Attendance at HCES is a privilege. To receive maximum benefit from school, students must be in regular attendance. Parents should notify the school of special problems related to continual absences. Parents should also be aware that more than nine days absent per semester requires a written explanation addressed to the Hampton Christian School Board. Also, a high number of absences could have a negative impact on the academic progress of a student.

The student and parent share the responsibility of making every effort for the student to attend class every school day. Parents have the added responsibility of accounting for their student's absences by contacting the school office expediently.

Absences will be considered excused for personal illness, serious illness or death in the immediate family, medical and dental appointments, or other compelling reasons specifically approved by the principal. Students will be allowed to make up any work missed. (See Make-Up Work for Absences below.) Parents must contact the school office BEFORE 9:00 AM if they would like to come by and pick up their child's missed work.

Any student absences require that parents submit a signed note stating the reason for absence. Students are allowed to make up work only for excused absences such as sickness, or pre-approved family events. Any absence, for whatever reason, will be charged against the student's attendance record, except when the student participates in an approved school activity such as a field trip.

Prior Approval for Special Events

Students may receive permission to be absent from school for special occasions such as a church retreat or a family activity. A note from a parent must be brought to the office and approval by the principal must be made at least 24 hours prior to the beginning of the time period for that requested absence. Students will then take the approved note to their teachers and arrange to make up work that will be missed during the absence. In the event a teacher feels that the absence may be unwise, that teacher will notify the parents and advise them of the reason for concern. Parents will then determine if the student will be taken out of school.

Make-up Work for Excused Absences

Teachers will work with students to establish a make-up plan for work missed due to excused absences such as extended illness, death in the family, emergency (as recognized by the principal) or medical and dental appointments. Students will be responsible for completing all work assigned and quizzes/tests scheduled before or during the absence, and they will receive credit for the work completed. Appropriate penalties will be assessed if work is turned in late or quizzes/tests are not completed on the time schedule assigned by the teacher.

TARDY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Philosophy

Being on time is a life skill important to each student's future. The parents have the responsibility to teach the importance of this skill while the school has the responsibility to protect the instructional time it provides. Tardiness of individual students interrupts instructional time. Promptness to class protects the teacher's ability to begin the instruction of all students on time.

Policy

Students are tardy if they are not in the classroom by 8:20 a.m. each morning. Students who are tardy will report to the office in order to determine whether or not to excuse the tardy. A tardy slip will then be issued for the student to take to the classroom teacher.

Excused Tardiness

An excused tardy to school is defined as: a tardy due to a doctor's appointment, medical emergency, or any other serious extenuating circumstance. On occasion, students will be tardy due to traffic accidents or military bases going to high alert status. The elementary principal will announce over the intercom for teachers to hold their attendance sheets so that certain tardies will be counted as excused. A note/verbal message from a parent (within three (3) school days after a tardy) must be given to the office staff stating the reason the student was tardy. Otherwise the tardy will be unexcused.

Unexcused Tardiness

Upon the fourth unexcused tardy in a semester, parents will be notified in a letter from the principal. Parents need to acknowledge the unexcused tardies by signing the letter and returning it to the school office.

Excessive Tardiness

Five or more unexcused tardies during a semester may result in a conference of parent and student with a school administrator.

The perfect attendance award is given to students who have not missed any part of any school day.

The attendance certificate is given to students who are in school every day, but who have missed part of the school day. To be eligible for the attendance certificate, students must be in attendance at least three hours on any school day. However, due to the instructional needs of the students we encourage parents to have students in class for as much of the instructional time as possible. It is best to schedule dental and medical appointments for the students during lunch times or resources times.