ATTENDANCE REGULATIONS
 
Schools shall operate for 180 full days and each student enrolled in the schools of the district shall be expected to attend school regularly for the 180 days of the school year. Any absence shall require a note from a parent or guardian when the student returns to school. Notes from parents shall be kept on file for the duration of the school year. STUDENTS ABSENT FROM A CLASS MORE THAN 10 TIMES IN A YEAR COURSE, OR 5 TIMES IN A SEMESTER COURSE CANNOT RECEIVE CREDIT.  A student is to be in attendance 170 days of the school year to receive a subject credit. All absences, whether lawful or unlawful, shall be charged against the maximum number allowed. NOTE: In the case of chronic or extended illnesses, a physician’s certification of illness must be presented to the school within five (5) days of the student’s return to school.Absences shall be classified as either lawful or unlawful according to the following definitions:
 
LAWFUL ABSENCES:
 
Students who are ill and whose attendance in school would endanger their health or the health of others may be temporarily excused from attendance (physician’s statement may be required).
 
Students, in whose immediate family there is a   serious illness or death, may be temporarily excused from    attendance( physician's statement may be required).
 
3. Students may be excused from attendance in school for recognized religious holidays of their faith.
 
Students may be excused from attendance in school for travel or attendance at events that the principal deems pertinent to concepts and objectives of the school curriculum.   Prior approval by the principal is necessary.
 
Students may be excused for genuine emergencies approved by the principal.
 
6.   Absences as detailed below will also be considered as     lawful:
     a. Late entrance— Students who enter school after the first 10 days and whose reasons for failing to attend school are not permitted according to Board policy will not receive credit for the school year
     b. Transfers from out-of-state or district - If a student begins school in another state or district and transfers into the School District of Aiken County, the following rules will be observed:
 
              i) Rules prevailing in the former school system shall
                 be considered.
             ii) Prorate/applications of South Carolina attendance
                  policies shall apply.
     
     c. Field trips - Field trips are permitted only if they apply directly to objectives of the school curriculum or classes missed.     
       
     d. Early Dismissal for competitive events - Only during tournaments and playoffs may students miss class and
        these lawful absences are not to exceed five during the year.
 
     e. Suspension - In-school suspensions will not count as absences. Out-of-school suspensions will count as lawful absences.
 
     f.   Routine scheduled visits for dental/medical/mental health - Students who require routine periodic visits to their orthodontist, dentist, physician, mental health specialist, health department specialist and other health related professionals should schedule their appointments so instructional time is not missed. If such visits are required during the school day, they shall be scheduled at varying times. Lawful absences for these purposes are not to exceed five during the school year.          
    
   g. Late Buses - Students who are late to class or school due to tardy arrival of school buses will not be counted absent or tardy.
 
 h. Court Appearances - Student absences resulting from required court appearance will be considered as lawful.
 
 
 
 
UNLAWFUL ABSENCES:
 
An unlawful absence is defined as a student’s willful absence from school without the knowledge of the parents or a student’s absence from school without cause with the knowledge of the parents.
 
THERE ARE NO SPECIAL HOLIDAYS FOR ANY GROUP OF STUDENTS SUCH AS “SENIOR CUT DAY”. ANY STUDENT WHO MISSES CLASS(ES) ON DAYS OF SPECIAL ASSEMBLIES (CHRISTMAS, RING CEREMONY, AWARDS DAY, ETC.) WILL BE MARKED AS AN UNLAWFUL ABSENCE AND/OR CUTTING SCHOOL.
 
INTERVENTION:
 
School officials shall immediately intervene to encourage the student’s future attendance when the student has three (3) consecutive unlawful absences or a total of five (5) unlawful absences, and the school principal shall promptly approve or disapprove any student absence in excess of ten (10) days. A plan shall be developed in conjunction with the student and parent or guardian to improve future attendance.
 
When a student is unlawfully absent for 3 consecutive days or 5 total days, the principal will immediately attempt to establish contact with the parent/guardian of the student to arrange a conference. During the conference, a written plan will be developed to insure that the parent/guardian, student and the school have an understanding regarding the future attendance of the student. A copy of the plan will be sent to the attendance supervisor’s office. After such a conference is held and the student is unlawfully absent again, he/she will be immediately referred to the attendance supervisor’s office with a copy of the attendance card. If the principal is unable to establish contact with parent/guardian for the purpose of developing a plan, the student will be referred in writing to the attendance supervisor who will make every effort to
 
arrange a conference with the parent. On or before the fifth unlawful absence, the attendance supervisor may refer the student to the Department of Social Services or to the Department of Youth Services for further disposition by the Family Court.
 
