Attendance

The School Board, in accordance with State of Wisconsin Statute 118.15, defines acceptable reasons for which pupils may be absent (excused) by the parent (or guardian), other than illness:

Health care appointments (repetitive appointments should be scheduled at various times of the school day).

Per Wisconsin State Law, a parent/guardian may excuse their child from school for up to ten (10) days per school year.  The student must be excused in writing prior to his or her absence and the absence must be for a full school day.  Examples of this type of absence include:

• illness
• funerals
• required court appearances
• programs at prospective college or university campuses
• religious observances required by church of preference
• family trip (includes hunting)
• family wedding
• driver's license examination

Excessive excused absences are monitored with parental involvement.  The school reserved the right under Wisconsin State Statute 118.15(3) to require further verification of the reason for repeated or extended absences.  In the event that a student has a significant number of absences related to illness, the school through the office of the school health supervisor will work with parents to develop a health plan for the student.  Doctor's notes may be requested by the attendance office at any time.  If absences are due to illness or medical appointments, it is suggested that the student provide medical documentation whenever possible to be eligible for medical exemption to the state statute, BDHS attendance protocol, and school board policy requirements for student attendance.

An automated calling system is used to contact families when a student is marked absent and we have not been notified of the absence. To avoid receiving these phone calls, please report all absences in a timely manner.

Students feeling ill should get a pass from their teacher to go to the office.  The nurse or an office secretary will call the parent/guardian to get permission for the student to go home.  The student will be provided with a Leave the Building Pass. The student MUST check-out in the main office and get a Leave the Building Pass before leaving the building.

All students arriving late to school must stop at the Main Office to obtain a pass to return to class.  In order for the tardy to be excused, a parent/guardian must call the office at 920.885.7313, press 0 or 2.  If a parent doesn’t call, the student will receive a tardy if they arrive within 10 minutes of the bell.  If they are later than 10 minutes, they will be unexcused for that class and will be required to serve a detention.

Leave the building passes will be issued with parent/guardian permission for appointments that are unable to be scheduled outside of school hours.  The process is:

Call the High School Office at 920.885.7313, press 0 for receptionist or 2 for Kathy/Roxanne.

• All students must obtain a Leave the Building Pass from the main office before leaving campus.
• Office staff will send a pass to the student prior to the appointment.
• If the student returns to school after leaving the building, they need to check in at the main office before returning to class.
• If the appointment is medical, a signed doctor’s note is required for the absence to be medically exempt.

Each day, students receive “pink sheets” indicating any unexcused absences that were recorded from the previous day. If the absence is in error and the student was at school, the student should take it to their teacher and have it signed and then return it to the main office. If the absence is in error and the student was NOT at school, a parent/guardian will need to call the main office at 920.885.7313, press 0 or 2, to clear the absence.

If it is necessary for a student to be absent from school for an extended number of days, a Pre-Arranged Absence Request must be completed and submitted to the Main Office prior to the absence. Arrangements must be made with teachers for completion of schoolwork. Pre-Arranged Absence Request forms can be obtained in the Main Office.

A student who has ten excused absences (partial day or full day) is considered excessively absent (this includes tardy's in excess of 10 minutes). The number of days excused for a student may not exceed ten during a school year for any individual student. Once a student has reached ten excused absences, full or partial day absences become unexcused.  A student becomes truant when they obtain 5 partial/full day absences that are unexcused.