Attendance

On or before the day of the absence, a parent/guardian should call the attendance line before 8:00 a.m. (7:00 a.m. at the freshman campus). To report an absence, please provide your name, the student's name, your relationship to the student and the reason for the student's absence. Please submit documentation to the front office to excuse your student’s absence.

• If the school has been notified of an absence, it is not necessary to present a note to the attendance office. If a parent or guardian has not been notified the school of an absence, the student must present a note stating:
  • Date(s) of absence(s)
  • Reason of absence
  • Signature of parent or guardian
  • Phone number where parent/guardian may be reached
     
• Students who are 18 years of age or older are required to follow this same procedure. Students participating in the late arrival option must follow the same procedures.
   
• If the appropriate school officials are not notified of an absence, the student will be considered "unexcused." Students will not receive any academic credit for the period of time the absence is considered unexcused, and they will not be granted credit for missed class work, assignments, or exams. Students have 24 hours from their return to school to provide documentation to change an unexcused absence to an excused absence.
   
• Students with absences in excess of six (6) days in either semester will be recorded as an unexcused absence unless a doctor's note is presented to attendance officials for each additional absence during the semester.
   
• Teacher records will be used to verify absences from school and class and will supersede attendance office records when attendance questions arise.

To report early dismissals, please provide your name, the student's name, your relationship to the student and the reason for the student's early dismissal.

• Please submit documentation to the front office to excuse your student’s early dismissal.
• Early dismissal students need to leave through the front office and sign out. Parents need to come in to release their student.
• If you leave before 10:09 a.m. (or 9:14 a.m. at the freshman campus), it is considered a full day of absence. If you leave after 10:10 a.m. (or 9:15 a.m. at the freshman campus), it is considered an early leave (or tardy). 
• Students are allowed four early dismissals per quarter.

Students who are tardy to school must report to the attendance office and sign-in to receive an admit slip. Failure to sign-in to avoid a tardy could result in disciplinary action. Please submit documentation to the front office to excuse your student's late arrival. Students are allowed four tardies per quarter (including three excused). The fourth tardy will be unexcused and the fifth tardy will result in disciplinary action.

Tardy to Class:

• Students tardy to class will be recorded by the classroom teachers. Those students with four or more tardies to class will receive disciplinary action.

Tardy to School:

• Students arriving after the established start time will be considered tardy to school.
• Students are allowed three excused tardies per quarter. The fourth tardy will be unexcused and the fifth tardy will result in disciplinary action.

Juniors and seniors are approved for three college visits a year.

Regular attendance by all students of the Lakota Local School District is very important. Students that have irregular attendance tend to have poor academic success. For this reason it is important that parents and students make every effort possible to make appointments and personal business outside of school hours. Situations may arise that cause a student to miss part of all of the school day. A student is considered EXCUSED for the following reasons: 

1. Personal Illness
2. Illness in the family
3. Death of a Relative
4. Quarantine of the Home
5. Work at home due to the absence of parents or guardians
6. Religious Reasons
7. Emergency reasons that must be considered to have good and sufficient cause for absence (court appearance, suspensions, etc.)

A student is considered truant if he or she is absent or tardy from school without a legitimate excuse. UNEXCUSED absences include but are not limited to: 

1. Overslept
2. No parent Note or Excuse Offered

The State of Ohio has passed legislation regarding school attendance (Senate Bill 410). The student with four or more unexcused absences on consecutive school days, or six or more unexcused absences in one school month, or 10 or more unexcused absences in one school year, may be considered "habitual" truant, under Section 3321.191 of the Ohio Revised Code. A student with seven or more unexcused absences on consecutive school days or 10 or more unexcused absences in one school month, or 15 or more unexcused absences in one school year, may be considered a "Chronic" truant, under Section 3321.191 of the Ohio Revised Code. *In the case of either "habitual" or "chronic" truants, the Lakota Local School District Board of Education may: 

• assign the student to an alternative school
• require the student to participate in a truancy prevention program
• require the student to receive appropriate counseling
• require the parent, guardian or other persons having care of the student to attend a parental involvement program under Section 3313.472 or 3312.63 of the Ohio Revised Code
• require the parent, guardian, or other persons having care of the student to attend a truancy prevention mediation program
• notify the Registrar of Motor Vehicles of a habitual truant under Section 3321.13 of the Ohio Revised Code
• take legal action under Section 2919.222, 3321.20, or 3321.38 of the Ohio Revised Code
• Students who are "habitual" or "chronic" truants may receive citation to to the appropriate court.

Students are excused from school to participate in family vacations. The procedure for requesting a vacation from is: 

1. Present a written request for family vacation to the attendance office at least three (3) days prior to the vacation to receive an excused absence form. This request must include the dates you intend to be absent, parent signature, and phone number where parent may be reached to confirm request.
2. Family vacations must be approved prior to the absence. Failure to follow proper notification procedures may result in the absence being unexcused.
3. Students who are 18 or older are required to comply with this same process and may not present request written or signed by themselves.

Students may not be absent during final examination unless a physician's statement (or appropriate documentation for other absences) is presented to an administrator. Make up exams will be scheduled for those students only. NO FINAL EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN EARLY. First, second, and third quarter exam make-ups must be completed within 10 school days. Fourth quarter exam make-ups are done by appointment only and must be completed prior to the Fall semester.