DHS Attendance

INTRODUCTION

School Hours

Transportation to and from school is provided by school buses. If students are transported by private vehicles, they should arrive at school no earlier than thirty (30) minutes prior to the start time and be picked up no later than ten (10) minutes after dismissal time. Student supervision is not available prior to or after these times.  For safety reasons, please use the drop-off loop at the main entrance for student drop-off and pickup.

ATTENDANCE RESPONSIBILITIES

Students:

• Attend school and be on time for all classes each day unless you have a valid reason to be absent and have communicated the absence with your parent/guardian in advance.
• Be on time for all classes.
• Communicate with your teachers regarding assignments. Secure assignments in advance of known/planned absences.
• Make sure your parents/guardians have reported your absence by 2:00 pm.
• If you have an excused early dismissal, bring a signed note to the main office before school starts to receive an early dismissal pass.
• Sign in/out in the main office whenever arriving at school after 8:00 am or leaving school before 2:53 pm. Failure to sign in or out if arriving late or leaving early may result in disciplinary action.  Early or late arrivals will not be excused if students do not sign in/out.

Teachers:

• Submit accurate attendance via PowerSchool within the first 15 minutes of each class.
• Inform the office of any suspected skipping or attendance issues.
• Provide assignments to students in a timely manner when informed by students of prearranged absences.

Parents:

• Ensure your student is in school and on time each day unless there is a valid reason for absence. Report any absence by 2:00pm the day of the absence by filling out the DHS Student Absence Form online, calling the attendance line (734-424-4240 option 1), or by calling the main office (734-424-4240 option 0).  Please allow 24-48 hours for attendance to be rectified in PowerSchool by office staff.
• Failure to report a student absence within 24 hours will result in an unexcused absence.  

Students and Parents, please note: DHS is a closed campus.  Students are not allowed to leave campus at lunch or at any other time during the school day without permission or without signing out in the main office.

REPORTING ABSENCES AND TARDIES

Accurate attendance is important for the safety of your student and for state reporting. Please notify the school office if your student will not be at school for any reason. Choose one of the following ways to report an absence:

• Fill out the DHS Student Absence Form online.
• Leave a voicemail on the attendance line mailbox. Dial 734-424-4240, then press 1 to get the attendance line. Leave a clear message that includes:
  • Student first & last name
  • Date of absence
  • Reason for absence
  • Name of person reporting absence
  • Call the main office 734-424-4240, option 0

Parents/guardians of DHS students must report an absence within twenty-four hours of the day of their student’s absence in order to have an absence excused. If notification is not received within twenty-four hours after the return to school stating the reason for the student’s absence, the student will be considered unexcused for the day. The school’s voicemail system can accept attendance messages twenty-four hours a day. 

Please note: Teachers do not have access to information reported on the online form or to the absence voicemail.  Communicate with teachers, counselors, or other staff if there is specific information they should be aware of.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Excused absences are absences that have been reported to the high school, are for a valid reason according to the DCS Handbook (see below), and are coded in PowerSchool as (E). 

The District accepts only the following as excusable reasons for absence from school: 

• Illness 
• Quarantine of the home
• Death of a relative
• Observance of religious holidays
• Out of school suspension
• Professional appointments—Parents/guardians are encouraged to schedule medical, dental, legal and other necessary appointments at times other than during the school day. Since this is not always possible, when a student is absent for part of the day: 
  • The principal may request a statement to that effect from the student;
  • The principal may request a signed statement from the doctor, dentist, lawyer, counselor, etc. to the effect that the student reported promptly for the appointment. 

Absences that do not accumulate against this guideline include: school business, field trips/athletic competitions, and college visits which have been approved in advance by administration. Students in grades 9-12 who are excused for any of these three reasons must make arrangements to make up the assignments, tests and quizzes before the scheduled event. 

Teachers enter attendance at the beginning of each class period.  Students not seen in class will be marked as unexcused (U). Office staff will rectify attendance later in the day and change any unexcused absences to excused (E) if the absence was properly reported to the school.  

