Home

Administration

Information

Grade Levels

Directory

PTO

 Scrapbook

  Richland 2
Attendance Information
Truancy Facts

  • Nearly one in ten 15 year olds are truant at least once a week

  • Truancy is a gateway crime. Many truants are exposed to, and become involved in, high-risk behaviors.

  • Truancy is a precursor to dropping out. 82% of all prison inmates are dropouts

  • The possible costs to the individual are: lost income potential (the median income for a dropout is half that of a high school graduate), unemployment, crime, incarceration, homelessness, addiction, and poor relationships.

  • The costs to the community are higher taxes, higher crime rates, an uneducated workforce, and a stagnate economy due to reduced spending power.

 

South Carolina Truancy Facts

  • South Carolina is one of only two states in the nation that incarcerates its youth for truancy.

  • Approximately 30% of students do not complete high school (Kids Count Report, 2000). Falling behind is a major reason for leaving. The 1990 census recorded 783,610 South Carolinians over age 18 without a high school diploma.

  • DJJ received 2,995 truancy cases in 2000. 60% of these were processed through family court.

  • Truants made up 17% of all juveniles committed to institutions in 2000.

  • South Carolina has appropriated little to no funding for truancy prevention and intervention.

Attendance Policy And Laws

  • Students can miss up to ten days of lawful absences. All days past ten must be approved by the principal.

  • Any student with more than ten absences may be retained.

  • High School students who exceed five absences in a semester course or ten  absences in a year long course may not receive credit for that course.   However   students may be eligible to pay to make up missed days, not to exceed  four make up days.

  • After an absence, medical or parent notes must be submitted to school within five days.

  • If notes are submitted after five days, the absences may be considered as    unlawful.

 Lawful Absences:

  • Student illness if attendance would endanger his health or the health of  others.(If your child has an illness that causes an absence to be more than five days, you may make a request for homebound instruction. You must have the proper form submitted from a medical practitioner.)

  • Illness or death in the immediate family.

  • A recognized religious holiday of the students’ faith.

  •  Medical or dental appointments; court appearances.

  • Class suspensions.

 Unlawful Absences:

An unlawful absence is any absence that is not excused under the conditions  mentioned above.

 Consequences:

Three consecutive or five total unlawful absences are considered to be truancy.

Parent/ legal guardian will be notified that an Attendance Improvement Plan must be implemented.

If unlawful absences continue, a referral may be made to the Richland County  Family Court.

Parents convicted for educational neglect may be placed under court order,  fined up to $ 50.00 a day and /or jailed for up to thirty days for each    unexcused absence thereafter.

Students between the ages of twelve and seventeen may be sent to the Department of  Juvenile Justice for up to ninety days.

A court order may remain in effect until a child graduates from high school.

 

Seguimiento de Las Leyes y Las Normas

  • Cualquier estudiante que acumule mas de diez ausencias enfrenta la posibilidad de ser retenido.

  • Cuando su hijo(a) esta ausente, usted debe entregar una nota medica o una nota del padre de familia dentro de los tres dias de su regreso a la escuela.

  • Si las notas no son entregadas dentro del tiempo especifico marcado, las ausencias de su hijo(a) seran consideradas no justificadas.

  • Hay serias consecuencias por las ausencias no justificadas.

Ausencias Permitidas;

  • Las ausencias autorizadas por un medico u otro profesional en el area de la salud.

  • Muerte de un familiar inmediato(padres, abuelos, hermanos).

  • Un dia de fiesta religioso reconocido.

  • Circunstancias especiales aprobadas por el principal (Director(a)).

  • Si su hijo(a) tiene una enfermedad que le causa una ausencia de mas de cinco dias, usteddebe llamar a la escuela para solicitar instrucciones de lo que su hijo(a) debe hacer en casa. Usted debe tener una documentacion certificada. Se require para hacer esta solicitud.

Ausencias no permitidas:

Una ausencia no permitida es cualquier ausencia sin excusa bajo las condiciones arriba mencionadas.

Consecuencias:

  • Un total de tres consecutivas o cinco en total de ausencias no permitidas es considerado no cumplimiento del deber. A este punto padres y estudiantes pueden ser requeridos a reunirse con el personal de la escuela para efectuar un plan con el objetivo de mejorar la asistencia.

  • Cinco ausencias no permitidas. Padres y estudiantes seran referidos a Mediacion en ausencia escolar.

  • Un total de diez ausencias no permitidas. Padres y estudiantes seran referidos a la Corte d Familia. Los padres pueden ser sometidos bajo las ordenes de la Corte, deberan pagar una multa hasta los $50 por dia y encarcelamiento con un maximo de 30 dias por cada ausencia sin excusa que se haga en adelante.

  • Los estudiantes entre los doce y diecisiete anos de edad pueden ser demandados por ausencia escolar en la Corte de Familia. El estudiante puede ser enviado a una de las intalaciones de la DJJ por un periodo de 30 a 90 dias y sera registrado con un reporte criminal.

Una orden de la Corte puede permanecer en efecto hasta que su hijo(a) cumpla los 17 anos de edad o complete sus estudios (primaria y segundaria).

 

Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School
125 Boney Road, Blythewood, South Carolina  29016