ATTENDANCE
Definition of Absent - Students are not in attendance in regularly scheduled classes at the school where they attend. Approved school activities do not count as an absence.
Definition of Present - Students are in attendance in regularly scheduled classes at the school where they attend.
Definition of Tardy - Students are not in their assigned area when class begins.
Recognizing that attendance and punctuality are essential for the progress of a student at school, the Board has adopted the following rules and regulations. The parent, guardian, or other person having charge and control of a child is held responsible for the child's regular school attendance. It is the expectation of every Anderson student to be punctual and to have excellent attendance to be successful both as a student and as an adult. All students who arrive after school has begun for the day are required to report to the office for an admit slip.
Reporting Absences: The parent or legal guardian must inform the office by 9:00 a.m. each day the child is absent. Parents may call the school at 423-652-9444 to report the absence. Please include your child's name, grade, teacher, and reason for the absence when you call. If the parent fails to contact the school, the absence will be unexcused.
School Day: Our school day begins at 8:10 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. Children not in attendance a minimum of 3 hours and 16 minutes will be counted absent for the entire day.
Leaving School Early: The parent or authorized person should enter the front door during the regular school day and report directly to the office. Only authorized and custodial parents can sign a student out, unless permission is granted from the parent or legal guardian. The student will remain in the classroom until the office notifies the teacher to release the student. Parents are discouraged from signing a student out early, except in an emergency situation. A student not in attendance at least 3 hours and 16 minutes will be counted absent for that day.
Illness - When should I send my child to school? We believe that student success begins with attendance; however, there may be times in which it may be in the best interest of your child to stay home. Your child is considered contagious if they experience any of the following: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctivitis (pink eye), or head lice. Your child should be fever free and/or symptom free for 24 hours without medication before coming back to school. Children with head lice are permitted to return to school once treated. If your child has a temperature over 100 degrees, the school nurse will call the parent or guardian to pick up your child from school. Do not medicate your child to reduce a fever before sending them back to school. Please note that written instructions to the school from a student's medical provider will take precedence over the above guidelines.
Excused Absences: Conditions for excused absences include:
- A child's personal illness
- Death in the family
- Required court appearance
- Family/Cultural Leave
- Family illness requiring the child's assistance at home
- Religious holiday
- Approved school related activities
Please note that absences due to Family/Cultural Leave are excused only with principal approval prior to the absence. All other absences not meeting these conditions will be considered unexcused.
Parent Reported Absences (5 days accepted): A total of 5 absences will be excused based on parent notification via call-in, email, or note (this means a doctor's note is not required). Once the limit has been reached (5) parents will receive a letter requiring a doctor's excuse for future absences. After 5 parent excuses (note, phone calls, or emails) the student will be marked as an unexcused absence unless a doctor's note is turned in to the office. *Please note - If the student has a doctor's excuse, then the absence does not count as a parent excuse. There is no limit on absences with doctor excuses.
Unexcused Absences: Once your child accumulates 5 unexcused absences a letter will be sent from the Bristol Tennessee School System Director of Attendance, Scott Latham. At that time we will seek assistance from the court system to improve your child's attendance. If the absence is unexcused, any make-up work will be credited at 80% of its value.
Tardies & Early Dismissals: It is important that students arrive on time for school and remain at school the entire day. Excessive tardies and/or early dismissals will affect a student's school success. Students are expected to arrive in their homeroom no later than 8:10 a.m. Students arriving late for school are to report directly to the office to sign in and obtain an Admit to Class slip. Excessive unexcused tardies and early dismissals will result in disciplinary action by the principal. The principal has the authority to implement "time for time" procedures that would allow students to make up time missed from school
Excessive Absences/Tardies: Excessive absences and/or tardies will be reviewed regularly by school personnel. Students with excessive absences may be required to present doctors' excuses for all absences. This issue could be grounds for denying transfer or tuition requests and may result in a referral to the juvenile court offices.
Family/Cultural Leave & Educational Activities (5 days maximum): Students may be excused from school to participate in family cultural and educational activities. The following guidelines shall be used by school principals in approving cultural/educational activities:
- A maximum of 5 days annually will be available for family cultural/educational activities. Forms are available in the office.
- A written request for the absences to be excused must be completed by the parent/guardian only and filed with the principal prior to the activity.A request will not be approved after the activity has occurred.
- If a student has more than five (5) unexcused absences, Family/Cultural Leave will not be approved.
- If a student uses more than the maximum days allowed, the first five days of absence will be considered excused.
- Make-up work is the responsibility of the student and parent. School/classroom policies on make-up procedures will be followed.
- Family/Cultural Leave will not be approved during state testing dates.
Make-up Work
Work missed during an absence will be made up AFTER the absence. On the day of an absence, parents may request that any missed assignments be sent to the office for pick up after school. In order to minimize class interruptions, teachers will not be able to provide homework assignments until after school. Please contact the school before 9:00 a.m. so that the work is ready to be picked up at 3:00 p.m. Grades from days missed due to unexcused absences will be graded at 80%. In addition, unexcused absences will be handled as a truancy issue.
Following an absence, it is the responsibility of the student or parent to contact the teacher and make up all work missed. Arrangements will be made within three days following the absence.