Attendance

***Update, parents can now complete a form to report a child's absence online. Please click the following link for the form***

TO CONTACT THE DELCASTLE ATTENDANCE OFFICE, PLEASE CALL 302-995-8100

These are some highlights of the Delcastle Attendance Policy*:

 

School attendance has been identified as an important issue by our administrators, faculty, and the employers who support our cooperative work and career programs. We are concerned about students who miss too many school days, even when absences are legitimately excused. Attendance and achievement are clearly linked, and poor attendance often leads to poor grades and failure.

 

Since our schools utilize a Block Schedule, with many students in 90-minute classes that end after 90 days or one semester, class attendance becomes even more crucial to student success. Each class missed in a semester course is equivalent to missing two class periods. Therefore, students cannot afford to be absent from class without experiencing consequences to their learning and their grades.

 

Parent Responsibilities

1. Provide written requests for early dismissals with telephone number for verification.
2. Provide written explanation for student absence(s) within 3rd day of return to school.
3. Provide written excuse for late arrival at time of return to school.

Student Responsibilities

1. Attend school regularly.
2. Be responsible to ask teacher to provide make-up for all assignment(s) or test(s) missed due to absenteeism.
3. Provide written documentation when absent or tardy to school. Regardless of time of late arrival, students must sign in.
4. Must be in assigned class unless student receives prior approval in writing (hall pass) to be in another teacher’s classroom.

Teacher Responsibilities

1. Keep accurate daily attendance records on each student through ESchool.
2. Provide “cut” data to Student Advisor.

Early Dismissal

If a student is to be dismissed from school prior to the end of the day, a note indicating the reason for and time of the dismissal must be on file with the Attendance Office no later than 8:30 a.m. on the day of the dismissal. No early dismissal will be granted without verification by the parent. (A phone number where parent can be reached must be on the note.). Every effort should be made to schedule appointments during non-school hours or on days when school is not in session. Students that are 18 years of age may not sign themselves out of school.

 

Excused Absence

An excused absence is an absence for one of the reasons as listed below and for which a parent note or documentation is required.

Reasons recognized as valid and necessary for legal excused absences are:

• Illness of student; if necessary, attested by a physician’s certificate.
• Contagious disease within the home of a pupil.
• Death in immediate family or of a close friend.
• Legal business.
• Observance of religious holiday.
• Remedial heath treatment such as medical or dental appointments.
• Pre-arranged absence to visit a college or university.
• Suspension/In-School Alternative.
• School sanctioned activities such as field trips, club activities, athletic events, and District-approved events.
• Emergency situations as determined by the Principal

 

Unexcused Absence

An unexcused absences is an absence:

1. Which is a reason not listed as ‘excused.”
2. For which the parental note of explanation was not provided by the third day of the student’s return to school following the absence.

Note: Family vacations scheduled during the school year are discouraged and count towards the student’s cumulative daily absences.

 

Once a student has reached 20 cumulative absences per semester, the student will receive a failing grade for all courses taken during that semester.

 

Pre-Arranged Absence

A pre-arranged absence is a student’s absence from school or class for one or more days to visit a college or university or other educational activities approved by the Principal. The absence should be pre-arranged by writing the Principal, giving full particulars of the absence. Approvals for such absences should be sought, where practical, at least one week prior to the date of which the absence to occur.

 

Tardiness to School

All students are expected to be punctual to school. Students who arrive after the bell are tardy. A student who is tardy or late to school should present a written explanation for the tardiness.

An excused tardy is given when the student provides, at the time of tardiness, a written note of explanation from the parent/guardian for reasons such as personal illness, medical appointments, or appearance in court. Students should recognize that a written explanation from home does not automatically cause the tardy to be “excused”. An unexcused tardy will be given for such reasons as car trouble, personal business, heavy traffic, child care, needed at home, etc.

 

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT ATTEND AT LEAST HALF OF THE PERIODS ON A GIVEN DAY WILL BE MARKED ABSENT AND WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO PARTICIPATE IN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR THAT DAY (ATHLETIC EVENTS, SCHOOL DANCES, ETC.)

 

Late to Class

If a student is late to class three or more times without sufficient reason, the teacher will issue a detention. Lateness of more than fifteen minutes shall be counted as an absence; in addition, three lates of fifteen minutes or less shall be counted as an absence.

 

Cuts

A student is considered to be “cutting” class if he or she reports to school but does not attend a class which he or she is scheduled and does not have permission from either that subject teacher or other school personnel to be excused from that class. Also, a class ‘cut’ is defined as arriving to class more than 15 minutes late without a permission slip. Students identified as “cutting” class will be referred for disciplinary action.

 

*For all attendance policy details, please refer to the current Student/Parent Handbook.