Unexcused Absences/Truancies/Attendance Contract
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Southridge High School has established a four-step policy to deal with students who have unexcused absences/truancies. The policy is as follows:

Students will be allowed three (3) school days after returning to school to clear any absence. After three (3) days, all absences which have not been cleared with the attendance office will automatically become permanently unexcused or truant. These steps will be followed by the attendance office in dealing with unexcused absences when they have been determined by the office to constitute a truancy.

Step 1: Following the first truancy in the semester, the student will be given one hour of detention which must be completed within three school days. A contact to the student's home will also be made.

Step 2: Following the second truancy in a semester, the student will be given one hour of detention, one hour of campus cleanup and a parent/guardian conference. Students may also be suspended until the conference is completed. At this conference, the parents and student will be notified that the next truancy will result in a three-day suspension. The parents and student will also sign a form verifying their understanding of the attendance policy and the consequences of further truancies.

Step 3: Following the third truancy in a semester, the student will be suspended three school days and a second parent/student conference will be held. Student and parents will sign a form acknowledging that they understand another truancy will result in the student being dropped from Southridge High School for the remainder of the semester, suffering the loss of credits for the semester.

Step 4: Following the fourth truancy in a semester, the student will be dropped from Southridge High School for the remainder of the semester and no credits for the semester will be given.

**Students who fail to complete detention in the proper time frame will have the time doubled. The second time students fail to meet detention deadlines, they will be suspended until a parent/student conference is completed.

**A truancy is considered an unexcused absence which cannot be verified by school personnel, a parent, or another outside source.