Subject: Attendance Guidelines for the Upper School
From: "Michael Woods" <[email-masked]>
Date: 14 Sep 2017 10:41:55 -0400

Attendance Guidelines for the Upper School

Dear Parents:

Recently, both the Health Services’ office and the Dean of Students’ office have fielded questions about Upper School attendance policies. For sake of clarity, we are sending out this email to all parents. I have highlighted some of our long-standing attendance polices below by pasting in italics an important passage from the 2017-2018 Community Handbook (the full attendance policies are located in pages 49, 54, 59-60).  I have also added specific guidance regarding medical appointments and what should happen when a student becomes ill at school.

Attendance

Students are expected to be at school on time for the start of classes at 8:00 a.m. A student who is late due to traffic or other family reasons will not be excused, except in the special circumstances relating to snow or other inclement weather. Students in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades must be at school no later than 8:00 a.m., even if their first period is a free period. They must sign in with the Dean of Students’ Office for attendance purposes at that time. Seniors with first period free are permitted to sign in with the Dean of Students’ Office no later than 8:45 a.m., the end of first period. Students who neglect to sign in will receive points.

Students who are not well enough to come to school by 8:45 a.m. should not attend school that day. Invalid reasons for lateness include catching up on sleep, finishing a paper due that day, taking extra time to study, etc. A student who is ill and might be contagious may not attend school.

The school expects students to be on time and keep their required appointments. It is always the responsibility of the student to make up work missed due to absences. If a student cannot keep an appointment, she/he should let the others involved know ahead of time using one of the appropriate procedures outlined below. An appointment is any scheduled meeting with another person (e.g., any class for which the student is registered, help sessions, individual appointments with teachers, tutoring sessions, meetings, work programs, and study halls).

The following procedures for attendance must be followed:

• It is school policy not to excuse students for early vacation departures, extensions of vacations, or other absences from school that are not a consequence of family or medical emergencies. Parents should understand that teachers will not honor requests for special accommodations or arrangements in the event of such absences. Students who leave under such circumstances will face LOP and will not be allowed to make up work missed. Exceptions will be made only in the most unusual circumstances.

• When, for an important reason, students foresee the necessity of missing school for appointments, parents or guardians are required to state the reason by e-mail or written note at least one week in advance to the Office of the Dean of Students. If the Dean of Students approves, students will obtain a pre-excused slip with the Dean’s signature. Students must then obtain the signatures of teachers (including physical education teachers) of all the classes they will miss, acknowledging that the students have discussed with them a plan for making up missed work. Students must then hand in the completed form to the Dean of Students’ Office. Failure to follow this procedure will result in points.

• If a student is absent unexpectedly, the School requests that parents contact the Dean of Students’ Office by e-mail at [email-masked] or phone at 202-537-8160 no later than 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Voicemail messages can be left at any time. It is the School’s right to determine whether an absence is excused. Students who are able to attend school but who cannot participate in sports are expected to report to their physical education class or team practice. The teacher or coach will determine how the student should use that time. See Health Services in the General Information section for instructions about how to handle sudden illness during the school day.

Medical Appointments

If a student has a scheduled medical appointment and needs to leave school, the parent must email [email-masked] or call 202-537-8160 and kindly mention what time the school should expect the student to return and their approximate estimated time of arrival. The student is required to sign-in and out before and/or after their appointment.

Onset of Illness at School

If a student becomes ill at school, they must visit the Health Services Office and be seen by the health care professional to be cared for or seen before leaving school, if needed. If the student needs to be sent home, the health care professional will place a call to the parent with their child’s health status and the Dean of Students’ Office to excuse them from a class or the remainder of the day.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have further questions.  Thank you.

Best,

Michael Woods

Upper School Dean of Students

[email-masked]

(202)537-8160

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