Policies

CELL PHONE POLICY

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Attendance/Punctuality

Under Pennsylvania law, all students between the ages of six (6) and eighteen (18) must attend school every day. Once a student is enrolled in school, this includes students in kindergarten, they are subject to this law until age 18.

● 3+ Unexcused Absences = Truant

● 6+ unexcused Absences = Habitually Truant

● 10+ Unexcused Absences = Chronically truant

Tilden Middle School encourages good attendance. Coming to school each day is very important to the learning process. ScholarChip will be used to accurately take daily attendance. Students who arrive after 8:35 AM are counted as late. Illness or family emergencies often necessitate a child to be absent from school. Upon the student’s return to school he/she must bring a note to the advisor from home explaining the nature of the absence. Until such a note is received, a student’s absence will be counted as “unexcused”. If the absence is of significant duration, please contact the school counselor so that arrangements for assignments and homework can be made. All assignments missed due to absence are to be made up by the student. Continual absences will result in a referral to truancy and/or family court. Students may also receive an “F-Attendance” grade for courses regardless of the student’s numerical academic grade.

Reporting to School

Students are expected to report to school early enough to pass through the security/scanning process. All students are to enter though the front doors marked student entrance. Students caught entering the school through an unauthorized door, or opening an unauthorized door to let another individual into the school, will be considered trespassing and will be subject to severe disciplinary action.

Lateness/Tardy

● K-8 Schools: A student that comes to school after the start of the school day, but less than two (2) hours after school starts will be considered late.

● When a student arrives late, does not scan in, and goes directly to the classroom, the teacher will mark the student tardy for the class/instructional period. If the student has a written excuse note from a licensed healthcare provider, it will count as an excused lateness.

All students who arrive late to school must obtain a late slip. Students reporting late without a note signed by their parent will be subject to disciplinary actions as per the Code of Student Conduct under Level I Offenses. For repeated violations, a student will be suspended. Students who arrive after advisory will be held in the late room the parents will be notified.

Early Dismissal

● A student that leaves school at any other time during the day, outside the parameters set in the half-day absence/lateness procedure, will be marked with an unexcused early dismissal.*

*If the student has a written excuse note from a licensed healthcare provider, they will be marked as excused early dismissal. The note must be turned in within 24 hours of the student leaving school for it to be excused.

Parental Notice of Absence (Written Note)*

● The District’s attendance policy requires written excuse notes explaining the absence. ○ Contact the child’s school to verify ways excuse notes may be submitted. ○ Excuse notes must be given to the school within three (3) days upon the student’s return to school. If the note is not submitted to the school within the required time frame, the day(s) may not be excused. ○ Excuse notes must include the student’s name, date(s) of absence(s) and a valid telephone number or other means of contact for verification purposes.

● All absences resulting in a total of three (3) or more consecutive days due to illness will require a written excuse note by a licensed healthcare provider. An excuse note from a healthcare provider may also be submitted in lieu of a parent note for any absence.

● For all absences and those that do not total three (3) consecutive days, parents may submit a written excuse note stating the reason for the absence.

● When a student has been absent, excused with a parent note, totaling eight (8) days (cumulative), all subsequent absences will require a written excuse note from a licensed healthcare provider.

*The submission of notes does not guarantee automatic excusal of absences and are subject to school review to determine the validity of submitted notes.

Religious Observation

Students who are absent from or late to school because of participation in a religious obligation must present a note from their parent or guardian stating the place and time of the obligation.

Leaving the Building

Only students with early dismissals are permitted to leave the building prior to the end of the school day. Students who leave school without permission will be subject to disciplinary actions.

Class Attendance/Lateness/Cutting

Students have 3 minutes to get from one class to the next. Cutting class is detrimental to a student’s academic performance and often contributes to behavior, which is disruptive to the entire educational program. Students are cutting class if they are marked present in school but do not attend class. Students who cut class will receive a zero for that class and will not be permitted to make up missed work. Missing class due to a late arrival without an acceptable excuse is considered as a “late cut.” Chronic cutting leads to subject failure and will result in disciplinary action.

Hall Passes

Hallways are places of quiet movement and socialization. Hall walking is against school policy and will not be permitted. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action. Students must have a signed and dated hall pass to move through the halls during class time.

Emergency Closing of Schools

Announcements will be made over the radio and local TV beginning at 5:30 am. Mid-day weather closing is also announced via the local media. If, for any emergency, schools must be closed during the school day for other than weather, the administration will announce the closing to the students.

 

Dress Code

Students are permitted to wear tops and bottoms of their choice, as long as it is appropriate and does not display inappropriate images or words.

**STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO WEAR:

SKI-MASKS

T-shirts with inappropriate images or words

Open-toed shoes, slippers, or sandals

*** Please see the Family and Community Engagement Office for information on assistance with school clothes or contact the main office at Tilden.