A. C. Reynolds High School will enforce the following Buncombe County Schools High School Attendance Policy – Policy 401. 

        I.      To obtain credit in a given class, a student must be in attendance for a minimum of 80 days.  A student must be in class for at least two-thirds of the class period to be counted present.

      II.      A student is considered present in the school when in attendance at the following places:

A.      School sponsored field trips.

B.      Other activities initiated by and scheduled by the school.

C.      Special school events which may require early dismissal from school.

D.      Assignment to in-school suspension.

E.       Post-secondary visits allowed by the College Day Policy.

   III.      As soon as a parent anticipates a student's extended absence because of a severe, prolonged, or chronic illness under a physician's care, the parent shall notify the principal.  The principal shall make arrangements for home-bound/hospital-bound, or other appropriate instruction.  If a student makes a good faith effort to complete the work under these conditions, days missed will not be counted against the policy.  This arrangement shall be made only on the advice of the attending physician.  Parents should address all questions regarding this type of instruction to the principal.

    IV.      Any student who has a passing average in one or more courses but has missed more than 5 days in a course or courses, must attend and satisfactorily complete equivalent missed time within one or more special tutoring sessions for each such course.  Any student who has missed more than 5 days will automatically receive a “U” to indicate an overage in attendance on the report card.  If the student does not attend and satisfactorily complete the required sessions for each such course, no credit will be given and a grade of "F" will be recorded as the final grade for the course.

      V.      Any student who misses more than 15 days in a course will NOT receive credit; however, the student may appeal to the principal to be allowed to obtain credit for the course by attending the tutoring sessions.  Such appeal must be supported by medical or other compelling reasons.

    VI.      During the attendance school sessions, tardiness, or disruptive behavior will result in dismissal from the program and no credit will be given.

 VII.      The after school tutoring sessions will consist of at least 1.5 hours of classroom instruction or work.  A fee not to exceed $5 per session will be charged.  After school sessions shall be self-supporting.

VIII.      Occasionally unique or unusual situations arise which are not specifically addressed by this policy.  The superintendent, upon written recommendation from the school principal, may authorize alternatives to the policy in order to achieve fairness to the student without weakening the effect of the policy.

    IX.      Pursuant to this policy, students failing to meet attendance requirements in any required course for promotion or graduation shall neither be promoted nor allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies.

      X.      Notes from home, explaining absences, are required within two school days of the absence.  These notes should be brought to the receptionist in the front office.

    XI.      A copy of this policy shall be distributed to all students at the beginning of the school year.  Students transferring from another administrative unit will be provided a copy of this policy prior to enrollment.  Upon enrollment, absences from a student’s previous school will be carried over to their classes at ACRHS. 

        I.   EXCUSED ABSENCES

1.       A signed note from a parent/guardian explaining an absence is mandatory by law.  Excuse notes must be placed in the “Excused Absence Notes” box located in the main office.  When a student does not bring in a note within 2 days, they are turned into administration for truancy/discipline. 

INCORRECT INFORMATION ON EXCUSE NOTES WILL BE CONSIDERED FORGERY.

2.       Excusable reasons (according to N.C.  State Board of Education Compulsory Attendance Rules NCAC 2D .004 etc. reg.) are as follows:

1. Illness

2. Quarantine

3. Death in Family

4. Medical Appointments

5. Court Proceedings

6. Religious Observances

7. Family Emergency

8. Educational Opportunity

9. Out of School Suspension

3.       To receive credit for a school related absence and credit for extended absences (4 or more days), students must contact the principal, and get a prior Approval Form signed.  They must notify their teachers, then return the form to the principal's secretary.

4.       Note that excused and unexcused absences carry equivalent weight regarding the maximum absences allowed per semester. 

An “Excused” Absence does not mean the absence has been “Waived.”

      II.      UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

Examples of unexcused absences and tardies include:

1.       Inclement weather unless the school bus schedule is altered

2.       Car trouble

3.       Lack of heat, electricity

4.       Missing the bus

5.       Babysitting

6.       Oversleeping

7.       Work

8.       Vacations

   III.      MAKING UP WORK MISSED WHEN ABSENT

The following procedure will apply to all courses:

1.       After any absence, it will be the student's responsibility to check with his/her teachers outside of class time for work missed and to schedule a time to make up all work including tests.

2.       Projects and work assigned before absences should be turned in as soon as student returns to school.

3.       If a student is absent for one (1) day, he/she will have 2 days to make up homework, missed assignments and tests assigned during his/her absence.

4.       If a student is absent two (2) or three (3) days, he/she will have four (4) days to make up homework, missed assignments and tests.

5.       If a student is absent four (4) or more days, he/she will meet with each teacher for an individual arrangement for all make-up work.

When students arrive on campus after the normal school day has begun, they are expected to report to the main office and officially sign in to school and then report immediately to their assigned class. Students who bring in a doctor’s note supporting a morning appointment will not receive a tardy offense. Third, fourth, and fifth tardies will result in lunch detention. Administrative discipline will be applied beyond 5 tardies. Students who do not show for lunch detention will be assigned one day of ISS.  

Once on campus a student may not leave without administrative permission. If it is necessary to leave school during the school day, he is to bring a note signed by the parents or legal guardian stating the reason, time to leave, and parent's phone number. The note should be given to the mentor teacher. If the student forgets the note from home, the parent must come to school to sign the student out or send a fax to verify permission. Call in permission from the parent is not allowed. The student should report to the Main Office and sign out at the time specified on the note and immediately leave campus. Students may sign out with a parent note a maximum of three times per semester. After the third sign out, parents must come to the office to sign their child out of school.

If an emergency should occur and a student should need to go home, the Main Office will contact the parents and secure the necessary permission for the student to be excused from school.   All doctor appointments will be verified by the office. Therefore, students should know the name of their doctors and dentists.

ATTENDANCE MAKE-UP

1.       It is the student’s responsibility to frequently check with each of their teachers to determine how many absences they have accrued for each class.  This information is not kept in the front office but is recorded by the student’s teachers.

2.       On the 6th absence and for every absence after the 6^th in any class, the student will have to make up attendance time accordingly.

3.       Attendance can be made up by:

A.      Designated Tutoring Sessions (After School Makeup) $5.00 per session

B.      Attendance Summer School:

STUDENTS SHOULD REMEMBER THAT ONLY 4 CREDITS CAN BE MADE-UP IN ATTENDANCE SUMMER SCHOOL

There are medical and other special circumstances that allow the administration to waive absences for students.  Circumstances include: chronic illness, acute illness, hospitalization, court, or death in the family.  A waived absence does not require attendance make-up but students are still responsible for all worked missed.  There are certain procedural requirements that must be fulfilled before an absence can be considered for a waiver.

1.       Students must bring supporting documentation, with specific dates and times, to the front office within 10 days of the absence.  Notes should be placed in the box marked “Excused Absence Notes.”  A doctor’s note does not guarantee a waiver.  The reason for the absence must meet the waiver criteria stated above.  ALL documentation for waivers must be received PRIOR to the last week of each semester except for qualified absences occurring during the last week.   

2.       Students must go to the guidance office and sign-up with their grade-level counselor who will begin the waiver consideration process.

3.       Students will be notified as to whether or not the waiver was granted following the subsequent attendance committee meeting.