Lyons Township High School is committed to forming a partnership with parents to maintain regular student attendance and to prepare students for work/career expectations. Lyons Township High School is committed to the philosophy that every student should attend all of their classes every day.  This does not include students that are medically unable to attend.     

Students must be present in school in order to participate in athletics/activities events, or with prior approval from the athletics/activities director or assistant principal. Regular attendance and promptness in all classes are expected as essential for good performance. Excessive absences result in a loss of instructional time, making it more difficult to show mastery of material, thus potentially affecting the class grade or in a loss of class credit.

Lyons Township High School must enforce the State of Illinois law regarding compulsory attendance. The law specifies that parents/guardians have the obligation to see that their children are in regular attendance. In order to comply with State of Illinois law, the school reserves the right to determine if an absence is unexcused and/or constitutes truancy, in the school’s sole discretion. The attendance guidelines for Lyons Township High School are as follows:

A. EXCUSED ABSENCES

B. UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

A student’s absence will be considered unexcused if the Assistant Principals' Office has not received a phone call from the student's parent or guardian, or a student has exceeded their seven parentally excused absences (absent medical documentation). Unexcused absences are subject to disciplinary action as follows:

1. 1. First Unexcused Absence: The Assistant Principals' Office will contact the student's parent or guardian and the student will conference with the Assistant Principal.
   2. Second Unexcused Absence: The Assistant Principals' Office will contact the student's parent or guardian; and the student will be assigned a detention.
   3. Third or greater Unexcused Absence: The Assistant Principals' Office will contact the student’s parent or guardian; and the student will be assigned a Saturday detention. 

As grade-level Assistant Principals monitor the attendance of students and reasons for absences, students will be referred to Student Support Teams and meetings will be scheduled with parents/guardians.

C. MENTAL HEALTH

Pursuant to Illinois law, students may take up to five mental health days per year. A student is not required to provide a medical note for a mental health absence. Students will be given the opportunity to make up any schoolwork missed during a mental health absence. Following the second mental health day, a student may be referred to the grade-level Student Support Team. Mental Health absences count toward the seven parental/guardian excused absence total.  

D. CUTS

When a student misses a class period, multiple periods, or the entire school day, without parental approval, it is classified as a cut. Students will be issued one hour of detention per class period cut. 

E. ABSENCES OTHER THAN ILLNESS  

Since regular attendance is crucial to a student's learning, the school discourages any absence other than those due to illness. Nevertheless, we recognize that on some occasions it may be necessary for a student to miss school for other reasons such as illness or death in the student’s immediate family, doctor’s appointments, religious observances, court appearances and college visits (with documentation). In those situations when a parent is aware that a student must be absent from school, the absence will be considered excused if a parent notifies the Assistant Principals' Office prior to the absence, and the absence does not exceed the seventh parental/guardian excused absence total. The student must take the initiative to make prior arrangements to complete assignments and make up tests for the classes to be missed.

F. PARTIAL DAY ABSENCE

When leaving the building during the school day, a parent must call to inform the attendance office of the time the student is to leave PRIOR to that time, preferably first thing in the morning. The student then must check out in the Assistant Principal’s Office before leaving the building or it will not be considered an excused absence. When returning from appointments, the student must check back in at the Assistant Principal’s Office. Failure to follow described check in/check out procedures will result in disciplinary consequences. The school reserves the right to contact doctors’ offices to confirm appointments and/or to review documentation from court appearances.

G. PRE-PLANNED ABSENCE

In the event of a planned absence from school the parent must contact the Assistant Principals' Office. The student must contact the teacher to obtain assignments.

H. ILLNESS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY

If a student should become ill during the school day, they must obtain a pass from a classroom teacher to the Nurse's Office. Students should see the school nurse for medical attention, rather than contacting parents directly. The nurse will assess the student and contact the parent if it is determined that the student needs to go home. Students who violate this policy will be considered unexcused for all class periods missed.

I. TARDY PROCEDURES

In order to maximize instructional time, students are expected to arrive to all classes and study halls by the time the bell rings. Individual classroom teachers will be involved early in the intervention process so that they can be proactive in encouraging their students to be in class ready to work. Students who are more than 10 minutes late will be marked unexcused absent from that class. The tardy policy for students arriving within the first 10 minutes of class is:

