Attendance Policy
Attendance Policy
Elementary School (K – 5) is in session from 8:30 a.m. until 3:15 p.m.
Middle School (6 – 8) is in session from 8:15 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
High School (9 – 12) is in session from 8:15 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Students are not permitted on either campus before 7:50 a.m. or after 3:45 p.m. without permission from the School Leader. Students arriving prior to class start times are to wait in the cafeteria/designated area. Students will not be allowed in any other area of the building prior to their class start time.
The following policy is based on the Ohio Revised Code, chapter 3321 School Attendance and includes the requirements of House Bill 410.
If a student is absent from school, a parent or guardian must call the school office to notify the school of their child’s absence by 10:00 a.m. and provide a written note upon return. A parent note will excuse an absence unless it becomes excessive; then a medical note will be required. Without this notification, Ohio law requires that the school contact parent(s) by phone or letter to inform them of the student’s absence.
The following conditions may excuse a student from school attendance:
It is the parent's responsibility to ensure the attendance of their student(s). Excessive absences are damaging to the child’s learning. Wildwood Environmental Academy has contracted the services of a Truancy Officer. The Truancy Officer will assist the school with the requirements of House Bill 410, (HB 410). If a student is excessively absent from school, a written notification will be sent to the student’s parents within seven days of the triggering absence. The student will follow the school’s plan for absence intervention and the student and family may be referred to community resources. If unexcused absences become habitual, an absence intervention team, including a parent or guardian will meet to develop a plan which may include supportive services for students and families. Counseling, parent education, parenting programs and mediation may also be considered. If no progress is made than the juvenile court will be contacted. WEA will follow all of the requirements of HB 410.
Skipping classes/school will result in disciplinary action and the involvement of the local law enforcement.
Classroom work missed during excused absences can be made up by asking the classroom teacher for the work. Students in grades higher than 3rd are responsible for requesting the missed assignments. The acceptance of work missed during unexcused absences is at the discretion of the teacher. Students who are habitually absent will be at risk of being retained.
In the instance that a student must be absent for extended periods due to health/mental health reasons, documentation from a doctor must be submitted on the healthcare professional’s letterhead, with inked signatures, include a diagnosis and treatment plan. Absences documented with medical verification notes will be considered excused when provided the day the student returns to school.
Excessive absences are damaging to the child’s learning. Wildwood Environmental Academy has contracted the services of a Truancy Officer. The Truancy Officer will assist the school with the requirements of House Bill 410, (HB 410).
The following policy is based on the Ohio Revised Code, chapter 3321 School Attendance and includes the requirements of House Bill 410.
If a student is excessively absent from school (as defined below), a written notification will be sent to the student’s parents within seven days of the triggering absence. The student will follow the school’s plan for absence intervention and the student and family may be referred to community resources. If unexcused absences become habitual, an absence intervention team, including a parent or guardian will meet to develop a plan which may include supportive services for students and families. Counseling, parent education, parenting programs and mediation may also be considered. If no progress is made than the juvenile court will be contacted. WEA will follow all of the requirements of HB 410.
H.B. 410 has established the following thresholds:
Habitually truant is when a student is:
a. Absent 30 or more consecutive hours without a legitimate excuse;
b. Absent 42 or more hours in one school month without a legitimate excuse; or
c. Absent 72 or more hours in one school year without a legitimate excuse.
Excessive Absences are defined as:
a. Absent 38 or more hours in one school month with or without a legitimate excuse; or
b. Absent 65 or more hours in one school year with or without a legitimate excuse
Attendance will be sent home every quarter as part of the grade card. The school will make every effort to engage the student and his or her family prior to filing a complaint with juvenile court.
Attendance to Participate in Extracurricular Activities
A student must be in attendance at school by 10:00 a.m on the day of the event to participate that day or evening. The 10:00 a.m deadline also applies to any delays in the starting time. A student who leaves school early due to illness may not participate in any afterschool activities that day. If a student is absent from school all day, he/she may not attend any after-school activities that day.
College Visits
Students will not be marked absent for a college visit if the visit is arranged in advance with the School Leader or designee. The number of approved visits may be limited. Upon return, documentation must be provided.
Denial of High School Credit (9th-12th grade)
A large part of any student’s learning takes place with the interaction which occurs in a classroom. It is imperative that students maximize this opportunity by actually being in class. Therefore, students may lose credit for any course in which they exceed 10 unexcused class absences per semester in a semester course or 18 unexcused class absences per year in a full year course. School sponsored activities and approved college visits are not included in these totals.
