Regular school attendance is required by law and is necessary for good scholarship. Regular and punctual attendance at PCS is expected and required. Irregular attendance is a major cause for poor academic work, and continual tardiness is disruptive to the normal flow of school activities. Absences from school should be kept to a minimum since they do cause a considerable amount of extra work for both teachers and students. With this in mind, regular and punctual attendance is expected and required at PCS.
Students in attendance are expected to participate fully in classroom activities. No student will be excused from class activities without a written note from the parent or physician. Students too sick or sleepy to participate will be sent home with an absence counted against him/her.
Students who are not in attendance during the school day will not be allowed to participate in after school or extra-curricular activities on that day.
The school year will consist of 176-180 days. Florida State Law 232.10 states that a written excuse signed by a parent must be submitted for each absence and the specific reason for the absence must be stated before the absence can be excused. Students absent more than ten (10) days in a semester, without extenuating circumstances, will not be promoted.
Daily attendance will be recorded for elementary students; period attendance will be recorded in middle school classrooms.
As much as possible, it is urged that appointments with a dentist or a doctor be made during non-school hours or days.
Excused Absences
The following reasons are considered valid excuses for school absences. Work must be made up in these cases with no grade penalty. Teachers will give make-up tests and help with assignments only when absences are excused.
- Illness or injury of the student
- Death or emergency in the immediate family
- Documented medical appointment
- Educational, family, and religious-based trips when approved in advance. Assignments equal to the number of days for the trip must be gathered in advance, completed and turned in the first day of return from the approved trip
- Religious instruction (requires a note in advance and is not counted against perfect attendance)
- Religious holiday
- Subpoena or forced absence by law enforcement agency
- An occurrence of head lice, with a maximum of two excused days
In advance, special excusal may be granted by the Principal for extenuating circumstances when:
- The student has had few absences.
- The student has satisfactory grades and has kept up with current work.
- Missed work is submitted to the teacher the day of return to school.
Unexcused Absences
The following reasons are considered unexcused for school absences. Students may receive failing grades for all assignments and tests missed during unexcused absences.
- Neglecting to pre-arrange a foreseeable absence
- All non-emergency absences
- Absences for the sake of a parent or student (ie. Skipping school, parents allowing older students to remain home to baby-sit, sleeping in after a late return from a school event the night prior)
If a student is absent, a parent (not the student) is requested to notify the school office by 9:00am on the day of the absence. Students who have been absent must bring a note signed by a parent/guardian on the day of their return to school, stating the date and reason for the absence. All notes received for absences will be placed in the student’s file.
Students who miss school to participate in school activities will not be counted as absent.
Excessive Absences
If a student is continually sick and repeatedly absent, he or she must be under the supervision of a physician in order to be excused from attendance. Excessive absences will lead to a parent conference, referral to social work services, referral to Truancy Court, and the involvement of the State Attorney.
By State law, any student missing more than ten (10) days per semester will find his/her credits for the semester’s work in jeopardy.
Upon the accruement of fifteen absences; (seven missed classes equals one absence) students will not be allowed to return to Palmetto Charter School the following year. In the event of prolonged hospital stay or other extreme medical issues, the Principal retains the right to waive the requirement. All other extenuating circumstances must come before the PCS board at the May/ June board meeting.
Extended Absences
If a student is absent more than three days due to illness or injury, a note from a physician is required. If there are reasons why a student should be absent from any class more than 20 days during the year, the parents must receive special approval from the administration. For lengthy absences, parents may have to provide additional tutoring for the student to keep up with his/ her studies.
Because students with excessive absences, tardies or early sign-outs will not be meeting the amount of instructional hours needed to meet state criteria, they may be denied promotion to the next grade level. Students who are absent more than 10 days within one semester can be subject to dismissal from the school. Exceptional cases involving hospitalization of the student or similar circumstances may be brought to the Administration for consideration.
Make-Up Work
When a student is absent, the student will be given an equal number of days to turn in all his/her make-up work and take all of his/her tests/ quizzes. Students not turning in make-up work and taking make-up tests/quizzes within the allowed time frame will be subject to the homework policy.
If a test or other work was assigned while the student was in school, the student must be prepared to take the test or turn in the work on his/her return. If the student was absent when the test or assignment was made, the teacher will allow for a rescheduling of the test or work. In order to receive semester credit, students absent during exams must make up exams to receive final grades.
In all grade levels, it is the responsibility of the parent/ student to secure all make-up work assignments and deadlines and adhere to them. Parents are encouraged to secure their child’s assignments if the absence appears to be more than one day. Requests for make-up work assignments must be made to the teacher (not the office) and requested by 9:00am. They will be delivered to the office by the classroom teacher by 12:00pm for parent pick up. Assignments requested after 9:00 am will not be available until the following day.
Tardiness
Tardiness is disruptive to the learning environment and will have a negative impact on student achievement. Students should arrive at school on time so that they will not miss instruction as teachers begin their lessons promptly.
Students are considered tardy, if they are not in the classroom when the tardy bell rings. It must be noted that tardies are not classified as “excused” or “unexcused”. Realizing there may be an occasion that a tardy will result from an unforeseen circumstance, it is in the student’s best interest to make a habit of arriving on time.
Students who arrive to school tardy must be signed-in in the office, and will receive a pass to class. Teachers will notify the office if a student arrives tardy to the classroom without a pass.
A student will receive an email from the office when the student has reached five (5) or more tardies.
A student will receive an email and a letter from the office when the student has reached ten(10) or more tardies.
When a student reaches fifteen(15) tardies, parents will be required to meet with the Administration for a conference.
Twenty (20) or more tardies in a school year will result in the student not being allowed to re-enroll at Palmetto Charter School for the following year.
As much as possible, it is urged that appointments with a dentist or a doctor be made during non-school hours or days.