1. 1. First-Third Tardy: The teacher will conference with the student and problem solve how the student can get to class on time.  An auto-generated email will be sent to the parents/guardians.
   2. Fourth Tardy: The teacher will conference with the student, notify the student that it is their fourth tardy, and share that on the next tardy an automated referral through Infinite Campus will be handled by the Assistant Principals Office and the student will receive disciplinary consequences (one hour detention).  An auto-generated email will be sent to the parents/guardians.
   3. Fifth-Sixth Tardy: Automated referral through Infinite Campus handled by the Assistant Principals’ Office. The student will be assigned a one-hour detention. A parent/guardian will also be contacted.
   4. Seventh-Eighth Tardy: Automated referral through Infinite Campus handled by the Assistant Principals’ Office. The student will be assigned a two-hour Saturday or Wednesday Extended Day detention. A parent/guardian will also be contacted.
   5. Ninth Tardy: Automated referral through Infinite Campus handled by the Assistant Principals’ Office.  The student will be assigned a four-hour Saturday or 3-hour Wednesday Extended Day detention. A parent/guardian will also be contacted.
   6. Tenth Tardy or Greater: Automated referral through Infinite Campus handled by the Assistant Principals’ Office. The student will be assigned an in-school suspension.  A parent/guardian will also be contacted.  Continued tardy referrals may result in the student receiving an escort to their classes.   

J. CHRONIC TRUANTS

Student attendance is critical to the learning process. Truancy is therefore a serious issue and will be dealt with in a serious manner by the school and district. Students who miss 5% (9 school days) or more of the previous 180 regular school days without valid cause* are considered chronic truants. Students who are chronic truants will be offered support services and resources aimed at correcting the truancy issue, including, but not limited to, parent conferences, student counseling, family counseling, and information about existing community services that are available to truant and chronically truant students and relevant to their needs. A parent or guardian who knowingly and willfully permits a child to be truant is in violation of the Illinois State Law. If chronic truancy persists after service and other resources are made available, the District will take further action, including:

1. 1. Referral to the truancy officer
   2. Reporting to officials under the Juvenile Court Act
   3. Referral to the State’s Attorney
   4. Appropriate school discipline

Please see School Board Policy 7:70 for more information on the District’s Attendance and Truancy Policy.

* Valid cause = illness, including the mental or behavioral health of the student, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, or family emergency and shall include such other situations beyond the control of the student, as determined by the board of education in each district, or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the mental, emotional, or physical health or safety of the student.

K. CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM 

Student attendance is critical to the learning process. Every day of school matters. Being absent too many days from school can make it difficult for students to stay on-track academically and maintain the momentum to graduate from school. Absenteeism is therefore a serious issue and will be dealt with in a serious manner by the school and district. Students who miss 10% or more of the most recent school year, including absences with and without valid cause* and out-of-school suspensions, have chronic absence. Students who are chronically absent will be offered diagnostic procedures to be used for identifying the causes of unexcused student absenteeism, which shall, at a minimum, include interviews with the student, his or her parent or guardian, and any school officials who may have information about the reasons for the student’s attendance problem.  If chronic absenteeism persists after services and other resources are made available, the District will take further action, including:

1. 1. Reporting to officials under the Juvenile Court Act
   2. Referral to the State’s Attorney
   3. Appropriate school discipline

Please see School Board Policy 7:70 for more information on the District’s Attendance and Truancy Policy.

* Valid cause = illness, including the mental or behavioral health of the student, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, or family emergency and shall include such other situations beyond the control of the student, as determined by the board of education in each district, or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the mental, emotional, or physical health or safety of the student.

L. STUDENTS MAKING UP WORK WHEN ABSENT

It is the student's responsibility to request information from their teachers about make-up work upon returning to class when they have missed part or all of a class period(s).

1. 1. Make-up Work for Excused & Unexcused Absences - Students who have an absence are allowed to make up work and tests and receive credit. Assignments given before the days of absence will be due upon the student's return to class. Students will have 2 days for every one day of excused absence to make up missed work. Students should arrange with teachers the times to make up missed tests. If a test date was announced before the day of the student's absence, the student should be prepared to take the test upon their return to school. Teachers have the right to modify their make-up policies to meet individual needs and circumstances.
   2. Make-up Work for Students with In-School Suspension - Students assigned to In-School Suspension will have the right to make up tests and assignments missed while serving In-School Suspensions.
   3. Make-up Work for Students Suspended Out-of-School - Students have a right to make up work missed while suspended out-of-school. It is the responsibility of the student to contact their teachers to get missed assignments and arrange for any make-up tests. Students will have 1 day for every day they were suspended out-of-school to make-up missed work.

M. STUDY HALL

Study Hall is a part of the student schedule. Regular attendance and tardy expectations are the same as in the classroom. Athletes with athletic study hall must go to PE for the first week of the semester. Any disciplinary action in the athletic study hall may include the student being returned to PE class.