Attendance

Mr. DeBellonia - Attendance Coordinator

[email protected]

(908) 851-6524

Ms. Hutchins - 9th & 10th Grade

[email protected]

(908) 851-6522

Mrs. Askew - 11th Grade

[email protected]

(908) 851-6523

Ms. Strobel - 12th Grade

[email protected]

(908) 851-6521

Philosophy

Union High School believes that regular attendance at school results in greater academic success. To this end, there is an expectation that students will be present and on time each day that school is in session.

This page contains a significant amount of information, so use the above links to navigate quickly to what you need.

ATTENDANCE TERMINOLOGY

Attendance-Instructions-for-Genesis-Parent-Portal.pdf

Excused Absence

Only valid excuses are recognized as suitable reasons for a student's absence. In our district, a valid excuse is one for personal illness, legal matters, a religious observance or death of a member of the immediate family. Verification to certify the legitimacy of the absence should be brought to the Attendance Office within 2 weeks of the absence. Verification may be in the form of:

  • Doctor's note
  • Court document
  • MVC
  • Letter from a religious group
  • Documentation concerning the death of a member of the immediate family

Unexcused Absence

Unexcused absences are those that are not recognized as board approved excused absences. They are charged against the student's attendance record in Genesis.

Tardy

The school day begins at 7:35am. Students who arrive at school, or homeroom, after 7:35am are tardy.

Truancy

Truancy means ten or more cumulative unexcused student absences. A student is considered truant when an absence is not reported to the Attendance Office.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Reporting Student Absences

Absence, and the reason for absence, must be reported by the student's parent or legal guardian by calling the Attendance Office between 7:30a.m.-9:00a.m. on the day of the absence. It can also be reported using the parent portal in Genesis.

Log into GENESIS and on the home screen click on the 'NOTIFY ATTENDANCE OFFICE' link.

Attendance 1

You will be transferred to the 'NOTIFY ATTENDANCE OFFICE' tab. Parents may also choose to navigate there directly by clicking on the 'ATTENDANCE' tab, then the 'NOTIFY ATTENDANCE OFFICE' tab.

Attendance 2

The 'NOTIFY ATTENDANCE OFFICE' screen allows parents to submit notes to the office. Once on the screen, parents will be able to:

  • Select whether the student(s) will be absent or tardy.
  • Select the date(s) of the absence/tardy. Parents may select either today or a future date. Dates in the past are not allowed. If a student is going to be absent more than one day enter the ending date in the 'Up through and including (may leave blank):' field.
  • Select each student for which this notification pertains.
  • Enter an attendance note describing the reason for the absence/tardy. This note will appear in Genesis as part of the student's attendance file

Once the form is completed, the parent will need to hit the 'Submit to Office' button. Submitted forms will appear on the bottom of the screen so parents can keep track of any and all attendance notes they have created.

Attendance 3

A note is created for each student for each day they will be absent/tardy. If a parent reports their student will be absent on Monday and Tuesday, a separate note will appear for each day.

If a parent wishes to remove a submitted note, they may do so as long as the note has not yet been processed in Genesis. This is accomplished by hitting the red X button to the right of the note.

Notes that have been processed by the attendance office will appear with a green check next to them.

Attendance 4

The phone numbers listed below are the Attendance Office numbers for the 2021-2022 School Year.

We recommend that you email any questions or concerns to the grade level secretaries listed below:

(908) 851-6522 Ms. Hutchins - Grades 9 & 10 ([email protected])
(908) 851-6523 Mrs. Askew - Grade 11 ([email protected])

(908) 851-6521 Ms. Strobel - Grade 12 ([email protected])
(908) 851-6524 Mr. DeBellonia, Attendance Coordinator ([email protected])

Automated phone calls will go home at 9:15a.m. each day to inform parents/guardians that the student is absent from school; unless the absence is reported in the parent portal through Genesis or a voice message is left with the respective grade level attendance secretary. Absences due to illness will be considered UNEXCUSED unless a doctor's note is submitted to the Attendance Office within two weeks of the absence. Notes can be physically brought to the Attendance Office or they can be emailed to the respective grade level secretary.

