• Rock Hill School District Three Attendance Guidelines - page 43 - 45 of 
    Student Handbook - addendum 1/23/17 - Attendance Addendum

    TRUANCY - After 3 consecutive or a total of 5 unlawful absences, regulations require 
    that school officials contact parents and students for a conference.  The purpose of this
    conference is to identify reasons for a student's absences and to complete an 
    intervention plan.  Letters will be mailed to the home after 3, 5, and 10 days of absences.

    Excessive tardies may result in an intervention plan.

    The maximum number of days a student is allowed to miss is TEN per school year (lawful or unlawful). When a student is absent more than 10 days, attendance will be one of the factors used in the promotion/retention decisions for grades K-5. More than 10 absences and/or excessive tardies could result in a referral to Family Court.

    Citation:  South Carolina Code of Law 59-65-60 and South Carolina Board of Education Requirements 

    Students will only be allowed 6 absences of any type in a semester. (not including field 
    trips, documented college visits, documented shadowing and in-school suspensions).

    • Medical absences are treated as all other absences
    • Parents are notified by mail when a student has 3 and 5 absences in a class.
    • Parents are called by automated phone message each evening if a student has been absent for one
    • or more classes.

     Exceptions:

    • Students who have reoccurring absences due to a serious illness or medical

            condition may be eligible for intermittent or regular homebound services.  
            Applications should be     picked up promptly in the Counseling Office, filled 
            out by a physician and then turned in     to the District Office to determine 
            eligibility for homebound services.

    • If a student has missed school due to extenuating circumstances or hardship,

            then an appeal must be presented in writing to the principal.

    WRITTEN EXCUSES FOR ABSENCES

    • Excuses should be turned in to the Attendance Office within three days of a

            student's returning to school or absences will be recorded as unexcused.

    • Parental Excuses may be written for up to three days each semester for illness.
    • Medical Excuses should be turned in for any day a student is written out of school

            for illness by a physician.

    • Bereavement - A copy of a funeral program or an obituary should be submitted

            for bereavement day missed for a death in a family.

    • College Visits - Documentation on college letterhead must be provided for college

            visits.  Juniors and seniors are allowed 2 each year.

    Athletics and Extracurricular Activities-

    To be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, concerts, prom, etc. 
    students must be in attendance at least one-half of the school day on the day of the event.
     
    Tardies

    Tardies to school and/or class

    It is the desire of the Northwestern administration and faculty to put an end to tardiness to 
    school in the morning and to classes during the school day. Tardy students disrupt the learning 
    of all students when they enter a classroom. Tardiness causes a valuable loss of time. Tardiness 
    is also a lack of self-discipline and should never be tolerated as habitual behavior. Tardy to class/school is defined as not being seated in the classroom ready to work when the tardy bell rings.  Physical education students are to be in their assigned roll call areas when the tardy bell sounds.

    Please note that tardies due to traffic, running out of gas, oversleeping, flat tires, loss of electrical power, eating breakfast at school, etc. are not excused tardies. Excuses for tardies should be submitted to the attendance office. Tardies to class will result in disciplinary action as shown below:

    1st  Tardy - Warning;automated call to parents                7th Tardy – 1 day ISS;automated call
                                                                                                    to parents

    2nd Tardy - Warning; automated call to parents                8th Tardy – 1 day ISS;administrator call 
                                                                                                     to parents                              
    3rd Tardy - Warning;automated call to parents                  9th Tardy – OSS;administrator call to 
                                                                                                            parents

    4th Tardy – Warning;automated call to parents                10th Tardy – OSS;administrator call to
                                                                                                             parents

    5th Tardy – After school detention (45 min.);                   11th Tardy – OSS;administrator call to
                    automated call to parents                                                   parents

    6th Tardy – 1 day ISS;automated call to                          12th Tardy – Long Term Suspension
                    parents

    Contact Attendance Clerk

    For more information, please see the complete State guidelines.
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