Three tardies in a class is equivalent to one additional absence. Additional absences accrued due to tardiness are counted toward the total for denial of credit.
The School office will check for documentation of long term medical leave before a credit denial letter is issued. Teachers will be informed of these special circumstances.
If a student does not earn the necessary credits, they will be retained.
Appeal of Denial of Credit (non attendance reasons)
Parents, students, and teachers may appeal the denial of credit in writing to the School Leader. The Review Panel will review the case and will notify the parents and teachers of the results of the appeal. During the appeal students are required to remain in class.
Early Pick Up
In order to minimize interruptions to the dismissal process, no student will be released 15 minutes prior to the end of the school day. No transportation changes will be accepted beyond 2 pm on the day they are to occur.
Arrangements should be made with the classroom teacher and the school office should be notified if an early pick up is going to be necessary. Picking up students prior to the end of the school day is disruptive to the class and limits your student's instructional time. When early pick up is necessary due to a family emergency or doctor appointments, missed work can be picked up the next day. Homework or missed work due to leaving school early without prior notice to the teacher is accepted only at the teacher's discretion.
Habitual early pick up will be treated as tardiness and will result in disciplinary action, parent meetings, and if necessary, truancy action will be taken. The minutes a child is not in school due to an early pick up are counted toward the excessive absence and habitually truant thresholds.
Illness/Injury While at School
If a student should become ill or is injured during school, he/she should notify their teacher or supervising adult. If the student becomes physically ill (vomit/diarrhea/fever), then they must be picked up and taken home. The school must obtain parental permission in order for a student to be released from school due to illness. Prior to leaving school, students and the individual picking them up must sign out in the office. Students will not be released to anyone that is not listed on the emergency medical forms on file in the school office. A parent note must be presented upon return if the child is absent the following day.
Parents are required to report all communicable diseases to the office (i.e. pink eye, head lice, ringworm, flu, etc). If a child has a communicable disease or a fever they must be immediately picked up from school and be symptom free for 24 hours before returning. The school may require a note from a doctor releasing the student to attend school. If a parent cannot be reached, emergency contacts will be called. This includes a fever of 101 or higher, a contagious illness, head lice, or any other medical concern.
Attendance Intervention Team (Regarding Attendance)
Parents or students may request in writing, within 5 days after the end of the grading period, for a review panel to examine their case if there is a discrepancy in the attendance records or if extenuating circumstances resulted in attendance issues. If the review panel finds that extenuating circumstances caused the student’s excessive absences, then a determination will be made regarding make-up work or grading affected by the absences. A review panel will consist of a building administrator and four teachers chosen by the building administrator. This request must be submitted in writing to the School Leader.
Tardiness
Students should be at their desks and ready to learn at the scheduled start of class. Grades K-5 start at 8:30 a.m., grades 6-12 start at 8:15 a.m. When students arrive late they interrupt classes already in session and may have difficulty catching up with lessons already in progress. It is the parent's responsibility to have their child at school on time. Excessive tardiness is damaging to the child’s learning and will be reported to the Juvenile Division of the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office. Time missed due to tardiness counts towards the excessive absence and habitually truant thresholds.
After the school day has begun, students and parents must report to the office immediately upon their arrival to obtain an Admit Slip. Parents may not drop their child off at the door. Students must be escorted by an adult to the office.
Tardiness in a middle or high school class will result in loss of PBIS points for that period. After 10 tardies have occurred, a parent meeting may be held.
Vacations
Although the school does not encourage this, occasionally it may be necessary for students to accompany parents on vacation. In anticipation of an arranged absence, it is the responsibility of the student to request course work from the teacher(s), at least one week prior to the event. The absence is considered an unexcused absence under state law. Students may be permitted to make-up missed work if the above requirements are met. The time absence counts toward the habitually truant and excessive absence thresholds.
Elementary School (K – 5) is in session from 8:30 a.m. until 3:15 p.m.
Middle School (6 – 8) is in session from 8:15 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
High School (9 – 12) is in session from 8:15 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Students are not permitted on either campus before 7:50 a.m. or after 3:45 p.m. without permission from the School Leader. Students arriving prior to class start times are to wait in the cafeteria/designated area. Students will not be allowed in any other area of the building prior to their class start time.
