access it to receive current information regarding academic assignments and coursework.

A student who is absent the day of a test is expected to take it upon returning to school if they were aware, or should have been aware, of the test. (Note: the same test may or may not be given for make-up.) The test will be located in the AM Testing Center, which opens at 7:15 AM. Students enter through the Main Entrance to report to the AM Testing Center. A teacher should use appropriate, professional discretion in administering this rule for students with medically excused absences.

Attendance and Participation:

A student who is absent for more than two (2) class periods due to illness cannot participate in any extracurricular activity, such as practices, rehearsals, performances, contests, competitions, and meetings on the day of the absence. Verified appointments with medical personnel do not affect contest and/or participation eligibility. Lunch periods do not count as class periods.

Tardy Policy:

Being on time for class is a fundamental responsibility for students. When a student is tardy, he/she impacts instructional time for all students.

Tardiness is defined as arriving within the first ten (10) minutes of class, or as explained in each teacher’s classroom procedures. At the beginning of each semester, each teacher will distribute and explain to students what constitutes a tardy to their class. This information will serve as a warning to students.

The following steps will be followed when students are tardy:

After the third tardy per credit class per semester, Skyward will email the student and parent/guardian of the tardy count, but ultimately, punctuality is the student’s responsibility.
At the fourth tardy per credit class per semester, a lunch detention will be assigned.
At five tardies per credit class per semester, the student will be assigned two lunch detentions.
At six tardies per credit class per semester, the student shall be removed from the class, assigned a study hall, and receive a full-day in-school suspension.

*EXCEPTION: The student may request a conference with the teacher to discuss an attendance contract in lieu of being removed. If the class is a study hall, the student will receive a full day of in-school suspension for each tardy beyond five.

Tardies extending beyond the first ten (10) minutes in any class shall be counted as a non-exempt absence.

DAILY BELL SCHEDULE

Daily Schedule (M,T, Th, F)

Period 1 8:10 - 8:58

Period 2 9:03 - 9:50

Period 3 9:55 - 10:42

Period 4 10:47 - 11:34 (A Lunch)

Period 5 11:39 - 12:26 (B Lunch)

Period 6 12:31 - 1:18 (C Lunch)

Period 7 1:23 - 2:10

Period 8 2:15 - 3:02

Activity Day Schedule (WEDNESDAY)

Period 1 8:10 - 8:56

Period 2 9:01 - 9:43

Period 3 9:48 - 10:30

Activity Period 10:35 - 11:07

Period 4 11:12 - 11:54 (A Lunch)

Period 5 11:59 - 12:41 (B Lunch)

Period 6 12:46 - 1:28 (C Lunch)

Period 7 1:33 - 2:15

Period 8 2:20 - 3:02

Adjusted Bell Schedule - 2 Hour Delay

Period 1 10:10 - 10:43

Period 2 10:48 - 11:20

Period 4 11:25 - 11:57 (A Lunch)

Period 5 12:02 - 12:34 (B Lunch)

Period 6 12:39 - 1:11 (C Lunch)

Period 3 1:16 - 1:48

Period 7 1:53 - 2:25

Period 8 2:30 - 3:02