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Attendance Office
The Attendance Office is located in the corridor off the main lobby. Students who are late to school must
report there immediately upon arrival to sign in and be given a pass to class. Students who are dismissed
with parental permission for an appointment must report there to obtain a dismissal pass and to sign out.
This is the office that parents call to report a student’s absence, late arrival, or dismissal. The 24-
hour call-in line is: 781-786-5299. In lieu of a phone call, parents should provide the student with a
note that includes the date, time, and reason for their student’s absence, late arrival, or dismissal.
Also available in the Attendance Office are copies of student schedules, locker information, and homeroom
mailboxes.
Absences
Parents are to call the 24-hour Absence Line, (781) 786-5299 before 10:00 a.m. on the days their child is
absent from school, tardy to school or to be dismissed from school, in order for the absence, tardy or
dismissal to be excused. The phone message should include the student’s name, the parent’s name,
the date and reason for the absence, late arrival or dismissal. Students will be allowed to make up work
missed during excused absences, tardies and dismissals. The following circumstances constitute an excused
absence, tardy or dismissal:
1. Illness
2. Visit to physician
3. Bereavement for family or friend
4. Religious holiday
5. College visit with advance notification and college appointment letter provided to the Attendance Office
6. School-sponsored activity/field trip
7. Significant family events: parents to notify the Attendance Office in advance
8. Special exemptions granted by the Principal only
Regarding classes missed due to unexcused absence, tardiness or dismissal, students will not receive credit
for work assigned and/or due that day in the classes missed and will be given a grade of zero for that day for
tests, quizzes, presentations and participation.
The faculty and administration believe that excessive absences diminish the educational experience of
students and are serious enough to warrant sanctions. The N rule is an attendance policy that stipulates a
student receives no grade in a course for excessive absences in a quarter or no credit in a course for excessive
absences in a semester. An N is an attendance grade indicating that a student was absent from too many
classes to be fairly assessed and given a regular letter grade on his/her report card.
This new policy addresses all the factors that affect student attendance: excused and unexcused absences;
excused tardies and early dismissals; and unexcused tardies. Courses at Weston High School are designed to
optimize student learning during a 79-minute class period. To help facilitate increased comprehension and
productivity by students, teachers carefully scaffold classroom activities. As a result, missing half (or more) of
any class period makes it virtually impossible for the student to reap the full benefit of that class.
Additionally, the length of a class period at Weston High School is nearly double the class length at
neighboring schools. So, when a student misses half (or more) of a class period, the amount of learning lost is
equal to an average class period.
The N rule, which took effect on September 1, 2007, reformed our existing policy by making explicit the
number of student absences allowed; imposing clear consequences for students who exceed those limits;
brings consistency to the enforcement of attendance rules across the school; and helps students and parents
give more thought to whether an absence is really necessary.
This policy allows for teacher discretion, is not unfairly punitive for students and parents, and takes into
account unforeseen circumstances that may affect a student’s attendance. This policy also allows for
greater collaboration between the administration, teachers, guidance counselors, students, and parents, when
poor attendance is interfering with learning.
N Rule Attendance Policy
Absences
• 7 absences or more in a class per term in a 5 block course (meets 28 times) = N
• 5 absences or more in a class per term in a 4 block course (meets 22 times) = N
• 3 absences or more in a class per term in a 2 block course (meets 11 times) = N
• Seniors: 4 absences or more in a class in the fourth term in a 5 block course (meets 15 times) = N
• An absence that is a cut has a penalty of Saturday School and/or suspension.
Tardies/early dismissals
• 3 tardies in any class per term = 1 absence
• Students absent from a class 40 minutes (half the class) are marked absent. On days when there is a
special schedule with shortened classes, students will be marked absent if they miss half of the class
(e.g. on a day with 50-minute class periods, a tardy of 25 minutes = an absence).
Unexcused absences for the day
• Students have three (3) days after returning from an absence in which to turn in a note signed by a
parent or guardian excusing the absence. After three days the absence is classified as a cut.
Implications of an N
• An N is an attendance grade. There is a letter grade behind the N: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or F.
• If a student earns one N in a class over the year, he/she receives a regular letter grade as the year-end
grade. All four-term grades are averaged including the grade behind the N.
• If a student earns two N’s in one class during the year, or one N in a one-semester course, he/she may
receive an N as a final grade. In consultation with the guidance counselor and approval of the
department head, the teacher has the discretion to remove the N.
• A student who earns an N as a final grade in a course does not receive credit for that course.
• A course required for graduation must be repeated. An N cannot be made up in summer school.
• A senior who earns an N in a course for the fourth term will receive an N on his/her transcript as a
final grade for that course. In consultation with the guidance counselor and approval of the principal,
the teacher has the discretion to remove the N.
Exceptions to the N rule
• Medical waivers
• School-sanctioned field trips
• Students suspended from school
• Exemptions granted by the principal
Standard disciplinary consequences for class cuts will be imposed for unexcused absence from class.