 
CREDIT REQUIREMENTS:
 
1. Credit and Promotion -
Each student is expected to be in attendance a minimum of 170 days for a full-year course or 85 days for a semester course. A student may lose course credit for any class not attended for at least 170 days (85 days in a semester class) unless approval is granted by the school principal.
 
2.  Ten Day Absences - No Credit -
Credit shall be denied in high school credit courses when a student accumulates an excess of five (5) absences in semester courses or an excess of ten (10) absences in yearly courses.
 
 
SEMESTER EXAM ATTENDANCE :
 
Semester exams are required in all courses. A student unlawfully absent from school or class during a semester exam will receive a zero (0) for the exam. Make-up exams will be given only to students lawfully absent. The principal shall determine if a student’s absence is lawful or unlawful. Special arrangements to take exams other than when scheduled will not be made.
 
 
F.    PERFECT ATTENDANCE :
 
Perfect attendance will be awarded at the end of the school year to any student who has attended school every day for a minimum of four complete periods, having not missed any one class more than three times.
 
 
PROCEDURES FOR LEAVING SCHOOL
Students will be permitted to leave school before 3:05 p.m. only under the following conditions:
The parent or legal guardian must personally appear before a school official or send a written request in advance for their son or daughter to be dismissed early. The parent or legal guardian must sign the sign-out sheet and provide all information required. A parent may designate on the student’s registration card the name of three contact persons to act instead of the parent in the case of an emergency. In the event of an extreme emergency (acute illness, death, etc.) a phone call from the parent or legal guardian to the principal or assistant principal will permit the student to sign out.
 
Students will be permitted to leave campus to participate in school sponsored activities under the supervision and control of a school faculty member, only if the student has provided the school with a signed parent permission slip.
 
The school assumes no responsibility for students leaving school.
 
Students who drive to school, and for whom parents request early dismissal, a note verified with a phone call is required, regardless of the student’s age.
 
 
ABSENCES
 
Students who are absent from school, must bring, upon their return, an excuse from parents, legal guardians, or physicians, stating the reason for their absence.    Excuses (ex. car trouble, oversleeping, etc.), however, do not necessarily mean that they will automatically be excused. The attendance supervisor handles all absences.  
 
Valid reasons for a lawful absence are (1) student’s personal illness (a physician’s statement may be required), (2) death in the student’s immediate family, (3) extenuating circumstances that may be approved by the administration.
 
Students will be given an unexcused absence automatically for failure to bring an excuse. All notes must be given to the attendance clerk prior to returning to class. If a proper acceptable excuse is brought the following day of attendance, an excused permit will be issued. If a student does not bring a proper excuse the following day of attendance, he or she will be charged with an unlawful absence.
 
An unlawful absence is defined as a student’s willful absence from school without the knowledge of the parents or a student’s absence from school without cause with the knowledge of the parents.
 
 
MAKE-UP WORK
 
Students shall have the opportunity to make up missed work, at the convenience of the teacher. Unlawful absence from a semester exam will result in a “O” grade, with no opportunity for make-up. The responsibility for the make-up work rests with the student.  Students are not allowed to make up work missed during class time. Teachers may require that a student remain after school for a make-up test. A teacher may have a student make up work during his/her planning period, provided the student has a study hall during that period. A grade of “0” shall be assigned any work not completed in a timely fashion, as determined by teacher/school policy.
 
Homework or daily activities should be made up within three days of the student’s return to school. Tests must be made up within two weeks. Students who fail to make up work within this time will be given a grade of “0”. The administration may provide more time for extended absences. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for make up work.
 
 
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
 
Students are reminded that they are to attend school on a regular schedule the day of any school activities. Those failing to attend school for less than three (3) periods will not be allowed to attend activities— band, athletic, NJROTC, plays, etc.
 
Student assigned to in-school or out-of-school suspension are not allowed to attend or participate in any co-curricular activities at SBHS or any other school in Aiken County during the time of suspension.