NSU University School Student/Parent Handbook 2016-2017

Page 24 1. Students must abide by school dress code and/or prescribed spirit attire. A student who wears inappropriate clothing in violation of the dress code will not be allowed to attend class until appropriate clothing can be acquired. ATTENDANCE POLICY AND ABSENCE All Grades, JK-12 th grade: Based on the premise that what goes on in this school is of the utmost importance and that what goes on in individual classrooms is of equal importance, it is essential that each student attend school on time; attend all scheduled classes during the day (including study hall and advisory) on time; remain in class; and remain in school for the full day. Regular school attendance is essential for academic achievement as well as completion of the year. Attendance is mandatory. Attendance is taken each morning and at the beginning of each class. It is the responsibility of students and parents to routinely monitor the attendance of the student through My Backpack. Parents must contact the attendance office with questions or concerns regarding the accuracy of records. After a month, the attendance, as entered by the school, will not be reversed. It is the student’s responsibility to work in conjunction with his/her teachers to complete any work missed during an absences. Assignments and classwork expectations are posted online for student review. Student absences are excused by a recorded phone call in the attendance office, from parent(s) or guardian(s) before 10:00 a.m. or by speaking with the attendance officer. Where to call: Lower School (954) 262-4500 Middle School (954) 262-4444 Upper School (954) 262-4414; (email: usdismiss@nova.,edu) Lower School, Grades PK – 5 th : To receive work for a day’s absence, a parent must call the Lower School office at (954) 262-4500 by 10:00 a.m. of the day missed. These work assignments may be picked up after 3:15 p.m. of the day missed. In addition, parents and students may access the homework assignments via Blackboard. State law requires that all absences be documented and accounted for. When a child is absent, please notify NSU University School before 10:00 a.m., (954) 262-4500. Such notification will assist the school in determining that a student is legitimately out of school and will aid in the safety and protection of students. In the event a parent does not notify the school, attempts will be made to call the home for verification of absence. Middle and Upper School, Grades 6-12: No student will be excused from class without permission from the office. For the purpose of clarifying absences from class, there are two types of absences and tardies. Chargeable and non-chargeable absences and tardies will be defined as follows: Chargeable: An absence or tardy that is not school sponsored. Examples of this are family or personal illness, medical appointments, family trips, etc. A formal doctor’s note explaining the nature of the absence will be considered when categorizing absences as chargeable or non-chargeable. Non-chargeable: An absence or tardy that occurs as a school sanctioned activity of NSU University School when the activity is organized and chaperoned by school personnel. Examples of this are school- sponsored fieldtrips, college trips, and extracurricular/co-curricular events. Additional non-chargeable absences include college visits (seniors are allowed 4 non-chargeable absences and juniors are allowed 2) and religious holidays. If a student is receiving counseling or administrative services from the school, those absences would be non-chargeable if not related to disciplinary action. Excessive absences and tardy behaviors may result in loss of credit in courses in which 10 or more attendance points are accumulated in a semester. Points are determined in the following way: a chargeable absence is a point and a tardy is one-third of a point. Non-chargeable absences are zero points. Excessive absences will be addressed through the attendance office and the appropriate Associate Director. Excessive