Attendance - Arvada High School (2024)

Arvada High School teachers are expected to take accurate attendance daily in Infinite Campus. Attendance should be taken in the first 10 minutes of class.

When a student arrives tardy at any point in the class period, the teacher will mark the student tardy and denote the time arrived in Infinite Campus, unless the class is past the halfway point.

If a student arrives after the first half of class, the teacher will mark the student absent and record the time they arrived in the comment section of Infinite Campus.

Administration and attendance teams will follow theattendance framework in order to track and manage student attendance. Administrators, attendance secretaries and counselors will hold regular attendance team meetings to follow this framework with increased diligence.

Arvada High School Attendance Framework

Excused absences include:

1. A student who is temporarily ill or injured or whose absence is approved by the school administration on a prearranged basis. Prearranged absences shall be approved for appointments or circ*mstances of a serious nature only, which cannot be taken care of outside of school hours.
2. A student who is absent for an extended period due to physical, mental or emotional disability.
3. Funerals, illness, injury, legal obligations, medical procedures and religious observations, and extenuating circ*mstances determined by the principal.
4. A student who is visiting a parent or guardian who is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty, is on leave from, or immediately returning from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting.

A student who is attending a school-sponsored activity or who is receiving Jeffco educational services shall not be considered absent for attendance reporting purposes.

For any absence not specifically covered by another section, such as family vacations, college visits or other extended absences, a student should complete a pre-arranged absence form to be excused. This form should be submitted prior to the scheduled absence to an administrator for approval.

The district may require suitable proof regarding extended absences, chronic absences or medical documentation as appropriate.

Unexcused absences are defined as absences not covered by the grounds for excused absences, including students leaving class without permission from the teacher or administrator in charge, students missing a class without parental approval, “ditch days” and circ*mstances determined by the principal.

Each unexcused absence shall be entered on the student's record. The parents or guardian of the student receiving an unexcused absence shall be notified by the auto-dialer and parents are welcome to contact the school to inquire about attendance.

Unexcused absences and tardies will have appropriate consequences. These may include but are not limited to in-school suspension, detention, loss of privileges and loss of athletic and activity eligibility. At the senior high school level, persistent absenteeism may, in the judgment of the teacher and school administration, result in a failing grade.

Judicial proceedings – truancy court – may be initiated to enforce compulsory attendance when a student ages 6-16 misses four days in one month or 10 days in one year.

It is essential that students complete the work they have missed following an excused or unexcused absence.

1. It is the responsibility of the student and parent or guardian to initiate requests for and pick up makeup work on the day the student returns to class from an excused absence. This can also be completed online through email or through checking the online learning platform.
2. Makeup work should reflect class assignments missed during the absence, and a reasonable amount of time should be allowed for work completion.
3. The time allowed to make up work is twice the number of classes or days missed for excused absences (two days allowed for makeup work for each day of absence). However, an extension of this time limit may be approved by the school administration.
4. Students who complete makeup work within the required timeline will receive full academic credit earned for the makeup work if the absence is excused. If the absence is not excused then the school’s late work policy applies.
5. Please see the full grading policy for more information regarding late work.

For attendance purposes, any absence from school resulting from suspension will be considered an excused absence. Such absences due to suspension shall not be counted in the total of unexcused absences when determining if a student is habitually truant.

Students must complete all assignments that were missed according to the rules that apply for absences. Unlike the policy for excused or unexcused absences, students do not have two days to make up work for every day they missed when suspended. Teachers may require that all makeup work be completed upon return from suspension or the regular due date, whichever is later.

Teachers may require students to make up tests on the day the student returns from suspension. When a student has multiple tests, teachers must work together to schedule the makeups.

Why tardies matter

Studies show students who are tardy to class are less likely to graduate high school than their on-time peers

Consequences for tardies

• Robocalls home each period
• Teacher phone calls
• Tardy Reflection Room
• ISS
• Parent or guardian meetings
• Loss of off-campus privileges

Tardy kiosk process

When the tardy bell rings, all teachers will close their doors promptly. No students will be admitted to class without a pass.

Tardy kiosk – first 10 minutes

Students must find a tardy kiosk in their hallway. They must log their names and ID in the Google Form and receive a tardy pass from an administrator.

Tardy kiosk – after 10 minutes

All students must go to the front office and get a tardy pass from Ms. LaRaine. No student should be in the hall without a pass. No student will be admitted to class without a pass.