RSS Attendance Guidelines
Overview
1. The following is the standard we expect from our students at RSS. Teachers are to use
their own professional judgment/discretion with respect to explained/excused and unexplained/unexcused absences.
2. Attendance is a legal requirement under the School Act, and is not intended to be treated as punishment.
3. Teachers take attendance on all students that appear on their class list from day one. If a student is
on an attendance list, they are included in the attendance.
4. If teachers are seeking Admin involvement, they need to ensure that they have followed all of the
required teacher interventions first.
*Parent/Legal Guardian must contact the office, with a phone call or note, for the absence to be excused.
EXCUSED/EXPLAINED Absences
Please Note that these absences do not excuse the curriculum from being completed
| • Student illness • Health appointments • Observance of religious holiday • Family emergency • Personal safety issues • Principal’s/Vice Principal's discretion • School trip/event (sports, etc) |
RSS Attendance Protocol
1) First Contact:
Made by the teacher. Teachers will meet with the student to discuss the unexplained absence(s), and contact will be made with the parent/guardian. If a pattern of unexplained absences develops, the student will be referred to the school attendance administrator.
2) Attendance Administrator
The attendance administrator meets with chronic non-attenders to outline the school attendance protocol. Contact is made with a parent, outlining the consequences of missing class: eg. missed curriculum; failing grades; lunch detentions; in or out of school suspensions; course removal, and so on... A parent meeting may be required.
A determination will be made if additional supports are needed: school counselor referral, mental health referral, drug & alcohol referral, and/or an academic support block.
In addition to teacher referrals, the attendance administrator also runs weekly MyED reports, identifying students of concern and patterns of chronic non-attendance.
At the discretion of the attendance administrator, a contract or lunch suspension may be issued.
3) Attendance Contracts/Lunch Detentions:
- Lunch detentions are issued to make up missed curriculum. These are working lunches, where outstanding homework is completed. Missed lunch detentions will result in an in-school suspension.
- Contracts may be assigned, for a designated 2-week time period. Contracts are taken by the student to each class and signed by the subject teacher. At the end of the school day, contracts are dropped off by the student, to a basket or box designated by the attendance administrator. Failure to drop off contracts or missed classes may lead to lunch detentions or in-school suspensions.
* Subject teachers are informed of the lunch detentions or in-school suspensions so they can supply their students with outstanding or overdue homework.
4) Suspensions:
When a student refuses to comply with the school Code of conduct regarding attendance, an in-school (or out of school) suspension may be issued by the Vice-Principal or Principal. These are working suspensions, where homework is acquired and completed. Misbehavior in the suspension room automatically leads to an out-of-school suspension.
Parents are contacted by the school administration regarding suspensions and made aware of the consequence of refusing to attend class.
5) Removal from Class or School:
If absences persist after a suspension(s), the student is knowingly violating the school code of conduct and may be removed from one or more classes, asked to leave the school for a term or semester, be indefinitely suspended from school , or all of the aforementioned. This process will be completed by the Vice-Principal or Principal.
