ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Department of Education and the state legislature enacted certain legislation pertaining to attendance of students in school. This legislation recognized personal illness, death, certain religious holidays, or a catastrophe as examples of valid reasons for a student to miss school. Absence for any other reason may be unexcused. Riverdale Academy is also required to adhere to policies and procedures established by the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools. The school’s attendance policy meets requirements of the LSDE and MAIS. The official state policy is given below:

. When students miss school, their absence falls under two (2) categories: 

• Exempted and Excused: The student is allowed to make up the missed work and the absence is not counted against the attendance requirement. Examples are extended illness documented by a doctor, a court appearance documented by a court order, death in the family, or the celebration of religious holidays. Such absences are exempted, i.e. not counted against the attendance requirement, and excused, i.e. students may make up work according to the teacher’s syllabus.  Riverdale Academy honors two religious holidays with breaks:  Christmas and Easter.  Parents who wish to claim other religious holidays should submit a complete list of claimed religious holidays at the beginning of the academic year with dates and days.  For example, parents may claim Yom Kippur (Jewish) or All Saints Day (Roman Catholic) as a religious holiday.  Mardi Gras is not a recognized religious holiday.
• Non-Exempt and Not Excused:  The student is not allowed to make up the missed work and the absence is counted against the attendance requirement. A parent’s signature can neither exempt nor excuse such an absence.  An example is skipping school for any reason, including family vacations.   Exception: It is not encouraged, but families, given the work schedule of parents, will be granted one five-day leave as non-exempt but excused provided the leave is requested one week in advance in writing.  

Enrollment Obligations

All students enrolled in Riverdale Academy are expected to be on campus from 7:45 in the morning until 2:45 in the afternoon, with the exception of seniors. Senior students may leave school after 11:45  if written permission from parents or guardians is filed with the office.  The administration will work with each family to determine the best time for the student to be dismissed. Any student who leaves school without permission from the principal and his/her parents or guardians will be subject to disciplinary action.

Minimum Days Required

• A secondary student (grades 9 – 12), must be in attendance a minimum of 73 instructional days per semester. There are 82 instructional days in each semester.  A student can therefore accrue no more than nine (9) non-exempt absences in the first semester and nine (9) in the second semester.  Students who accrue more than nine (nine) non-exempt absences in the first semester or more than nine (9) non-exempt absences in the second semester cannot earn a Carnegie Unit of credit in the course(s) in which the non-exempt absences are accrued.  The course(s) will have to be retaken at the parents’ expense.
• An elementary student (grades 1 – 8) must be in attendance a minimum of 148 instructional days for the school year. There are 164 instructional days in the school year. An elementary student cannot have more than 18 days of non-exempt absences during the year.  Students who accrue more than 18 days of non-exempt absences cannot be promoted to the next grade and must be retained and repeat the grade.
• A Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten student must be in attendance a minimum of 148 instructional days for the school year.  A student in PreK and Kindergarten must meet the same attendance requirements as an elementary student. 
• A student not in attendance for the required number of days will receive: 

*Secondary students: a grade of “N” (no credit) for the semester. 

*Elementary students: no grades for the school year. 

Whole Day or Half-Day Attendance:

• A student is considered to be in attendance when he/she is physically present at the school site or participating in an authorized school activity and under the supervision of authorized personnel. 
• Attendance is calculated by the number of instructional minutes a student is present in class during the day.
• Half-Day (50% of instructional minutes)
• Whole-Day (anything more than 50% constitutes a whole-day absence)
• High school students who check out of school will accrue unexcused, non-exempt absences for the courses missed during the day, unless they provide valid documentation of a medical appointment or illness. Students who check out to participate in school-sponsored events will be excused at the time designated for dismissal by the principal.  If the student checks out prior to the designated time, the absence will be counted as unexcused and non-exempt.
• In order for any student to check out of school, the parent/guardian must call the school or provide a written note.  Text messages will NOT be accepted.  

Note: All excuses must be filed with the office within one week of returning to school. Excuses will not be accepted after the one week deadline and the absence will be counted as unexcused and non-exempt.

Student Tardiness (Late to school)

The morning bell will ring at 7:40 AM each day for elementary and junior high school. Elementary and junior high school students will begin class at 7:45 AM. An elementary and junior high school student will be considered tardy after the 7:45 AM bell rings. The morning bell for high school students will ring at 7:45 AM. The first high school class will begin at 7:50 AM. A high school student will be considered tardy after the 7:50 AM bell rings.

• Students will establish the practice of being on time for school. Tardiness disrupts the normal teaching patterns of the classroom and must be avoided. 
• Three tardies will constitute an unexcused absence for that class.

If an elementary student (grades 1-8) exceed 18 days of unexcused absences for one class, the student fails that class and must repeat the class.

If a high school student (grades 9-12) exceed 9 days of unexcused absences in one semester, the student fails that class and must repeat the class.

Note: No elementary and junior high school students are allowed in the building prior to 7:40 AM and no high school students are allowed in the building prior to 7:45 AM.

Disciplinary procedures for tardiness (late to school) are calculated by the nine week period (procedures start over at the beginning of each 9 week period). They are:

1st tardy – notify parents

2nd tardy – notify parents

3rd tardy – detention, to be served during PE or recess time

4th and subsequent tardies – in-school suspension (duration determined by principal)

Student Tardiness (During the school day)

Students in junior high and high school will have an adequate amount of time to transition between classes.  Students should be seated in the classroom when the bell rings to signal the beginning of the class period.  If a student is not in his/her assigned seat, he/she will be issued a tardy by the teacher unless the student has a note from his/her previous teacher excusing the tardiness.  

All junior high and high school teachers will record class period tardies on JCampus and use the disciplinary procedures for unexcused tardiness.  

Disciplinary procedures for unexcused tardiness are calculated by the nine week period (procedures start over at the beginning of each 9 weeks). They are: 

1st tardy – notify parents

2nd tardy – notify parents

3rd tardy – detention, to be served during PE or recess time

4th and subsequent tardies – in-school suspension (duration determined by principal)

Note: 3 unexcused class tardies equal one unexcused absence for that class.

          If an elementary student (grades 1-8) exceed 18 days of unexcused absences for one  class, the student fails that class and must repeat the class.

If a high school student (grades 9-12) exceed 9 days of unexcused absences in one semester, the student fails  that class and must repeat the class.

Cutting Class

Each student is to be in class during the time he/she is scheduled for that class. Any student who is not in class five (5) minutes after class begins will be reported by the teacher to the office for disciplinary action.  The student will receive a grade of zero on any work missed without a valid reason.

Make-up Work

It is the responsibility of the student to request make-up work for each subject he/she missed. If a student missed 1-3 days of class, he/she will have 2 days to make up the work.  If a student misses 4 or more days of class, the allotted time to make up the work will be determined by the teacher.  Any work not made up within the specified time period will be counted as a zero, whether it is excused or not.