Attendance Policy

School Attendance

Under compulsory education law, it is the duty of the parent or guardian to notify the school

regarding the reason for absence of a school-aged child. The law also states that it is the duty of

the school to notify the parent or guardian of a child’s absence (HB 1539, Section 4, Amendatory

70 O.S. 1981, Section 10-106).

If a student receives 10 or more unexcused absences in a semester, the student may be given

No Credit (NC) in that class.

Non-Attendance

The following attendance problems require administrative action:

  • The student is officially enrolled but fails to report to school, to attend every class, or to remain on campus until dismissed.
  • A student is habitually tardy
  • A student has been absent without a valid excuse for four (4) or more days or parts of days within a four (4) week period, and the school has not been notified by the parent/guardian.

Procedure:

  • Administrators will attempt to support families and resolve any non-attendance issues.
  • The school will attempt to notify the parent/guardian that they are in violation of state law.
  • If necessary, the case could be filed with the District Attorney for prosecution. If found guilty, the parent/guardian will be responsible for fines and court costs.

Provisional Guidelines for Keeping a Sick Child Home from School

It is often difficult to tell how sick your child is in the morning before school. School is

important, but sick children need to be at home. The following considerations can help

you decide whether your child should stay home from school.

  • Temperature – Though sick children may not have a fever and be sick, a temperature of 100 degrees or over is a sure sign to keep your child home. Giving a fever reducer, such as Tylenol, and sending your child to school will almost guarantee a call from school when the medicine wears off, as well as exposing other students to whatever your child has.
  • Vomiting or diarrhea during the previous evening or night, please keep your child home. Consult a doctor if symptoms continue more than 48 hours or worsen instead of improving.
  • A blistery rash, especially if accompanied by fever and a history of exposure may be chicken pox. Keep your child home until you know for sure. If it is chickenpox, your child will need to stay home until all areas are scabbed, usually 6-7 days.
  • Heavy nasal congestion and/or a frequent cough, keep your child at home. At school, with these symptoms, children probably feel miserable, will not learn much, and will be sharing a virus with others.
  • Contagious disease diagnosis, such as strep, your child should take their prescription antibiotics for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

If your child stays home, improves, and does not run a temperature (without medication), your

child can be taken to school. Be sure that the school has current telephone numbers to reach you

at all times in case your child becomes ill or injured.

COVID Guidance

For COVID guidance, Santa Fe South Schools follows CDC guidelines.

Tardies

Truancy

Oklahoma school law holds the parent responsible for a child’s attendance at school. Parents can be fined if they allow their children to remain absent from school without a legal excuse. Children out of school can be detained by police officers. School officials must report truancy to the office of the District

Attorney of Oklahoma County. Parents can be fined up to $100 for each day their student is truant from school.

If a student misses more than 15 minutes of a class period, the student will be counted absent. This includes tardies and leaving early from class. Excessive tardies will result in an intervention by teachers and/or administrators.

For Elementary students, if a student misses more than ⅓ of the morning or ⅓ of the afternoon class times, the student will be counted absent for either AM or PM.

Three tardies in a class will equal one absence in that class for determining compliance with the ten-absence rule. This rule states that if a student has more than ten unexcused absences in a class in one semester, the student may be given No Credit (NC) in that class.

Attendance for Student Activities (10-Day Rule)

All students who are members of school activity groups are limited to ten (10) absences per school year per class period. Absences for the following reasons will not be charged against the ten-absence limit:

  • Participation in school-sponsored state/national level contests in which the student has earned the
  • right to compete.
  • Activities held on campus and sanctioned by the principal.
  • On-campus visits by college or vocational representatives.
  • College entrance examinations.
  • Field trips in conjunction with an academic class.
  • Appearance before local civic groups.
  • Field trips in area vocational-technical schools.
  • Service as a Senate Page in the legislature (service learning opportunities).
  • Events the principal deems to be of an academic nature

Students that are tardy to school or a class will have their cell phone confiscated. The cell phone will be returned at the end of that school day.