The following policy is based on the Ohio Revised Code, chapter 3321 School Attendance and includes the requirements of House Bill 410.
If a student is absent from school, a parent or guardian must call the school office to notify the school of their child’s absence by 10:00 a.m. and provide a written note upon return. A parent note will excuse an absence unless it becomes excessive; then a medical note will be required. Without this notification, Ohio law requires that the school contact parent(s) by phone or letter to inform them of the student’s absence.
The following conditions may excuse a student from school attendance:
- Personal illness or injury - a doctor's medical verification note is required if absent for more than 3 consecutive school days.
- Family illness - an emergency situation requiring the student to be absent from school.
- Quarantine of the home by local health officials.
- Death in the immediate family, limited to 2 days, unless extenuating circumstances exist and are approved by the School Leader.
- Observance of a religious holiday consistent with student's established creed or belief.
- Medical, dental, or legal appointments that cannot be made during out-of-school hours will be excused for the duration of the appointment. For example, leaving the doctor’s office at 10:00 a.m. will not excuse a student for the entire day.
- Other legitimate reasons that receive prior approval from the School Leader – these are generally college visits, job interviews, legal appointments, or reasons of emergency.
- The dates of absences
- The reason for the absences
- The parent or guardian signature and phone number
- Failure to provide written note will result in the absence remaining unexcused.
It is the parent's responsibility to ensure the attendance of their student(s). Excessive absences are damaging to the child’s learning. Wildwood Environmental Academy has contracted the services of a Truancy Officer. The Truancy Officer will assist the school with the requirements of House Bill 410, (HB 410). If a student is excessively absent from school, a written notification will be sent to the student’s parents within seven days of the triggering absence. The student will follow the school’s plan for absence intervention and the student and family may be referred to community resources. If unexcused absences become habitual, an absence intervention team, including a parent or guardian will meet to develop a plan which may include supportive services for students and families. Counseling, parent education, parenting programs and mediation may also be considered. If no progress is made than the juvenile court will be contacted. WEA will follow all of the requirements of HB 410.
Skipping classes/school will result in disciplinary action and the involvement of the local law enforcement.
Classroom work missed during excused absences can be made up by asking the classroom teacher for the work. Students in grades higher than 3rd are responsible for requesting the missed assignments. The acceptance of work missed during unexcused absences is at the discretion of the teacher. Students who are habitually absent will be at risk of being retained.
In the instance that a student must be absent for extended periods due to health/mental health reasons, documentation from a doctor must be submitted on the healthcare professional’s letterhead, with inked signatures, include a diagnosis and treatment plan. Absences documented with medical verification notes will be considered excused when provided the day the student returns to school.
Excessive absences are damaging to the child’s learning. Wildwood Environmental Academy has contracted the services of a Truancy Officer. The Truancy Officer will assist the school with the requirements of House Bill 410, (HB 410).
The following policy is based on the Ohio Revised Code, chapter 3321 School Attendance and includes the requirements of House Bill 410.
If a student is excessively absent from school (as defined below), a written notification will be sent to the student’s parents within seven days of the triggering absence. The student will follow the school’s plan for absence intervention and the student and family may be referred to community resources. If unexcused absences become habitual, an absence intervention team, including a parent or guardian will meet to develop a plan which may include supportive services for students and families. Counseling, parent education, parenting programs and mediation may also be considered. If no progress is made than the juvenile court will be contacted. WEA will follow all of the requirements of HB 410.
H.B. 410 has established the following thresholds:
Habitually truant is when a student is:
a. Absent 30 or more consecutive hours without a legitimate excuse;
b. Absent 42 or more hours in one school month without a legitimate excuse; or
c. Absent 72 or more hours in one school year without a legitimate excuse.
Excessive Absences are defined as:
a. Absent 38 or more hours in one school month with or without a legitimate excuse; or
b. Absent 65 or more hours in one school year with or without a legitimate excuse
Attendance will be sent home every quarter as part of the grade card. The school will make every effort to engage the student and his or her family prior to filing a complaint with juvenile court.
Attendance to Participate in Extracurricular Activities
A student must be in attendance at school by 10:00 a.m on the day of the event to participate that day or evening. The 10:00 a.m deadline also applies to any delays in the starting time. A student who leaves school early due to illness may not participate in any afterschool activities that day. If a student is absent from school all day, he/she may not attend any after-school activities that day.
