Students are expected to be in school each day that school is in session. Attendance is taken in every class period as students are expected to report on time to every class for which they are assigned.

TARDY

Failure arrive to class on time may result in a tardy. Starting with the third occurrence, a student receives one hour of detention for every unexcused tardy. With every third unexcused tardy, a student receives one truancy.

ABSENCE

All absences must be excused by a parent/guardian by calling the school. Absences are recorded in PowerSchool in accordance with administrative policy FFB-AP: Attendance & Absences and North Dakota Century Code 15.1-20: School Attendance. Skipping class is an unexcused absence or truancy.

Missed Work

All work missed or assigned because of an absence must be completed. The days absent plus one day are allowed to complete the work in order to receive credit; no credit is given for work submitted late or unfinished.

Request for missed work is to be made by 9:30AM on the third day in which a student has been absent. Parents/guardians may make arrangements with another student to deliver missed work or they may pick up the materials from the school office.

A parent/guardian is to notify the school office if a family vacation of three or more days will require the absence of a student and notify the applicable teachers in advance of departure to allow time for the arrangement and distribution of missed work.

Late Arrival

Students arriving to school after the start of the school day must report to the school office, sign in, and receive a pass. Permission/approval for an excused late arrival must be submitted by a parent/guardian via phone.

Early Dismissal

Students leaving school prior to dismissal time must report to the office, sign out, and receive a pass. Permission/approval for an excused early dismissal must be submitted by a parent/guardian via phone.

North Dakota law contains compulsory attendance requirements for learners ages seven through sixteen. The District believes there is an intangible benefit associated with being present in the classroom. Learners are required to attend school 90% of the academic school year. In order to comply with and enforce these requirements the District establishes the following attendance policy.

Definitions

For purposes of compulsory attendance reporting under NDCC 15.1-20-02.1 (1-2):

• Excused absence: Any absence may be excused if it is supported by either a verbal or written excuse supplied by the learner’s parent/guardian, teacher, or school administrator and the learner is not or will not be in violation of compulsory attendance.
  • Examples of an excused absence may include illness, injury, family emergency, religious observance or instruction, vacations/extended trips, suspension, participation in a school-related activity, court appearances when subpoenaed, or other reasons deemed necessary and justifiable by the building principal or designee appointed by the Superintendent.
• Unexcused absence is any absence not supported by the verbal or written excuse required for an excused absence and shall count in determining when a compulsory attendance violation occurred. If a learner is absent for an unexcused reason, the parent/guardian is responsible for promptly calling the principal's office to explain the absence, and the  learner shall be subject to the consequences contained in the Absences section of this policy.
  • Examples of an unexcused absence may include, but are not limited to, truancy, oversleeping, routine errands, car trouble, haircuts/spa appointments, car maintenance and repair, senior picture appointments, and any undeclared absences, etc.

Documentation Requirements

School administration may require documentation to verify an excused absence when a learner has reached Tier III, including, but not limited to:

1. Medical documentation from an appropriate licensed healthcare provider;
2. A copy of a court summons or subpoena;
3. An obituary for funeral leave;
4. A request for an absence due to a curricular or extracurricular event submitted by the learner’s teacher, coach, or extracurricular advisor.

For more information on documentation requirements, see SARB Tier III Document (FFB-AR).

Compulsory Attendance Violations

North Dakota law defines what constitutes a compulsory attendance violation. Suspected violations of the compulsory attendance law shall be reported to school administration and investigated in accordance with the law. When a compulsory attendance violation is substantiated, the District shall comply with law enforcement reporting requirements under law.

Absences

The District recognizes that prompt, regular attendance is extremely important. Absenteeism not only adversely affects the learning process of a learner but also may impede their normal progression through the grades. The Board expects each learner to attend all scheduled classes and daily activities except when a school administrator has excused a learner.

Accumulated absences in excess of 10% may result in sanctions for learners or parents/guardians following the West Fargo Public Schools SARB protocol and NDCC 15.1-20.

High School – Semester Credit

High school learners must not be absent for more than a total of ten times (excused or unexcused) from each semester course in which they are enrolled if they are to receive credit.  Exceptions that may be approved include illness substantiated by a statement from a doctor, or other special circumstances approved by the learners’ building administrator.

Dissemination

This policy shall be published in all student handbooks.

Adopted: 09/03/19

Reviewed:

Revised: 08/08/23