Attendance

Philosophy and General Regulations

The foundation for learning at ISO is based upon the interaction between students and teachers and students and students in the classroom. For this reason, we believe that this interaction is essential and irreplaceable for successful learning at ISO. We know all students occasionally miss school due to illness, religious holiday, co-curricular participation, or family emergency, but absences due to these incidents should be held to a minimum. There is no replacement for time in class. The current schedule makes a good attendance record even more crucial for success.

At the Elementary and Middle School level, students who cumulate excessive absences may be requested to repeat the current grade. The final decision rests with the Director and/or the Elementary School Principal after consultation with parents and teachers.

At the High School level, a student must have a satisfactory record of attendance in order to receive credit for each course. The guideline for satisfactory attendance is a minimum attendance of 85% (a maximum of six block absences per class per semester). Students who fail to meet the minimum attendance requirement for any course may lose credit and receive a “WF” (withdraw fail) grade for the semester, regardless of the grade average. Each of these cases will be reviewed and a decision made by the Director.

Days missed as a result of out of school suspensions are unexcused absences. Students who are absent or late to school must have a written excuse from parents or must phone the High School office. This excuse must include the date of absence, the reason for the absence, and the parent’s signature. Parents should call the school office before 7:15 a.m. if their child will be absent that day. If a student is reported absent by the first period teacher, and no call is received from the parent, the office will call home. Any student who has been absent must report to the office when returning to school. Students who are more than 15 minutes late for any class will be marked absent.

Absences for reasons other than illness or family emergency must be reported in advance to the Director. School holidays are provided for in our school calendar; family holidays that go beyond these days are considered unexcused absences. Students with unexcused absences may complete long-term projects, homework, and lab reports. Other work may be made up at the discretion of each teacher. In most cases, students may not make up quizzes, tests, or other class assignments missed during unexcused absences. Students may receive zeros for this work.

School Sponsored Absences

Students participating in school sponsored activities must have written permission and must obtain this permission in compliance with the procedures indicated by the Director, teacher, or sponsor of the group involved. All students will use transportation provided by the school.

Students who miss classes as a result of participation in school-sponsored activities are not considered absent for that day or part of the day. They are still expected to complete make up work for classes missed, however. (See Make Up Work below)

Students may not participate in any school-sponsored activities if they are not in school (or miss a class without permission) on the day of the scheduled activity. Students scheduled to travel with a school sponsored group will not be allowed to travel if either of these conditions occur.

Students absent on the day following major school events, such as a school play or MUN may be prevented from participating in major school events in the future. Students will not be considered for any activities or trips if they arrive a school after 10:30 a.m.

A student whose participation in a school sponsored activity will take them below the acceptable 85% attendance (six block absences per course that semester) may be denied the opportunity to participate. A committee (Director, Athletic Director, coach/advisor, involved teachers) will decide whether additional absences to participate in activities are in the best interest of the student involved.

Make Up Work

When students miss school due to illness or their participation in school sponsored activities, the following make up work procedures apply:

1. Make up work will be required no earlier than an equal number of school days (not class periods) following the activity than the student misses during an illness or activity. Work that is due on the day of departure should be turned in prior to the activity.
2. No tests or quizzes will be required for a student the first two days following their return to school after an extended absence. However, in the case of a one or two day absence, students should be prepared to take any pre-scheduled tests or quizzes upon their return. At the discretion of the individual teacher, ALL missed tests or quizzes may be made up as early as the third school day following a school sponsored absence.
3. Students are strongly urged to complete as many assignments, tests, or quizzes as possible prior to an extended planned absence. It will be the responsibility of students to plan a make up strategy with teachers.

Semester Exams

Semester exams, or culminating activities, will be given at the end of each semester for most courses. Students are expected to take these exams at their regularly scheduled time as teachers will not make special arrangements for early testing unless they have received notification from the Director. Students who arrive late for an exam may enter, but they will not be given additional time to complete the exam. In the second semester, all seniors will be exempt from final exams.

Tardiness to School/Class

Students who arrive late to school must report directly to the school office. Students who enter a class after the starting time are tardy. With adequate time built into the schedule, there should be no excuse for being late to class. A student should have a note from a teacher, counselor, secretary, school medical professional, or the Director if the tardy is to be excused.

Class Cut

A student who is present at school but is absent from a class, without seeking permission in advance, is considered to have cut class. A cut class has major academic consequences. Students may request make up work but will not receive credit for any graded assignment, class work, or tests missed. Repeated class cuts will result in further disciplinary actions at the Director’s discretion.

Truancy

Truancy is defined as a student’s absence from school grounds unauthorized by a parent. Absences resulting from truancy will be considered unexcused and students may not make up work missed due to truancy. Truancy may result in suspension. Continued truancy will result in a recommendation to the School Board that the student be expelled from school.

Permission to Leave School

Students who must leave campus early may be excused by a written note from parents. The reasons should be presented to the office before students report to their first class. Students may not leave campus without presenting a valid reason to the office.

Senior Privilege

Permission has been granted for senior class members to have off campus privileges if their first or last class period of the day is a study block. The senior privilege extends arrival time to 8:30 a.m. and allows seniors to leave campus after 12:30 p.m. A parent permission form must be signed before this privilege is recognized and students must check in at the office upon arrival at school and/or when leaving campus.

Illness at School

Students who become ill at school should report to the school medical professional or administrative assistant accompanied by a note from their teacher or from the office. A note from the medical professional or administrative assistant must accompany the student back to class.