Students may participate in a extra-curricular activity on any given school day only if they have been in
attendance for a minimum of 3 ½ hours. In addition, students will not be allowed to participate in extra-curricular
activities on the day of an unexcused dismissal or an unexcused class absence.
REMINDER: There are no sanctioned “skip days.”
Dismissals/LEAVING SCHOOL GROUNDS
With the exception of those approved for Senior Privileges, students are not to leave school grounds during
the school day unless dismissed through the Attendance Office. Students must have a parental phone call
or note made before 10:00 am to the Attendance Office and must sign the Dismissal Register at the Attendance
Office in order to receive permission to leave the building for reasons unrelated to school programs.
• Minimum consequence: four hours of Saturday School for leaving school grounds without
authorization. In addition, students will not be allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities and athletics on the day of an unexcused dismissal. Standard consequences for class cuts also apply: loss of Senior Privileges for ten days, not allowed to drive or to have a motor vehicle on High School/Middle School
Campus for ten school days.
• Additional consequences: for the second and subsequent violations, students will be suspended from
school for one day.
Tardy to School
All students arriving at school tardy must verify that their parent/guardian is aware of their tardiness (excused or unexcused) by a phone call or note from said parent/guardian before 10:00 a.m. that day. Students who have unexcused tardies will not be given credit for work missed.
• Minimum consequence: one hour of Saturday School for the third and each subsequent tardy arrival
to school in a term.
• Repeated violations may result in one or all of the following consequences: loss of free periods, Senior
Privileges, and/or permission to drive or have a motor vehicle on the high school/middle school
campus, ability to participate in extra-curricular activities, and suspension from school.
Tardy arrivals pre-arranged with the Attendance Office at least a day in advance will not be included in this
tally. The following circumstances constitute an excused tardy:
1. Illness
2. Visit to physician
3. Bereavement for family or friend
4. Religious holiday
5. College visit with advance notification and college appointment letter provided to the Attendance Office
6. School-sponsored activity/field trip
7. Significant family events: parents to notify the Attendance Office in advance
8. Special exemptions granted by the Principal only
Signing in Upon Arrival
Students arriving at school tardy must report immediately upon arrival at school to the Attendance Office and sign in on the Tardy Register. Disciplinary consequences will be issued to students who fail to sign in.
Class Attendance
Students are required to attend all scheduled classes, study halls and assemblies unless excused for a valid
reason by a teacher, counselor, administrator, or the school nurse.
Students reported as being absent from a class without authorization will be given a notice of the alleged
violation. If they do not clear the absence on the day they are notified, it is recorded as a class cut.
• Minimum consequence: four hours of Saturday School for each class cut and not allowed to
participate in extra-curricular activities on the day of the cut. In addition, the student will not
receive credit for work assigned and/or due the day of the class cut and will be given a grade of zero
on that day for tests, quizzes, presentations and participation.
• Additional consequences: after a total of seven (7) class cuts in a school year, students will be assigned
to one day of suspension for the eigth (8th) and each subsequent class cut.
Students are required to arrive promptly for their classes. If a student is late for a class, he/she should
provide a pass to the teacher, explaining the tardiness. After three unexcused tardies in a course per
quarter, the student will be assigned two hours of Saturday School.
Free Period Policy
Students with free or unassigned blocks may spend them in the following areas only: cafeteria,
library, computer labs, in the front of the school, or with teachers in department offices or
classrooms, with permission.
Class Cancellation
Students who arrive at their classrooms and find no teacher or substitute are to remain in their rooms until
dismissed by the appropriate department head or his/her representative. If no faculty member arrives,
students are to report to the appropriate Departmental Office or the Attendance Office. Students failing to
follow the above procedures may be assigned class cuts.
Field Trips
Field trips are an integral part of the student experience at Weston High School. Well planned and closely
linked to the curriculum, they support the school mission statement as well as our expectations for student
learning. With 79-minute classes, field trips can occur within regular class blocks. Other trips may require
students to miss classes in other disciplines, however, and students are responsible for informing their
teachers and for making arrangements to make up missed work. There may be occasions when teachers
exercise their right to request that students not miss their classes and therefore not attend a particular field
trip.
NOTE: Students will not be allowed to leave school grounds on any field trip without the signature of a
parent/guardian on a permission slip authorizing medical care and providing pertinent health
information.
Guests
Students planning to invite a guest to any school social function should (1) check to see if guests are permitted to attend, and (2) receive approval from the Assistant Principal at least two days prior to the event. (Note: No approval will be granted to former students who have been excluded from the school or previous visitors who have been uncooperative with school personnel.)
Posters
Material may not be posted in the corridors or other public areas in the school without prior approval of the Student Activities Coordinator or the Assistant Principal. Approval forms are available in the Student Activities Coordinator's Office. This is to ensure fair and equal access to posting, to prevent harrassment and inappropriate advertising and to maintain public standards of taste. Teachers have the same authority to determine all postings within their classrooms.
Updated 9/7/12
click here to view or download the entire Student Parent Handbook
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