College Visits
Students will not be marked absent for a college visit if the visit is arranged in advance with the School Leader or designee. The number of approved visits may be limited. Upon return, documentation must be provided.
Denial of High School Credit (9th-12th grade)
A large part of any student’s learning takes place with the interaction which occurs in a classroom. It is imperative that students maximize this opportunity by actually being in class. Therefore, students may lose credit for any course in which they exceed 10 unexcused class absences per semester in a semester course or 18 unexcused class absences per year in a full year course. School sponsored activities and approved college visits are not included in these totals.
Three tardies in a class is equivalent to one additional absence. Additional absences accrued due to tardiness are counted toward the total for denial of credit.
The School office will check for documentation of long term medical leave before a credit denial letter is issued. Teachers will be informed of these special circumstances.
If a student does not earn the necessary credits, they will be retained.
Appeal of Denial of Credit (non attendance reasons)
Parents, students, and teachers may appeal the denial of credit in writing to the School Leader. The Review Panel will review the case and will notify the parents and teachers of the results of the appeal. During the appeal students are required to remain in class.
Early Pick Up
In order to minimize interruptions to the dismissal process, no student will be released 15 minutes prior to the end of the school day. No transportation changes will be accepted beyond 2 pm on the day they are to occur.
Arrangements should be made with the classroom teacher and the school office should be notified if an early pick up is going to be necessary. Picking up students prior to the end of the school day is disruptive to the class and limits your student's instructional time. When early pick up is necessary due to a family emergency or doctor appointments, missed work can be picked up the next day. Homework or missed work due to leaving school early without prior notice to the teacher is accepted only at the teacher's discretion.
Habitual early pick up will be treated as tardiness and will result in disciplinary action, parent meetings, and if necessary, truancy action will be taken. The minutes a child is not in school due to an early pick up are counted toward the excessive absence and habitually truant thresholds.
Illness/Injury While at School
If a student should become ill or is injured during school, he/she should notify their teacher or supervising adult. If the student becomes physically ill (vomit/diarrhea/fever), then they must be picked up and taken home. The school must obtain parental permission in order for a student to be released from school due to illness. Prior to leaving school, students and the individual picking them up must sign out in the office. Students will not be released to anyone that is not listed on the emergency medical forms on file in the school office. A parent note must be presented upon return if the child is absent the following day.
Parents are required to report all communicable diseases to the office (i.e. pink eye, head lice, ringworm, flu, etc). If a child has a communicable disease or a fever they must be immediately picked up from school and be symptom free for 24 hours before returning. The school may require a note from a doctor releasing the student to attend school. If a parent cannot be reached, emergency contacts will be called. This includes a fever of 101 or higher, a contagious illness, head lice, or any other medical concern.
Attendance Intervention Team (Regarding Attendance)
Parents or students may request in writing, within 5 days after the end of the grading period, for a review panel to examine their case if there is a discrepancy in the attendance records or if extenuating circumstances resulted in attendance issues. If the review panel finds that extenuating circumstances caused the student’s excessive absences, then a determination will be made regarding make-up work or grading affected by the absences. A review panel will consist of a building administrator and four teachers chosen by the building administrator. This request must be submitted in writing to the School Leader.
Tardiness
Students should be at their desks and ready to learn at the scheduled start of class. Grades K-5 start at 8:30 a.m., grades 6-12 start at 8:15 a.m. When students arrive late they interrupt classes already in session and may have difficulty catching up with lessons already in progress. It is the parent's responsibility to have their child at school on time. Excessive tardiness is damaging to the child’s learning and will be reported to the Juvenile Division of the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office. Time missed due to tardiness counts towards the excessive absence and habitually truant thresholds.
After the school day has begun, students and parents must report to the office immediately upon their arrival to obtain an Admit Slip. Parents may not drop their child off at the door. Students must be escorted by an adult to the office.
Tardiness in a middle or high school class will result in loss of PBIS points for that period. After 10 tardies have occurred, a parent meeting may be held.
Vacations
Although the school does not encourage this, occasionally it may be necessary for students to accompany parents on vacation. In anticipation of an arranged absence, it is the responsibility of the student to request course work from the teacher(s), at least one week prior to the event. The absence is considered an unexcused absence under state law. Students may be permitted to make-up missed work if the above requirements are met. The time absence counts toward the habitually truant and excessive absence thresholds.