Attendance

Excused Absences are those absences resulting from temporary or extended illness, injury, or physical, mental, or emotional disability; family emergencies; absences excused by the principal through prior written requests made by parents or guardians; and absences which occur when a student is in the custody of a court or law enforcement authority.

Unexcused Absences are those absences that are not excused, as set forth above.

Extended Absences should be communicated to the front office and the student’s teacher by email a minimum of two weeks prior to the planned absence. Make-up work, alternative assignments, and their completion can be arranged upon the student’s return to minimize negative effects on academic learning.

For security reasons, students must be signed out by a parent or guardian before early departure from the school campus. Parents are encouraged to schedule appointments (medical, dental, etc.) outside of regular school hours. In order to maximize classroom instruction, we discourage parents from checking their children out of school prior to 3:15. We work hard to ensure that even the last few minutes of school are used for meaningful instructional purposes. Early check-out can disrupt the flow of afternoon carpool.

If you need your student out early for dismissal due to appointments or other reasons between 2:30 PM and dismissal , we ask that you call the school to let the front office know when you will be arriving so your student is ready for dismissal. The office will walk the student out to the vehicle.

For all excused/unexcused absences, upon returning to school; students will have one day per each day absent to complete any/all make-up work. The classroom teacher will work with students to determine assignments to be completed. In grades 6-8, students should be responsible for meeting with their teachers to ensure that all make-up work is completed.

Students who are absent from school on the day of a scheduled after-school or evening-sponsored activity/event will not be allowed to participate in that activity/event.

If a student is to be excused from the PE program for short periods of time due to illness or injury, a note of explanation should be submitted to the office. If a student is to be excused from a PE program for an extended period of time (more than two days) due to illness or injury, a doctor’s note of explanation is required and should be submitted to the office. Students sitting out will need to complete a health-related or physical education
assignment.

Tardiness is a form of absence and can interfere with a student’s learning. When tardiness occurs, the office must be notified. Tardy students must check in at the office to get a tardy slip to give to their classroom teacher and must notify the office of their lunch preference. Colorado Law requires school attendance for students between the ages of 6 and 17. Students who miss a significant amount of school time may be identified as chronically absent or declared habitually truant. A truant officer may be notified of the excessive absences. Penalties for tardiness may include lunch detention, after-school detention, athletic activity probation, and behavioral contract.

The Colorado Department of Education has set a target attendance rate for each school of 95%, which equates to missing no more than five days of school a year. Attendance will be monitored monthly. If your child’s attendance rate falls below 90%, the school will contact you to set up an attendance contract to create a plan to assist with improving attendance. If the student’s attendance rate falls below 85% or the terms of the attendance contract are not being met, the student may be considered truant per Colorado law. In these instances, Legacy Academy will determine whether to refer to outside resources such as the local sheriff or social services or whether to impose other penalties (e.g., warnings and detentions). Factors used in making these determinations include number of absences, whether they are excused or unexcused, the number of incomplete or missing assignments, grades, and discipline concerns.