The single greatest factor determining the likelihood of high school graduation is school attendance. Opportunities for success during and beyond secondary school are also directly affected by a student’s attitude toward attendance in high school. In order to afford students the opportunity to be academically successful and responsible citizens, Brighton High School expects students to be in class, prepared, and on time each day.
During the worldwide pandemic effectively managing school attendance became a significant factor in terms of trying to curb the spread of disease. Schools attempted to develop different methods of instruction to try and meet the various needs of families. As we return to regular instructional practices the objectives of the Brighton High School Attendance Policy are:
- Provide students with successful learning experiences in each class.
- Teach responsible behavior by encouraging students to be accountable for their attendance
- Support parents in their efforts to promote student attendance.
- Provide a safe, effective, and uninterrupted learning environment for each student.
In an effort to proactively support student attendance, Brighton High will provide positive reinforcements to those students who keep their attendance in line with the established thresholds. Each trimester, the Brighton High School Administration will find different ways to reward all students that have maintained at least 90% attendance in all classes and also did not exceed the tardy threshold in any class each trimester.
Brighton High School supports state and district attendance policies which call for fairness and to provide flexibility and accountability on the part of students, parents, and the school. Attendance is a student-parent-school responsibility which involves all three entities in order to resolve attendance concerns. Students who demonstrate excessive attendance problems (defined as unexcused absences and tardies) will be subject to potential school disciplinary actions.
Research has shown that school performance significantly declines once a student exceeds a 10% absentee rate. Students should be in attendance no less than 90% of the time. This includes both excused and unexcused absences. If students fall below the 90% threshold, they are increasing the likelihood that they will not be successful in their coursework and therefore not complete the graduation requirements for high school.
Each student is expected to keep their attendance under the following thresholds:
- No more than 6 unexcused absences per class period during the duration of each trimester.
- No more than 6 tardies per class period during the duration of each trimester.
- No more than a combination of 3 verified truancies in all class periods during the duration of each trimester.
Absences
Any time a student misses class it will be recorded as an absence. Parents must call in or use the secure email through Skyward to communicate with our attendance office regarding the absence. Once the absence is excused it will be recorded in Skyward as an “E”. As per state code, students will be held harmless for absences that are excused by a parent or guardian. This does not mean that students are not responsible to complete any work that is missed as a result of absences. Students are expected to complete all work, regardless of the type of absence that is recorded. Any absence that is not excused by a parent or guardian will be recorded in Skyward as an “A”. Once a student exceeds 6 unexcused absences in any class during a trimester, they will advance to a Tier 2 attendance intervention. Parents may excuse absences through the attendance office for up to five days after the absence occurred. After five days have passed, absences must be cleared by the students’ assistant principal.
Name:
Last Names:
Phone Number:
Justin Pitcher
April Sagala
Celeste King
Christian Cowart
A – D
E – K
L – Q
R – Z
801-826-5817
801-826-5813
801-826-5812
801-826-5814
Verified Truancies
A student who is supposed to be in class but is found elsewhere in the building without an appropriate hall pass will be marked as verified truant. These are typically the most problematic absences in a school setting as most verified truancies are a result of students not going to class but remaining in the building in locations where they are not supposed to be. Because these absences are so problematic the threshold for this type of absence is very low. Once a student exceeds 3 verified truancies in any combination of classes, they will advance to a Tier 1 attendance intervention.
Tardies
Punctuality is an important life skill and tardiness is extremely disruptive to the educational process. A student is considered tardy if they are not in the classroom when the bell rings. If a student arrives more than 10 minutes late to class, it is recorded as a “W” which refers to “Way Late”. This still only counts as a tardy but serves as a reference for teachers, students, and families regarding the significance of the late arrivals. Any student that exceeds 6 tardies in the same class period during a trimester will advance to a Tier 2 attendance intervention.
Check In / Check Out
Students arriving to school late or returning to school from a mid-day appointment should check in at the office. Parents need to call and notify the attendance office when a student is being checked in so we can record it appropriately. Students arriving late to class without parent notification will be marked with a tardy as described above.
Attendance Interventions and Consequences
Pre-Interventions: Teachers are the first line of encouragement for good student attendance. Classroom efforts to encourage daily student attendance will include: taking accurate daily attendance, learning students names as soon as possible, providing an engaging and relevant curriculum, notifying parents via phone or email when students are frequently not in attendance or frequently tardy, and weekly performance check-ups during APP class (formerly Flex).
Tier 1: Once a student has exceeded the recommended number of absences and/or tardies in any of their classes, the administration will schedule an attendance mediation with the student and the parent. At this mediation we will discuss the students’ current grades and attendance and potential solutions to the attendance problem. At this mediation, the student and parent will agree to and sign an attendance contract indicating what measures will be put into place to help the student to improve attendance efforts, a time frame for compliance, and the potential consequences for further attendance deficiencies.
Tier 2: When a student fails to meet the terms of the Tier 2 attendance contact and continues to struggle with attendance and/or tardies, we will schedule a second attendance mediation with the student and the parent. At this second mediation we will impose the consequences agreed upon in the first contract and work on a contract with more significant potential consequences for failure to comply. At this mediation, the student and parent will agree to and sign the attendance contract indicating what measures will be put into place to help the student to improve attendance efforts, a time frame for compliance, and the potential consequences for further attendance deficiencies.
Some of the potential consequences that may be contained in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 attendance contracts include but are not limited to:
- Placement on a daily attendance tracker
- Lunch Detention
- In-School Suspension
- Referral to Mentor or “check and connect” counselor
- Revoked parking privileges
- Revoked participation at school dances/spectator privileges at UHSAA activities
- Assignment of a class escort
- Parent spend the day with the student at school
- Suspension from participation in UHSAA sanctioned activities
- Other consequences developed in collaboration with parents and students
Tier 3 – District Intervention: Once we have worked through the tiers of interventions with a student and these interventions have failed to help improve student attendance and/or punctuality, students will be referred to our district attendance specialist and peer court. The student will appear before peer judges and explain their situation. Peer court has additional consequences at their disposal including service hour requirements, fines, after school classes, and required mentoring.
Checking Student Attendance
Student attendance and grades can be checked at home or work through Skyward linked on the BHS homepage at: bhs.canyonsdistrict.org. To access the information you will need your Skyward login information. If you need Skyward help, please contact our attendance office at 801-826-5810.
Excusing/Reporting Absences
Parents may excuse absences by:
- Calling the attendance office at 801-826-5810 between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
- Emailing the attendance office through Skyward using your login credentials.
Definitions of Absences
Below is a list of codes that may appear on Skyward related to your students’ attendance.
Description
Skyward Code
Skyward Reason
Definition
Absent
A
No Communication
A
VT
Verified Truancy
Excused Absence
E
B
Bereavement
E
CT
Court
E
EL
Pre-Approved Ed-Release
E
R
Religious
E
DR
Health Care Provider
E
FE
Family Event
E
MH
Mental Health
CHECK-IN
C
IN
Arrived late with excuse
CHECK-OUT
C
O
Left early with excuse
School Excused Absences
N
FT
Field Trip
C
Counselor Meeting
A
Administration Meeting
T
Testing
IS
In-School Suspension
HH
Home/Hospital
ST
Public Threat Notification
S
Out of School Suspension
Tardy
T
Tardy
W
Way Late Tardy (more than 10 minutes late)
