BMS Attendance Policy

ATTENDANCE POLICY

To report an absence, please call 669-7750 and select option #1 when prompted.

The Baldwin Street Middle School Attendance Policy rests on the premise that important events take place in class every day and that such activity or interaction between teachers and students can never be exactly duplicated. Interaction among students and staff, coupled with involvement with the total school environment, are critical factors in the learning process. Such interaction is dependent upon a student’s presence in school and the classroom. Therefore, to maximize learning, regular school attendance is paramount and vitally important to each student’s success. Attendance directly affects academic progress, is part of a student’s permanent record, and helps to develop lifelong attitudes necessary for success in the world of work beyond high school. Although Michigan Law provides that the responsibility for school attendance of children under the age of eighteen (18) rests with the parents/legal guardians, the school and students of all ages share portions of the responsibility for the student’s education as it relates to attendance.

Any absence greater than 10% is considered excessive. The Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD) establishes standards for parental contacts concerning excessive absences, and parents will be notified by mail when students exceed these limits. This notification will be made regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Excessive absences may require the school to make a truancy report with the county truancy office.

CLOSED CAMPUS
After students arrive at school, they are not permitted to leave campus at any time during the day unless they are signed out in the office for a verifiable reason communicated in advance to the office by the student’s legal guardian or if they are involved in a prearranged, school-sponsored activity. Students who leave the school building without permission, or checking out in the office, could face disciplinary measures.

EARLY DISMISSAL (Appointments, illnesses, etc.)
If a student must leave at any time during the school day, parents must contact the office. Students will be issued a pass to give to their teacher for release from class. If students become injured or ill, they should seek help in the office, and office staff will contact parents/guardians to pick up their student. Students should NOT call/text from their cell phones per district personal electronic device policy. Students will be signed out from the office before they leave. Students leaving the building without permission are subject to disciplinary action.

ATTENDANCE OFFICE NOTIFICATION
When a student is absent for any portion of the school day, a legal guardian must contact the school to explain the reason for the absence––preferably before or during the school day of the absence, but minimally within 24 hours of the absence. As practicable, school staff will attempt to contact guardians in the event of unexcused absences during the school day. The absence will remain unexcused if no contact is made.

POWERSCHOOL NOTIFICATIONS
PowerSchool can be programmed to notify guardians of attendance and grade progress. Visit https://powerschool.hudsonville.k12.mi.us, click [Create An Account] and enter the necessary information, including the Guardian Web ID and the Guardian Password. After an account has been created, you can set up the system to email you daily, weekly, or monthly updates on grades and attendance. Please contact your school counselor if you need more information on how to initiate these alerts.

EXCUSED (EA)
Absences that are communicated by a legal guardian due to personal illness, professional appointments, funerals, or serious personal or family problems will be considered excused. The student must initiate arrangements for missed work for an excused absence. (See rules for Make-Up Work below.)

EXCUSED-MEDICAL (EM)
Absences due to professional appointments with a written doctor’s note on file will be considered excused-medical. Excessive absences will require verifiable medical, court, or other documentation to be excused.

UNEXCUSED (UA)
Absences that are not in the excused category and not communicated by the legal guardian are unexcused. Examples would be shopping trips, barber or beauty appointments, missing the bus, oversleeping, etc. Disciplinary measures may be taken depending on the number of truancy offenses the student has accrued during the school year.

SCHOOL RELATED ABSENCES (SR)
Any absence due to a school related field trip or meeting will be coded as a school related absence. Students are responsible for all homework, tests, quizzes, and other assignments.

EXCUSED-LEFT EARLY FROM CLASS (LEE)
When a student attends part of a class period (missing more than 10 minutes in a given hour) and communication of the reason for the early dismissal is received in advance by the office from a legal guardian, the partial absence will be marked as Excused-Left Early (LEE) for student accounting purposes. Partial absences not communicated in advance by a legal guardian will result in a (LEU, LAU, or UT) See Below.

UNEXCUSED-LEFT EARLY FROM CLASS (LEU)
When a student attends part of a class period and leaves early (1-10 minutes from beginning/end of class) without communication from a legal guardian, the partial absence will be marked as Unexcused-Left Early (LEU). Depending on the number of truancy offenses the student has accrued during the school year, they may be subject to disciplinary measures including Co-Curricular/Athletic Code rules of conduct violations.

ABSENT 10 OR MORE MINUTES (LAU)
When students are present for part of a class period but miss ten or more minutes without advance guardian verification, they will be marked UA and are subject to disciplinary consequences and Co-Curricular/Athletic Code rules of conduct violations.

TARDINESS (UT)
Punctuality is a life skill that business and industry claim as one of the most important requirements for employability. Students are considered tardy if they are not in class when the clock clicks to the minute each class begins without excuse or explanation from the legal guardian (for example, the class start time for 2nd hour is 8:54, and students are officially tardy if they are not in the classroom when the clock clicks to 8:54). A student is considered to be tardy up to 10 minutes after the beginning of class (and after the restart of class after B lunch). When a student has accumulated a third (3rd) tardy during a quarter in a class, that student is assigned a lunch detention. Each tardy in that class thereafter will result in additional detentions that quarter. Excessive tardiness will be considered persistent disobedience resulting in administrative intervention. Administration reserves the right to perform Hall Sweeps unannounced, and appropriate consequences will be left to administration discretion.

EXCUSED TARDY (ET)
When a student attends part of a class period (arrives late to class 1-10 minutes) and communication of the reason for the late arrival is received in advance by the office from a legal guardian, the partial absence will be marked as Excused Tardy (ET) for student accounting purposes. These absences will count as present for all other attendance policies. Partial absences (1-10 minutes) not communicated in advance by a legal guardian will result in a (UT or LEU) See Above.

ATHLETICS/CO-CURRICULAR ATTENDANCE POLICY
Students must be in school for three full class periods in order to participate in extra-curricular activities for that day (must be marked as an excused absence). Exceptions may be granted by the principal/athletic director. If a student-athlete goes home sick, s/he will not be allowed to participate in practice or competition for that day.

MAKE-UP WORK
After a student has been absent for any reason, it is the student’s responsibility to inquire about make-up work. The maximum amount of time for this make-up work is two days for each day of school missed, including the day the student returns to school. If students miss three (3) or more consecutive days, they must complete make-up work within 5 school days of their return. In the event of an extended illness or other unusual circumstances, individual plans will be worked out between the student and the teacher. Students absent on the day of a test or exam are expected to make up the test or exam within two school days of the absence.

FAMILY VACATIONS
Parents are discouraged from having their students excused from school for vacations or trips. A student who wishes to take part in a planned family vacation will be excused if the parent makes the request at least five (5) school days in advance of the scheduled vacation. Students with six (6), or more absences may or may not have their requests excused by administration.

PowerSchool Attendance Code Abbreviations:

Absence Code	Defination
A	Uncoded Absence
EA	Excused Absence
UA	Unexcused Absence
EM	Excused-Medical (doctor’s note provided)
LAE	Late Arrival Excused >=10 Minutes
LAU	Late Arrival Unexcused >=10 Minutes
LEE	Left Early Excused
LEU	Left Early Unexcused (1-10 minutes)
SR	School Related Absence
ET	Excused Tardy (1-10 minutes)
UT	Tardy <10 Minutes
IST	In-School Tutorial (In-School Suspension)
OSS	Out-of-School Suspension