Our number one priority here at Samuelson is your child's safety. Attendance is a huge part of keeping our students safe. If your child will be tardy or absent, please call (515-242-8441) or email (samuelson@dmschools.org) the office by 7:45 AM to let us know. Teachers do their attendance at this time.
Here are the 2018-2019 Attendance Guidelines:
Attendance is the foundation for learning and achievement. If children do not show up for school regularly, they miss out on fundamental reading and math skills and the chance to build a habit of good attendance that will carry them into post-secondary opportunities. Excused and unexcused absences count toward a student’s total absence minutes.
Parents should make every attempt to notify the school in a timely manner when their child will be gone from school.
Teachers will take attendance within the first 20 minutes of class. High School and Middle School teachers will update attendance at the end of each class.
Excused absences are defined as:
- Medical appointment (notes are encouraged)
- Medical injury
- Illness excused by parent/guardian
- Illness excused by health care provider
- Other than medical/illness. Examples: a religious holiday; court; death or illness in immediate family; other as approved by school administrator, such as college visits, weather related incidents
- In-school and Out-of-school suspensions
Unexcused absences are defined as all other absences. Examples include skipping school, babysitting, family vacations, gone without contact.
When a student reaches 10 days absent (excused and unexcused) during a school year, for any reason, a school may request, in writing, that a parent provide medical excusal documentation for further absences. Medical excusals may be provided by the school nurse or doctor’s office. If the student continues to be absent without medical excusal, the absences will be considered unexcused. Schools must provide this request in writing using the 10 day letter.
Late to school/Early leave/Tardy to class
Elementary/Middle School –
- Students who arrive to school up to 60 minutes after the first bell will be considered late to school.
- Students who arrive more than 61 minutes after the first bell will be considered absent, the number of minutes will accumulate to an overall total minutes absent.
- Students who leave school before the last bell of the day will be considered absent for the time missed, the number of minutes will accumulate to an overall total minutes absent.
Excessive and Consecutive Absences
Excessive absences are defined as five or more absences (excused and/or unexcused) in a semester. Building-based teams will review student attendance data on all students who have excessive absences and provide appropriate intervention as needed.
Consecutive absences are defined as full days in a row and are unexcused.
Schools will determine their response to absences. Examples include loss of privileges, attendance contracts, detention, etc.
Parents/Guardians will be formally notified of absences (including excused and unexcused) within each semester in the following manner:
Daily/unexcused - Office Manager/Attendance Clerk calls/emails
Daily/unexcused - Automated Dialer calls
5 days excessive /consecutive - Teacher will make contact with parents-phone call home/email/messenger
7 days excessive /consecutive - Tier 2 team will review for interventions
10 days excessive /consecutive - Schools will send out letters, at team’s discretion upon review of attendance, to indicate further action required which may include, parent meeting request, required excusal by a health care provider, truancy court filing
11 days consecutive - Student will be unenrolled K-6, dropped 7-8
