Attendance
It is in the best interest of the students to be present at school on a consistent basis. When students are not present, they miss valuable class and teaching time that can lead to the children not mastering content being covered in class.If your child will be absent, you must call the school by 8:00 AM to notify us of the absence. An email message to either Ms.Quinones or to our registrar, Diane Tisone will be sufficient as a notification.Within one day of the absence, written explanations, or emails are required for an absence to be excused. All other absences will be considered unexcused.

Tardy
The first bell is at 8:15. Students that enter the school premises AFTER 8:20 will be considered tardy. Parents must come into the school office and sign- in children that are tardy.

Parents please give your child adequate time daily to get to their homerooms on time.

Excused Absences may be granted for:

• Student Illness
• Observance of a religious holiday or service that is recognized as such by members of the student’s faith.
• Medical appointment with documentation.
• Death in the family.
• Subpoena by law enforcement agency or mandatory court appearance.
• Other individual student absences beyond the control of the parent or student, a determined and approved by the principal or principal’s designee..
• Pre-arranged absence with administrative approval.

Questions regarding Attendance/Tardy Policy.
How many excused absences can I have?
You are allowed nine excused absences. Your parent may excuse nine absences per year. When you have reached your limit, official documentation is then required for every additional absence.

How can I make up work when I am absent?
After an excused absence, you must arrange with your teacher for any make-up work. You have the same number of days that you were absent to make up your work. This rule does not apply to some long term assignments. (A long term assignment is when a student has 10 or more days to complete the work.) These long term assignments will be due on the specified date unless excused in writing by the teacher or Principal. It is your responsibility to make these arrangements and to submit the make-up work.

How many unexcused absences can I have?
In Manatee County, state law requires the regular attendance of children between the ages of 6 and 16 and makes parents and legal guardians legally responsible for seeing that their children attend school. Five unexcused absences in one month or fifteen unexcused absences in a 90 day period may result in a referral for truancy court action. If you have accumulated a total of 10 unexcused absences, the District Truancy Department will send a letter by U.S. mail to the address on school records. The letter will request a meeting to discuss the potential truancy issue. Family vacations during scheduled school time are considered unexcused absences.

What happens if I am late for school?
If you arrive at school late for any reason, you must report to the office and receive a tardy admit slip. The tardy will be deemed as excused or unexcused. You are expected to be in school at the start of the school day, every day.

What is an excused tardy?
An excused tardy is when you are late for school due to sickness, injury, death in your family, medical or dental appointments with a note from the physician, school sponsored activities, court date, or other reason approved by the school Principal. For elementary students, parents must accompany the student to the office when they are tardy. If an elementary student arrives late and comes into the office unaccompanied by an adult, he/she will receive an unexcused tardy.

What is an unexcused tardy?
An unexcused tardy is when you are late to school due to, but not limited to, oversleeping, missing the school bus, shopping trips, pleasure trips, or excessive tardiness due to illness without a physician’s verification that the medical condition justifies your tardiness.

How many times am I allowed an unexcused tardy?
Habitual tardiness is unacceptable and unfair to other students because instruction is interrupted every time a late student arrives. Every three unexcused tardies within a grading period, or three unexcused early dismissals, or any combination of both, count as one unexcused absence. Please note that five unexcused absences in one month or 15 unexcused absences in a 90 day calendar period may result in Truancy Court for the parent/student. Also, individual schools may develop school-based consequences for tardy students.

May I leave school early in the school day?

To be considered present for the day, you must be in attendance for at least half of the school day. You are expected to be in school for the full day. However, if you must leave school early, you must go to the office and receive permission for early release. Parents of elementary and middle school students must report to the office to pick up their child. High school students may sign themselves out early at the age of 16 or older, following the school sign-out procedures.

What are excused reasons for leaving school early?
Excused reasons for early dismissal follow the same guidelines as excused absences. They include: illness or injury, major illness or death in your immediate family, subpoena or forced absence by a law enforcement agency, a major disaster, a documented appointment with a doctor or dentist, discovery of head lice, participation in another academic class or program, or other parental requests as judged appropriate by the Principal.

What happens if I leave school early for unexcused reasons?
Numerous early dismissals are unacceptable and unfair to the other students whose instruction is interrupted each time a student leaves early. Every three unexcused early dismissals within a grading period, or every three unexcused tardies, or a combination of both, will count as one unexcused absence. Please note that five unexcused absences in one month or 15 unexcused absences in a 90 day calendar period may result in Truancy Court for the parent/student. Also, individual schools may develop school-based consequences for unexcused early dismissal students.