ABSENCE
When it is necessary for an MHS student to miss class, either a phone call or a note from a parent/guardian to the attendance office must confirm the absence. Absences must be cleared within the school day.

24-hour Attendance recorder: (626) 817-4001
Information provided must state:

• Name of student
• Date(s) and duration of absence
• Specific reason for absence
• Identify yourself (i.e. relationship to student)

When an absence occurs, the student is responsible for any class work missed and must arrange with the teacher to make up assignments, tests and quizzes. Please note – declaring a student to be unexcused is an administrative right of appropriate school personnel, not a student/parent prerogative. Therefore, just because a parent calls or sends a note to report a student’s absence, that does not make the absence excused.

Click here for more information on the following topics:

Excused Absences   Unexcused Absences   Approved Extended Absences   Credit Loss   Tardiness

Truancy   Early Dismissal   Extra-Curricular Participation   College Day Absences

EXCUSED ABSENCE
Maranatha High School defines excused absences as:

• Illness (with a phone call or note from parent/guardian)
• Professional appointments (medical, dental, legal); these appointments should be scheduled outside of school hours whenever possible
• Extreme personal matter (i.e. bereavement)
• Verified school functions (field trips, clubs, sports, performances, and/or student extracurricular activities approved by administration)
• College visits (approved by the Guidance Department and cleared by current teachers at least two days prior to the absence)
• Disciplinary Suspensions

UNEXCUSED ABSENCE
Unexcused absences include absences for all reasons other than those listed for excused absence.

SCHOOLWORK FOR AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE
All homework assigned before the absence must be turned in on the day the student returns to class and will be considered late. A student will receive no credit for daily class work assigned during the absence. Grades for assignments, quizzes, tests, and major projects missed during the unexcused absence may be reduced in grade value.

APPROVED EXTENDED ABSENCES
Extended absences require prior written request from parent/guardian to be submitted to the Dean of Students for approval. The request must be submitted at least three days prior to the extended absence. Approved extended absences may not exceed more than five school days. Vacations should be scheduled when school is not in session.

SCHOOLWORK FOR AN APPROVED EXTENDED ABSENCE
Assignments, quizzes, tests, and major projects missed during an approved extended absence must be coordinated prior to the absence with each of the student’s teachers and will be due upon the student’s return.

CREDIT LOSS DUE TO EXCESSIVE ABSENCES
Fifteen absences in a semester, from any class, will result in a credit loss for that class. This includes all absences, excused and/or unexcused, except school functions sanctioned by administration. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the school Administration.

TARDINESS
All students are expected to be in their classroom assigned seats when the tardy bell rings. If a student is tardy to their first class of the day, the student is required to report to the attendance office to register their attendance and obtain a tardy slip before entering the classroom. A student arriving twenty minutes after the beginning of the class period will be marked absent for that period and could be considered truant if not cleared by a note or call from parent or school official. Tardiness will be cumulative (periods 1st-7th) for each quarter of the academic year. Any unexcused tardy that should be excused due to the reasons stated below must be verified by a parent/guardian note or phone call within 24 hours from the tardy date, otherwise the status of unexcused tardy will remain.

Excused tardy:

• Illness
• Professional appointments (medical, dental, legal); these appointments should be scheduled outside of school hours whenever possible
• Extreme personal emergencies (i.e. death in immediate family, bereavement)
• Verified major traffic problems or car failure (parent/guardian note or phone call)
• Rider in car pool is excused because driver is late (unless rider is reason for the tardy)
• Note from teacher, administrator or counselor

Unexcused tardy:

• Overslept or alarm clock didn’t work
• Unverified traffic problems
• Car pool driver late (unless rider is the reason for the tardy)
• Personal issues/time management (i.e. car needed gas, plumbing problems, etc.)

Consequences for Unexcused Tardiness # of Unexcused Tardies Consequence Fee
3rd tardy: Warning Letter
5th tardy: Detention (Fee: $15)
7th tardy: 2-hour Saturday School (Fee: $30)
9th tardy: 4-hour Saturday School (Fee: $60)
10 or more tardies: 4-hour Saturday/ Attendance Probation (Fee: $60)
Further tardiness will result in a Suspension and possible withdrawal from school

TRUANCY
Any absence recorded for the entire day or for any class period(s) without the knowledge and consent of the parent or school officials is considered truant. Students will not have the opportunity to make up any assignments, quizzes or tests, which occur during the truancy. Truancies will be dealt with in the following manner.

On-Campus Truancies:
1st violation: The student will be assigned a 2-hour Saturday school, which includes a $30 fee
2nd violation: The student will be assigned a 4-hour Saturday school, which includes a $60 fee
3rd violation: The student will be assigned a 4-hour Saturday school, which includes a $60 fee, and will be placed on disciplinary probation

Off-Campus Truancies:
If a student is truant off-campus, the result will be an automatic suspension. Continued truancies will result in administrative review, and may affect continued enrollment.

EARLY DISMISSAL
When a student needs to leave school before the normal dismissal time, the school must have parental permission by written note or a phone call to the attendance office. The parent/guardian must sign out his/her student at the Student Center front desk. If the student drives, early dismissal must be verified with the parent/guardian by phone.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR PARTICIPATION

• In order to be eligible for practices, contests/games, student activities, and performances, a student must be present on that day for a minimum of 60% of their classes.
• If a student is absent from school for more than 60% of their classes or if the student has any unexcused absences in a given day, he/she cannot participate in a practice, game, student activity or performance that day.
• If a student is suspended from school, the student cannot participate that day in practices, athletic contests/games, student activities, or performances.
• A student who has been dismissed or who has withdrawn for disciplinary reasons may not return to the campus or participate further in MHS activities unless he or she has been granted permission by the Administration.

COLLEGE VISITS
Students are encouraged to visit colleges and universities throughout their high school years. Approval must be arranged through the Guidance Department and cleared with their current teachers at least two school days prior to the visit. The parent and/or student must also notify the Attendance office of the planned absence. A student is allowed three approved college visits per academic year.