Early Release from School

The parent or guardian must call or email the respective grade level attendance secretary by 9am to inform the school that the student is to be released early. The student may also present a written note to the Attendance Office prior to the start of homeroom. Only then will an excused early pass be issued. All notes will be checked for authenticity. If a student leaves before 11:35am, it will be considered an unexcused absence for the day.

College Visits

College visits are considered excused absences by adhering to the following procedure:

Written verification from the college on school letterhead or stationary, signed and dated by an administrator/registrar/advisor or a signed and dated registration card hand-delivered or emailed to the Attendance Office on the first day of the student's return to school.

Emergency Release from School

The parent/guardian must contact the Attendance Office by phone or email and provide a reason for the release from school. The student will be excused as soon as the parent/guardian arrives at the main entrance security desk.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE STUDENT LEAVE THE BUILDING WITHOUT A PASS.

Consequences for Attendance Violations Lateness

If a student is late to school five or more times in a month, he/she will be issued a Saturday detention(s). Automated calls will go home when a student is marked late.

Cutting Class/Truancy/Leaving School without Permission

  • Cutting Class: Central Detention, Saturday Detention, In School Suspension
  • Leaving School without permission: In School Suspension, Out of School Suspension

Reinstatements

  • First Suspension: Vice Principal
  • Second Suspension: Vice Principal
  • Third Suspension: Vice Principal/Referral for EDP
  • Fourth Suspension: Principal/EDP Placement
  • Fifth Suspension: Superintendent's Office

Board Policy

CLICK HERE for the Board Policy regarding attendance, absences and excuses.

Excused Absences Regulations Covering Valid Excuses

Only valid excuses are recognized as suitable reasons for a student's absence.
In this district a valid excuse is one for personal illness, legal matters, or a religious observance or death of a member of the immediate family. Verification to certify the legitimacy of the absence should be brought to the Attendance Office within 2 weeks of the student's absence. This verification may be in the form of a doctor's note, a court document, a letter from the religious group or some documentation concerning the death of a member of the immediate family.

Medical/Dental Appointments
Students may be excused for a medical or dental appointment with a written request from the student's parent or guardian in advance of the appointment except in emergencies. All appointments are subject to verification by the school authorities at the discretion of the Principal. Dental excuses will be accepted for the part of the day during which the visit was made. There will be no full-day dental excuses unless documented by a note from the dentist.

Situations involving extenuating circumstances, judged not to be valid excuses by the Principal, will be referred to the Central Office administration (the Superintendent or his designee) for a determination.

School sponsored programs, such as field trips, athletic contests and other programs, may be excused at the discretion of the Principal.

Legal Matters - with proper documentation submitted to the Attendance Office

The cited excused absences (field trips, etc.) -do not excuse students from submission of projects or assignments due on the day of a planned absence. Such requirements must be submitted prior to the absence day or submitted to the teacher or placed in his/her mailbox on the day of the absence. Requirements not submitted will be graded as failure. *If a student misses a test/quiz as a result of an excused absence, he/she must take the test/quiz on the first day back in class. There is no grace period given because of participation in a field trip or other excused absences. Exceptions can only be made by the department supervisor.

Unexcused Absences

  1. All student absences from a class will be classified as unexcused and shall be charged against the student's attendance record unless a valid reason is provided.
  2. Teachers are not required to give specific assignments to cover the period of unexcused absences.
  3. Tests, quizzes, reports, homework and any other work missed as a result of an unexcused absence cannot be made up for full credit.
  4. Any work listed above, which is graded by the teacher, will not receive a mark above the minimum passing mark which is a D in the district's marking system.
  5. Final examinations will not be taken by those students charged with being unexcused on the day of the exam. A failing mark of "F" shall be recorded.

Credits Withheld

When the appeals process has been exhausted, the student's report card and permanent record card will indicate the mark earned; however, a zero (0) will be recorded in the credit column. A note in the comments section will say "excessive unexcused absences this semester." Credits withheld can be made up in a summer school session or through school counseling approved online courses. the student's report card and transcript.

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