| Van Buren Intermediate School District |
| Bylaws & Policies |
5200 - ATTENDANCE
The Board of Education as an agency of the State is required to enforce regular attendance of students. The Board recognizes that regular attendance and promptness are marks of a good student and a good citizen. In school, as in other facets of life, regular attendance and punctuality are necessary for success.
Attendance shall be required of all students participating in District programs, except those exempted under Policy 5223 or by other provisions of State law, during the days and hours that the programs are in session or during the attendance sessions to which s/he has been assigned.
The Superintendent shall require, from the parent of each student or from an adult student who has been absent for any reason, a written statement of the cause for such absence. The Board reserves the right to verify such statements and to investigate the cause of each repeated unexplained absence and tardiness.
Repeated infractions of Board policy requiring the attendance of enrolled students may result in the suspension or expulsion of the student from the District program.
The Board authorizes but does not encourage the Superintendent to suspend a student from a particular class or from school, if sincere efforts by the staff and parents cannot rectify the pattern of absence. In keeping with its philosophy, the Board supports efforts to provide for out-of-school alternative educational opportunities for truant students rather than to heighten the effects of absence through suspension.
The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines for the attendance of students which:
| A. | ensure a school session which is in conformity with requirements of the law; | |
| B. | ensure that students absent for any excusable reason have an opportunity to make up work they missed; | |
| C. | govern the keeping of attendance records in accordance with the rules of the State Board and the Michigan Department of Education Pupil Accounting Manual, including a written electronic attendance procedure, if applicable; | |
| D. | identify the habitual truant, investigate the cause(s) of his/her behavior, and consider modification of his/her educational program to meet particular needs and interests; | |
| E. | ensure the student is not given a failing grade where lack of attendance is the sole or primary determining factor but which allow denial of recommendation of credit if the student does not make appropriate use of make-up sessions provided by the instructor or administrator; | |
| F. | ensure that any student who, due to a medically-documented physical or mental impairment, exceeds or may exceed the District's limit on excused absence is referred for evaluation for eligibility either under the Michigan Special Education Regulation; the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. |
Such guidelines should provide that a student's grade in any course is based on his/her performance in the instructional setting and is not reduced for reasons of conduct. If a student violates the attendance or other rules of the school, s/he should be disciplined appropriately for the misconduct, but his/her grades should be based upon what the student can demonstrate s/he has learned.
M.C.L.A. 380.1561, 380.1561 (3a-3c), 380.1586(3)
Revised 3/2/05