Mark Twain Elementary School Attendance Policy


Attendance
School attendance is the responsibility of the parents. Parents failing to send children to
school are in violation of the law. Regular attendance is an important school habit. Students
should attend school unless forced to be absent due to illness or in case of extreme
emergency. Absences present a hardship both to the student and to the teacher. As a result,
we ask for the fullest cooperation from parents in seeing that their children attend school
each day unless the child is ill.
1. If you know your child will have to miss school for any reason, please contact the
office.
2. If a child is absent three or more days in one quarter, the principal will contact the
parents to find what the problem is and how it might be improved.
3. Perfect attendance shall be awarded to those students missing no more than four total
hours of school for the entire year.
Absences, general – All absences, including those approved in advance by parents or
school officials, except those for school-sponsored activities, will count against a student’s
days absent. The student should be careful in the use of absences because excessive absences
may affect a student’s class participation grade.
Absence due to leaving the school grounds – Students are not permitted to leave the
school grounds during the school day except with the approval of parents and school officials
and then only within policies approved by the administration and Board of Education.
Absence due to school activities – When a student serves as an authorized representative
of his/her school, the student is not considered absent. Students who choose to participate in
extracurricular activities resulting in classes missed are expected to make up all assignments.
Absence due to out of school suspension – Students absent from school due to suspension
are expected to make up all assignments. Work done during suspension will be given zeros.
Absences, make-up work - Make-up work is permitted and is graded for full credit for all
absences with the exception of out of school suspension. Students are responsible to find out
what assignments or homework assignments they missed and then complete the work. When
absences are anticipated, the student is to contact his/her teacher(s) to determine what
assignments are to be completed during the absence. It is the student’s responsibility to
check with the teacher regarding work missed during the absence and the procedure to
follow.
Attendance, how counted – The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education requires that student attendance in school be kept on an hourly basis. In
accordance with state guidelines, hourly absences are determined as follows:
 0 to 15 minutes of time missed is considered tardy, not absent
 16 to 30 minutes of time missed is considered one-half hour of absence
 31 to 60 minutes of time missed is considered one hour of absence
 61 minutes and over of time missed is rounded to the nearest half hour or hour.
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Tardiness
Children are also expected to be on time for school! Students arriving late should be
brought to the office by the person bringing them to school, and they should sign the attendance
sheet as to time of arrival, date, etc. An exception to this policy is granted when a bus is late due
to poor weather conditions or mechanical problems.
Arrival and Departure
Breakfast is provided at 7:15 and there will be all school announcements at 7:50 daily.
The school session begins promptly at 7:50 a.m. Students should plan to arrive at school no
earlier than 7:15 a.m. and no later than 7:50 a.m. School dismisses at 3:50 p.m. Students being
picked up will be dismissed through the front doors of the building.
Students will be dismissed from the school to the custody of their parents, guardian, and other
persons specifically listed on the information/emergency sheet. It will be necessary for the
individual picking up the child to personally sign the student out through the office. Picking up
students during bus loading and departure will not be permitted. THERE SHOULD BE NO
ONE WALKING BETWEEN BUSES THAT ARE LOADING OR UNLOADING. This added
inconvenience is necessary to ensure the safety of all students. If a parent plans on picking up
his/her child after school, a note must be sent to the teacher. If the child will be picked up from
school every day, one note at the beginning of the year will suffice

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