VACATIONS 

Parents and guardians are discouraged from taking vacations during the school year. However, whenever a proposed absence for vacation is requested, parents must discuss it in advance with the teachers and complete a Vacation Request Form. After a student returns, s/he may be given approximate assignments and materials for completion. 

EXCUSED ABSENCE MAKE UP POLICY 

• Any student with an excused absence from school has the right to make up any missing work for the excused days. 

• It is the responsibility of the student to request makeup work from the teacher. The student must request the work on the day s/he returns to school or before the absence in the case of pre-arranged absences.

• The student will be given one (1) day per each day absent to make up assignments and return them to the teacher. 

• Teachers are not required to give any additional aid beyond accepting makeup assignments from the student and administering any tests the student may have missed. The student is responsible for making an appointment with the teacher for any such tests. 

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

Unexcused absences are absences that have not been reported to the high school within 24 hours and are coded in PowerSchool as (U).  Please allow 24-48 hours for attendance to be rectified by office staff.

EARLY DISMISSAL 

No student will be allowed to leave school prior to dismissal time without a written request signed by the parent/guardian or the parent/guardian coming to the school office to request the release.  Students must sign out in the main office prior to leaving the building.

Students with excused, pre-arranged early dismissals should report to the main office before school starts to receive an early release pass to present to their teacher. 

Students leaving school early must sign out in the main office. Failure to sign in or out if arriving or leaving early may result in disciplinary action.  Early dismissals will not be excused if students do not sign in/out.
 

EXTRACURRICULAR PARTICIPATION 

A student must be in attendance for the full day in order to participate in a sporting event or extracurricular performance that day, unless excused by a prearranged special excuse. A special excuse is defined as a doctor appointment, dentist appointment, or a funeral. Staying home to rest or calling in sick for half the day is not considered an excused absence. Students who are frequently absent the day following an event or performance may be prohibited from future participation by the administration.

TRUANCY 

The state defines “chronically absent” as 10 days or more in a school year.  A student shall be considered truant each day or part of a day s/he is inexcusably absent from his/her assigned location. Absence is defined as non-presence in the assigned location any time beyond the tardiness limit. Truancy demonstrates a deliberate disregard for the educational program and is considered a serious matter. A student shall be considered a “habitual truant” when, in spite of warnings and/or his/her parents’ efforts to ensure attendance, s/he has accumulated ten (10) unexcused or excessive excused absences or tardies within a three-month period or term. The disciplining of truant students shall be in accord with Board policies and due process. Truant students who are minor parents are to be reported to the Washtenaw Family County System.   
 

ATTENDANCE INFRACTIONS & CONSEQUENCES

Skipping

Skipping is missing all of a class, part of a class, or multiple classes without being excused or having the prior approval of school staff or the individual teacher whose class is being missed.  If a parent does not contact the school within 24 hours of an absence, unexcused absences may be considered skipping.

Consequences for skipping:

• 1st offense: 1 day after school detention and parent contact
• 2nd offense: 3 days after school detention and parent contact
• 3rd offense: 5 days after school detention and parent contact
• 4th+: administrative discretion and parent conference

Tardies

“Tardy” is defined as arriving between the official start time of each class and up to 5 minutes after class starts. Tardies are coded in PowerSchool as (T).

• After 5 minutes—a “late” (L) will be marked for students who arrive more than 5 minutes after the official start time of class. A “late” is counted as an absence.

Consequences for being tardy and/or late (based on unexcused tardies in each individual class):

• 1st & 2nd tardy: teacher warning
• 3rd tardy: after school detention and parent contact
• Each additional accumulation of 3 tardies and/or lates in a class: additional after school detention.  Example: 6 tardies and/or lates = 2 days after school detention, 9 tardies = 3 days after school detention, etc.
• Additional corrective measures may be implemented at the discretion of DHS administrators

Unexcused Absences

Notification will be sent to parents/guardians upon accumulation of excessive absences.  Excessive absences will be addressed as truancy according to Board policy.