Attendance Standard
All students are expected to be on time and present each day that school is open during the school year.
Attendance
Students shall be counted in attendance if they are actually present at school at the time the attendance is taken or are away from school on a school day and engaged in an educational activity that constitutes a part of the school approved instructional program for the student (Section 1003.23, Florida Statutes). Per School District Policy 4.16 an Excused Absence consists of: Illness of the student, Illness of an immediate family member, Death in the immediate family, Religious instruction or religious holidays, Court appearances or subpoenas, Scheduled medical or dental appointments.
Cypress Lake High School will accept parent notes to Excuse 5 absences per semester for a total of 10 absences per school year. Beyond that, absences must be accompanied by proper documentation (Doctor/Dental notes, Hospital notes, Court subpoenas, immigration papers etc), to be marked as Excused. Formal documentation can be brought in at any time during the semester. Excuse notes can be submitted to [email protected] or to the attendance box at the front office. Email is preferred.
As per the School Board Policy 4.16, after nine absences in a course, credit may be withheld. The Child Study Team will develop a contract with the student and parents that includes a plan to restore the credit withheld.
Florida State Statute 1003.21 on School attendance
(1) All children who have attained the age of 6 years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but who have not attained the age of 16 years, except as otherwise provided, are required to attend school regularly during the entire school term.
(2) A student who attains the age of 16 years during the school year is not subject to compulsory school attendance beyond the date upon which he or she attains that age if the student files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the district school board. Public school students who have attained the age of 16 years and who have not graduated are subject to compulsory school attendance until the formal declaration of intent is filed with the district school board. The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school enrollment is likely to reduce the student’s earning potential and must be signed by the student and the student’s parent.
Florida State Statute 984.151 on Truancy petition; prosecution; disposition
(1) If the school determines that a student subject to compulsory school attendance has had at least five unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, within a calendar month or 10 unexcused absences, or absences for which the reasons are unknown, within a 90-calendar-day period pursuant to s. 1003.26(1)(b), or has had more than 15 unexcused absences in a 90-calendar-day period, the superintendent of schools or his or her designee may file a truancy petition.
Florida State Statute 322.091 Attendance Requirements - DMV
If the minor is not in compliance with school attendance, their driving privilege can be suspended, or the minor may be ineligible to obtain a license until providing proof that they have attended school for 30 consecutive days.
Expectations
1. Absences
a. All appointments should be scheduled outside of the school day.
b. If a student is absent 10 or more days in a course each semester, they may be denied that semester course credit and have to repeat the semester of that course
2. Documentation for absences
a. Absences require a note/documentation turned into the Main/Attendance Office. However, ONLY parent/guardian, medical or legal documentation will be entered in the system as excused.
b. 10 or more absences per course will require medical or legal documentation for the absence to be excused; otherwise, credit may be denied.
c. Excessive absences also will result in driver’s licenses being revoked from the State.
d. Credit can be denied for excessive absences in individual courses.
Credit Denial Process
Attendance will be evaluated by the Attendance Office. If a student has 10 or more absences and does not have medical or legal documentation to support the absences, students and parents will be notified of the credit denial within 30 days. Students and parents will have the opportunity to have a meeting with the Child Study Team to review their specific case within 30 days.
If you have any attendance related questions, please contact the Attendance Office at [email protected] or the School Social Worker at [email protected].
Make-Up Work
A student who is absent and the absence is determined to be an excused absence, as defined by School Board Policy 4.16, is required to make up all course work missed. It is the student's responsibility to obtain assignments from the appropriate teacher(s) upon returning to class immediately following an absence. The student will be given the number of days absent plus one additional day to make up all work missed for full credit.