Montbello High School

Attendance

Attendance Office Phone Number: 720-423-5732

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Attendance Policies

Arriving At School
School starts at 7:30 a.m. Students may come early to complete work in the student tutoring center but MAY NOT be in other places throughout the building unless with an adult or with a pass. Students going to the library to complete work or study will need to have the work already with them and will be expected to ONLY complete their work and/or study while in the library. The library IS NOT a hang out area.

Attendance Philosophy
Students who desire to obtain the greatest benefit from public education must recognize that regular attendance is essential. Further, students enrolled in the Denver Public Schools are required to attend classes in accordance with the Colorado Compulsory Attendance Law (22-33-104) and Article IX, Section 2, of the Colorado constitution. The students, parents, and schools share the responsibility for attendance.

Absences, whether excused or unexcused, are detrimental to the learning process because work made up outside of class is not as effective as the actual classroom experience. Such experiences as class discussion and student-teacher interaction cannot be replicated outside the classroom or at a later time. In addition, regular attendance develops habits that are essential for success in the working world.

The Principals of the Green Valley and Montbello communities, therefore, have developed an attendance policy for the sole purpose of promoting daily student attendance, so that instructional continuity, which is vital to student success, will be maintained. This policy is aligned with Denver Public Schools Board Policy JE-Student Attendance. It is expected that this standard of attendance will be met in order for a student to receive academic credit.

Guidelines And Procedures

Parents are expected to contact the attendance office when a child will be absent from school. It is requested that parents report all absences to the school within 24 hours of the absence.

When reporting an absence to the Attendance Office the following information is necessary for school records:

Student's name
Student's grade
Class period(s) missed
Date(s) of the absence
Reason for the absence

When a student misses school, their absence will be categorized by the office into one of the types listed below:

A. Excused Absences

An excused absence will be an absence with permission of the parent/guardian and school principal. Such absences should comply with state law and include those that are the result of the following:

Ill or injured (doctor's appointments fall into this category)
Attending to a death in the family
In the custody of the court
Observing a religious holiday
School activities including approved college trips

Students will be provided make-up work for any excused absence and receive full credit for the work. It is the responsibility of the student to pick-up any make-up assignment and return it to the teacher within a predetermined time period. Students who accumulate excessive absences will be required to provide the school with documentation to verify that future absences should be excused.

B. Unexcused Absences

An unexcused absence will be an absence with permission of the parent/guardian but without permission of the school principal. Unexcused absences are all other absences that include, but are not limited to the following:

Car Trouble
Missing the bus
Oversleeping
Staying home to study
Staying home to care for family members
Traffic problems
Arriving late to any class without an excuse from the Attendance Office or Student Advisor

Students may be provided make-up work for any unexcused absence. However, the student may not receive full credit for the make-up work (teacher's may take 20% off the top). It is the responsibility of the student to pick-up any make-up assignment and return it to the teacher within a predetermined time period.

Students with three consecutive unexcused absences may be withdrawn from school. The parent will then be required to complete the registration process to re-enroll the student into school. Furthermore, the student and/or parent will be required to meet with the school principal and/or designee and other school staff (i.e. social worker, student advisor, or counselor) to develop a school attendance plan. The school attendance plan may require the student's participation in before or after school activities designed to reintegrate the student into the learning community.

A student with four unexcused absences in a month or ten unexcused absences within a school year and is under age 16 will be determined to be a habitually truant student. Students who are 16 years old or above who are habitually truant will be withdrawn from school due to non attendance.

C. Truancy

A truancy will be an absence without the permission of the parent/guardian and the school principal.

Students will not be provided make-up work for a truancy - unless they come for tutoring outside of the school day. Students with three consecutive truancies may be withdrawn from school. The parent will then be required to complete the registration process to re-enroll the student into school. Furthermore, the student and/or parent will be required to meet with the school principal and/or designee and other school staff (i.e. social worker, student advisor, or counselor) to develop a school attendance plan. The school attendance plan may require the student's participation in before or after school activities designed to reintegrate the student into the learning community.

A student with four truancies in a month and ten truancies in a school year and is under age 16 will be determined to be a habitually truant student. Students who are 16 years old or above who are habitually truant will be withdrawn from school due to non attendance.

D. Tardiness

Tardiness is defined as the arrival of a student without proper excuse within the first ten minutes after the scheduled time the class begins. Arriving to any class over 10 minutes late without an excuse from the Attendance office or Student Advisement office will be considered an unexcused absence.

Excessive tardies will result the student and/or parent being required to meet with the school principal and/or designee and other school staff (i.e. school social worker, student advisors, or counselors) to develop a school attendance plan. The student may be required to participate in before or after school activities designed to reintegrate the student into the learning community.

At Montbello High School each student has 3 free tardy passes per semester. Students may use these passes to get into class without excuse. The passes must be signed and must be naturally attached to the agenda in order to be valid. After they are used, students WILL receive a consequence for ALL absences REGARDLESS of excuse, so use them wisely. Students caught stealing or using passes of other students are subject to ISIR and/or suspension from school.

Administration will support classroom tardy policies with hall sweeps. Hall sweeps are conducted by the administration and staff. A student who is not in their class on time, will be 'swept', their name taken and detentions, community service, and even ISIR will be assigned.

Students have 6 minutes during passing periods to go to their lockers, use the restroom, and to get a drink. Students will not be given passes to do these things during class time except in emergency situations or with a doctor's note. Students who receive these passes may be held to serve detention. Students ARE NOT to be at vending machines during the last 2 minutes of the passing period.

Anticipated Absences

Any student leaving from or arriving at school at a time other than regular arrival or dismissal time should sign in or out of the office and have their agenda signed.

Only a parent or an adult listed on the Registration Form is allowed to pick up a student from school. Parents may send a signed note with an adult relative listed on the Registration Form to pick up their child for prearranged excused absences. The adult must come inside to the office and sign the student out.

Students who know in advance they will be absent for several days for urgent and unavoidable reasons should fill out a "Request to be Absent" form in the office. Teachers will sign the slip and give assignments. It is the student's responsibility to make up the work in the allowed time given by each teacher. Students who are truant or 'skipping' class will receive time in ISIR, after-school detention, or Saturday school. Per our attendance policy the school will only excuse 3 days of consecutive absences. Absences beyond 3 days will be considered excused and the student will be withdrawn from school and the parents required to re-enroll their child when he/she returns.