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Middle School Attendance Policies

Excused Absences

Faithful school attendance is critical to a successful school experience. While some elements of a missed classroom experience can be made up, many other facets can not be reproduced or repeated. Because some absences are inevitable and unavoidable, we need to work together to ensure attendance at all other times. Please note that the attendance policies at SCS are strictly adhered to and enforced. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this area of attendance.

  1. Categories

    There are only three categories that the school considers valid excused absences:

    • Personal illness of a student or a doctor's visit.
    • Death or emergency within the family.
    • Pre-approved family trip, pre-approved church ministry, pre-approved educational opportunity.

    Although a parent may keep a student home from school for other reasons, the school does not excuse absences that do not fall within these three categories.

  2. Approval Procedure

    In order for an absence to be excused these procedures must be followed.

    • Sickness - Parents must contact the office by phone on the day of the absence or by note or phone the day the student returns to school. The note should include the date of absence, the reason for absence and the signature of the parent or guardian. Please note that it is the reason stated in the note or call not the note or call itself that determines if the absence is excused. Any student absence that is unconfirmed by a parent within two days of return is considered unexcused. Failure to follow this policy will result in school discipline as outlined below.

      • First offense -- parental contact, warning of detention
      • Second offense -- parental contact, detention
      • Third offense -- suspension, academic penalty
      • Note forging or falsifying an absence result in serious school discipline.
    • Doctor Appointments - Whenever possible, medical appointments should be scheduled outside of school. If a student must be excused during school, a note from the parents or doctor stating the date and time of the appointment must be submitted.
    • Family Trips - Students must seek approval for the trip at least one week prior to the planned family trip. Excused family trips must be trips with the immediate family (parents, grandparents). Homework assignment sheets must be picked up from the Office and completed by the teachers before the trip is taken. See family trip section for details.
    • Homework Request for Absence - If a student will be out more than three days, a parent may call the office during that time and request homework. Assignments will be assembled twenty-four hours after the parent calls and may be picked up at 3:00 PM in the attendance office. If a student is absent for less than a three-day period, the school is not able to assemble homework within that time period. In this case, the student could contact their teacher via e-mail or a classmate and ask about the work that was missed.

Unexcused Absences

An unexcused absence is an absence that the school does not consider appropriate or where the school's attendance policies have not been followed. Examples would include: family trips/church ministries that did not receive prior approval, are not with the student's immediate family, or exceed the maximum number of days allowed for family trips.

Classroom Cuts

"Cutting" is defined as "failure to attend a class without prior approval of the teacher whose class is missed." It is important to note that it does not matter why the student missed the class; the critical issue is that the student missed the class without permission. Reasons can range from counseling with a distressed friend to leaving the building for a snack.Discipline for class cuts range from detentions to a suspension. It also includes an academic penalty for quizzes and tests missed. A second offense advances the degree of discipline.

Partial Day Absences

  1. Class periods missed will be counted individually so that attendance may be more accurate. Every four class periods missed will count as one-half day absence.
  2. In order to participate in a sports event, a class event or any other extracurricular activity, a student must be present at school for that entire day except for a medical appointment.
  3. All students must secure both school and parental permission in order to leave during the school day.
  4. Students must sign in and out for late arrival or early departure.

Excessive Absences

  1. School Day - Any student missing twenty days of school or more per semester will not be given credit for the semester's course work.
  2. Class Period - Any student missing twenty periods or more of a specific class per semester will not be given credit for that specific class.

Illness During the School Day

Students who become ill during the school day must report to the office. Students are not to call home and ask to be picked up without first checking with the office. Students may not go to the bathrooms, or any other area of the school. Students who go home without contacting both the office and parents will be considered unexcused and school discipline will follow. Because the school does not have a student infirmary, students sick enough to be out of class are sick enough to go home.

Students must sign out at the office.

Family Trips

The school allows up to six consecutive days and no more than ten days off per school year for family trips. Family trips are defined as a trip with your immediate family (parents, grandparents). Family trips must be pre-approved to ensure that they are excused and to allow the student and the school time to make arrangements for assignments, quizzes and tests that will occur during the trip. Please note that although the school permits family trips, the school does not encourage them. Few students are able to make up the school experience missed during extended days of absence.

School discipline will be assessed for any family trip that does not adhere to the stated guidelines. The penalty is two detentions for each day missed up to three days. For each additional day, a 1% reduction in the quarter grade for each class will be assessed.

Tardy Policies

  1. Class Tardiness
    A student is allowed four tardies total to all classes each marking period without penalty. On the fifth tardy, a student receives one twenty minute detention. On the seventh tardy, a student receives one forty minute detention; on the ninth, two forty minute detentions. On the tenth tardy per quarter, a student receives a half-day in school detention and on the eleventh tardy, a half-day suspension. Sometimes tardies may accumulate faster than the discipline notification process. In such cases, students will serve the maximum penalty only. A student more than ten minutes late to class receives a detention as well as a tardy. Additional tardiness will be handled by the administration.
  2. School Tardiness
    The same policies apply to tardiness to school (8:30 am) as to class tardies. Please note that there is no excused tardiness to school. A student is permitted four tardies to school per marking period without penalty. Students more than fifteen minutes late to school receive a detention as well as a tardy.