Attendance

To report a student's absence, parents are requested to email cmsattendance@rsdmo.org to call 636-891-6965 between 7:00 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. the day of the absence. If the school does not receive a call, the absence will be UNEXCUSED. The absence will be changed to EXCUSED only if the Attendance Office receives a CALL or NOTE WITHIN THREE DAYS.

The purpose of the attendance policy of the District is to encourage regular school attendance. The Board believes that regular and punctual attendance is an important factor in a student's success in school.

An integral part of the learning experience is the interaction between students and teachers. Students who are absent from school are not able to participate in class discussions, small-group activities, or class experiments. They miss out on explanations of concepts and ideas that will appear on homework assignments and tests. Missing school results in poor work habits, lower grades, lower self‑esteem, and a lack of self‑discipline.

Since there is a direct relationship between attendance, grades, and success in school, the Board believes that students must maintain a good attendance record. This attendance policy has attempted to establish reasonable standards regarding absences with the purpose of encouraging and supporting students toward achieving the highest possible academic success.

All Missouri children between the ages of seven (7) years and seventeen (17) years and who have not completed sixteen (16) credits toward high school graduation are required to be under school jurisdiction during the hours school is in session. In the case of students seventeen (17) or above, consideration will be given to their request to be excused part of the day provided they submit a written request from the parent/guardian. The extent of the student workload shall depend upon the outcome of counseling involving the student, the parent/guardian and the counselor. Changes in the workload that involve a shifting of the student's class schedule will normally be made only at the beginning of a semester.

The school year is defined as the period of time from the opening of school in August/September to the close of the regular school term. Any units of credit earned during the summer, while counted toward meeting graduation requirements and standing in class, are not considered credit earned during a regular school term. Students who are absent due to illness may be required to submit a doctor's statement. Students are required by law to attend a school continuously until they have reached age seventeen (17) or sixteen (16) if they have successfully completed sixteen (16) credits towards high school graduation. Any correspondence courses must be approved by the administration prior to enrollment, if credit is to be granted.

Excusable Absences

The following absences will be excused:

1. Death in the student's immediate family
2. Illness of the student
3. Doctor and dental appointments
4. Certain days for religious observances
5. Court appearances
6. When a family is leaving town and desires to take the student with them, they may be excused up to five (5) school days provided that:
   1. the school is notified in advance of the absence
   2. the student procures assignments in advance of the absence
   3. all assigned work is turned in upon returning to school
   4. all tests, etc., are made up at the direction of the individual teacher

Absences for all other reasons are inexcusable and shall be treated as truancy.

Suspensions imposed by the school administration shall not count as an excused or unexcused absence.

Make-up Work After Excused Absences (other than trips or vacations)

Students who have an excused absence shall have the opportunity to make up work. IT SHALL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT, ON HIS/HER OWN INITIATIVE, TO CONTACT THE TEACHER(S) INVOLVED TO DETERMINE MAKE‑UP ASSIGNMENTS AND ESTABLISH MUTUALLY AGREEABLE TIMES FOR DAILY WORK AND TEST MAKE‑UP. Students will be granted the amount of time they were absent in which to make up work. Students who have justifiable reasons for absences, such as illness or accident and whose probable absences will extend beyond two (2) weeks shall be referred for homebound instruction.

Students who have an unexcused absence will not be allowed to receive credit for work missed.

The building administrator and staff have the authority to establish specific procedures for administering the Make-Up Policy. Specific procedures for attendance accounting will be determined by the building principal.

The Rockwood School District recognizes that the district is composed of students who come from many diverse backgrounds and cultures. The District will take this diversity into consideration when scheduling major activities such as standardized testing, graduations, etc., in an attempt to avoid scheduling such activities on major religious holidays whose observance necessitates a student’s absence from school.

Each individual school will also take major religious holidays into consideration when scheduling major events at the school level such as concerts, awards programs, testing, major tests, projects or presentations, etc., in an attempt to avoid such conflicts.

The District recognizes that despite these efforts, some conflicts with major religious holidays may be unavoidable. In the event that such a conflict does occur, the absence will be excused and the procedures for make-up work will be followed. If additional accommodations are needed to minimize the impact on the student, they will be made at the discretion of the building principal.

Attendance Procedures and Actions

In the event of an attendance problem parents/guardians and the school shall cooperatively work to resolve the situation.

• After three (3) days of unexcused absences or five (5) days of excused absences per semester, the school will establish written communication with the parents/guardians.
• After five (5) days of unexcused absences per year, a second letter of notification will be sent from the school to the parents/guardians. The school may also make a referral to the school social worker.
• After a total of ten (10) days of absences per year, either excused or unexcused, a letter of notification will be sent from the school to the parents/guardians. At that time, a social worker referral may be made, which may include contacting other community resources to support the family. A doctor’s note may be required for any/all future absences.
• Once a student has reached fifteen (15) days of total absences per year, a social worker will make contact with the family to offer support and/or resources of varying degrees.

A pattern of chronic tardiness may result in written notification to the parents/guardians and/or a social worker referral.

Parent Responsibilities

Parents have responsibility for requiring and promoting their child's regular school attendance, the first step in achieving academic success

Missouri School Law under the Compulsory School Attendance subsection places the burden of responsibility for school attendance on the parent:

Every parent, guardian or other person in this state having charge, control or custody of a child not enrolled in a public, private, parochial, parish school or full-time equivalent attendance in a combination of such schools and between the ages of seven years and the compulsory attendance age for the district is responsible for enrolling the child in a program of academic instruction...
RSMo. 167.031

Parents/guardians are responsible for notifying the school office of their child's absence. A phone call should be made to 636-891-6965 to verify the absence on the day of the absence.

In the event of an attendance problem, parents/guardians and the school shall cooperatively work to resolve the situation.

Parents planning to take a student out of school are responsible for making advance arrangements with the school administration.