24-25 LAKE BRANTLEY HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PRACTICES
Regular attendance provides students with the opportunities necessary to meet course goals and objectives. Many integral activities, including class discussions, laboratory experiments, field trips, and guest speakers, cannot be simulated or replicated with bookwork. It is our intent to encourage honest, accurate, and consistent adherence to this policy by all our students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
I. COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT
Pursuant to Florida Statute, a high school student enrolled in Seminole County Public Schools who is under the age of 16 is required to attend school regularly during the entire term. Pursuant to Florida Statute, the School Board of Seminole County, Florida, has adopted a Compulsory Attendance Policy, which states, “A student is expected to attend all school sessions unless excused by a proper school authority.”
II. CLASS ATTENDANCE AND TARDIES DEFINED
a. Tardiness: Students are expected to arrive to class on time. For any class period, a student is tardy up to and including 10 minutes after the start of class according to school board policy 5.373. Any time a student arrives to class after 10 minutes (11+ minutes late), the student is considered absent. Tardiness at Lake Brantley High School is processed as follows:
Tardies 1-2: Warning
Tardies 3-6: Lunch Detention
Tardies 4-9: Wednesday After-School Detention (1.5 Hours)
Tardies 10 or more: Saturday School (may be combined with other consequences)
Failure to report to assigned consequences will result in a disciplinary escalation and/or further actions through the discipline office.
Information about assigned consequences can be found on the Minga app (My Tools—> Behaviors; My Tools—> Notifications). Attendance can be reviewed in the Skyward app.
Excessive tardiness may result in the removal of senior privileges to include, but not limited to, senior lunch and parking passes.
b. Check out: If a student is checked out for any reason and misses more than 10 minutes of a class, they will be considered absent.
III. EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES DOCUMENTATION
Student attendance at Lake Brantley High School is extremely important to a student’s success in the classroom. It is up to the individual student and their parents and/or guardian to regularly check Skyward for the most up to date absence count for each period. Parents may submit parent notes to excuse up to 8 student absences per semester. These parent notes must be turned in to the Lake Brantley Attendance Office no later than 10 student attendance days upon the student’s return to school. In addition to these parent notes, families may submit official documentation to excuse absences for the following reasons:
1. Medical treatment by a licensed physician/dentist*
2. Observation of a religious holiday
3. Law enforcement order or court subpoena
4. Death of a family member
5. Natural Disaster
6. Traffic accident that directly involved the student
7. College Visits (2 for Juniors, 3 for Seniors. Siblings will not be excused.)
If a student at Lake Brantley High School accrues 8 or more unexcused absences in a class during a semester, they may have credit denied for that specific class period for that semester. Means for obtaining reinstatement of any credit denied will be determined on an individual basis by the principal or their designee.
IV. UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
Absence from class for any reason other than those enumerated above shall be considered unexcused. Additionally, students absent from class for more than 10 minutes are considered absent for the entire period.
V. GUIDELINES FOR MAKE-UP WORK
Students are responsible for making arrangements with the teacher for make-up work.
A). A student who is absent is required to make up all coursework missed, regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain assignments upon returning to class immediately following an absence. At a minimum, the student shall have no less than the number of calendar days, plus one, he/she was absent to complete and hand in make-up work for credit. Specific arrangements must be made with the student’s teacher(s).
B). Unless exempted from this requirement by the Principal or his/her designee, in consultation with the teacher, assignments given by the teacher two or more weeks (ten school days) in advance of a student’s absence will be due by the assigned date. An assignment turned in after the due date will be graded by the teacher. When the quantitative/qualitative grade has been determined by the teacher, it may be reduced by no more than one letter grade for every day the assignment was turned in late.
C). The time and place for a make-up examination(s) shall be scheduled by the teacher(s).
D). The teacher’s decision on make-up schedules shall be final.
VI. TO CHECK OUT
a. No student is permitted to leave campus early without being signed out by a parent/guardian at the Attendance Office. Medical or dental appointments should be scheduled for after hours. Please refrain from checking out your student after 2:00pm (M, T, TH, and F) and/or 1:00pm on Wednesday. If a student becomes ill or injured, the parent/guardian will be notified before the student will be allowed to leave campus.
b. No student will be permitted to leave with any person other than their parent/guardian or the contact listed on the emergency card.
c. In the event that a student is checked out during a class period and misses more than 5 minutes of that class, they will be considered ABSENT.
VII. DRIVER’S LICENSE / ATTENDANCE POLICY
According to section 322.091 of Florida Statutes, a minor is not eligible for driving privileges unless that minor is enrolled in public school, nonpublic school, or home education, and satisfies relevant attendance requirements. All students attaining age 14 within the current school year, who accumulate 15 unexcused absences in a period of 90 calendar days, will be reported to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. DHSMV will submit notices to the student and parent informing them of the suspension of the student’s license. The student and parent will have 15 calendar days from receipt of the notice to request a hardship waiver hearing before the Principal or his Designee.
VIII. HOMECOMING / PROM/ PARKING / SPECIAL EVENTS PRIVILEGES
Homecoming, Prom, student parking on campus, and other special events at Lake Brantley High School are a privilege. Students wishing to attend Lake Brantley High School’s Homecoming or Prom events and/or purchase a parking spot on campus must be in good standing in their ATTENDANCE, DISCIPLINE and FINANCES. Any failure to meet the required standards may result in the loss of privilege in attending these events. Any student who acquires 8 Unexcused day absences will lose their school based privileges for that semester.