ATTENDANCE

Attendance Office: 913-856-2610

Asistencia en español: 913-856-2746

IF YOUR STUDENT IS ABSENT FROM SCHOOL PLEASE LEAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IN YOUR MESSAGE:

  1. Spell your student's first and last names.

  2. Your name and relationship to the student.

  3. Phone # where you can be reached.

  4. Reason for absence.

GEHS ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular attendance is required of all pupils enrolled in elementary and secondary schools under Kansas compulsory attendance statutes (KSA-72-1113). It is a parental responsibility under Kansas statutes (72-1113) to require the regular school attendance “of any child who has reached the age of seven (7) years and is under the age of eighteen (18) years,” unless the child is exempted by statute. The attendance office will notify the parent/legal guardian of a student’s absence on a daily basis.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

It is the student’s responsibility to clear absences with the attendance office within 24 hours. Failure to clear absences within 24 hours will result in an unexcused absence.

The State of Kansas delegates to the Board of Education the responsibility of determining reasons for excusable absences. The following are reasons for excusable absences:

* Personal illness (Physicians note will be required for any absence over three days).

* Serious illness or death of a family member or close friend.

* Obligatory religious observance of the student’s own faith.

* Participation in a school approved student activity.

* Verified physician or dentist appointments (which can be verified by appointment card)

* Court appearance (which can be verified through court services’ officer)

* Emergency situations requiring immediate action (which can be verified)

* An absence which has been requested in writing and approved in advance by the building administrator. An extended absence form must be filled out and on file in the office before the absence occurs.

* Out of School Suspension of 10 days or less.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

An unexcused absence is one which has been classified as such by the building administration. An absence will be classified unexcused if it does not fit one of the Board of Education’s stated reasons for excusable absences or if the building attendance procedure is not followed by the student and the parent/guardian. Students with unexcused absences may be excluded from attending before or after school activities.

Absences shall be unexcused if:

* Such absence is not excusable under the Board of Education’s approved reasons for absences.

* The student leaves during school hours without permission.

* The student does not attend class.

* The student fails to comply with building attendance procedures. This includes situations in which a parent/guardian fails to notify the attendance office within twenty-four hours of the student’s return to school.

Once a student has been inexcusably absent for a significant portion of a school day: three days in a row, five days in a semester, or seven days in a school year, the student becomes legally truant and subject to a formal truancy referral to the Johnson County truancy office.

TARDY POLICY

A tardy will be assessed to a student when he/she enters the classroom after the tardy bell tone without a pass. During the school day, any student who has an unexcused tardy to class will report to the commons and receive a tardy pass. Upon the 6th total tardy during a semester, the student will be issued an after-school detention scheduled by an administrator. If a student reaches 10 tardies in a semester his/her parents will be notified and other consequences will be determined. For every three unexcused tardies, per class, per semester, an unexcused absence will be recorded.

STUDENT CHECKOUT

Gardner Edgerton High School has a closed campus policy that includes lunchtime. Students are not allowed in the parking lot or outside the building between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. without permission from the office. Whenever possible, appointments should be scheduled outside the school day. However, when it is necessary for a student to leave campus during the school day, parents should call the Attendance Office. Students must come to the Attendance Office to sign-out and receive a “permit to leave” pass. Students returning to school must sign-in and may be asked to provide verification to the Attendance Office.

MAKE-UP WORK

EXCUSED ABSENCE

Students will have the opportunity to make up, for credit, work missed during an excused absence. The responsibility for making arrangements for make-up work rests with the student. Make-up work should be picked up by the student after he/she returns to school. Only if there is an extended illness (3+ days) may parents request materials/assignments from the office. It is reasonable to allow 2 days for every day of excused absence to make-up work. Parents and students are encouraged to utilize “Family Access” to contact teachers (all emails are listed) regarding make-up work and to check Schoology for assignments.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCE

Students will not be able to receive credit for work missed due to an unexcused absence. The student will be given the opportunity to complete the work missed but will not receive credit for the work.

SUSPENSION

Students suspended from school will be recorded as having a suspension absence. Students absent due to suspension will have the opportunity to make up work missed for credit.

FRESHMEN LATE WORK POLICY

First-year freshmen will have one additional class block to submit their work for a maximum of 70% credit, after that time it will be counted as a zero. Honors classes will not accept late work for any credit.

COLLEGE ABSENCES

This privilege allows a student to visit a college campus he/she is considering as an option to further their education.

Seniors and Juniors may take two release days to visit colleges, however, no more than one visit may be taken in any quarter.

  • College days may not be taken the last week of any quarter.

  • College days must be taken before April 15.

  • College visits may be counted as a school activity if the following procedures are followed

    • The attendance office is notified by parents two full school days prior to the college visit. A college visit release form is to be taken to the actual visit.

    • The College Visit Student Release Form (pick up a form at the attendance office prior to college visit)  must be returned to the attendance office the day following the absence.