Attendance Policy
Parents are asked to call the Attendance Office the morning their student is absent and explain the reason for the absence. If the parent does not call the day of the absence, a parent note will be required from the student when he/she returns to school. Without a call or a note upon returning to school, the absence will remain unexcused. In cases of 8 total absences, the student will be required to produce a doctor’s note to excuse any subsequent absences. Students who are excluded due to COVID will be required to join each class via livestream. Teachers will send Teams invitations for each class period. Students who are absent from school could be, ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities held after school on the date of the absence. District policy determines if the absence will be recorded as excused or unexcused. Unexcused absences will result in zeroes for all class work missed during the absence. A student has 48 hours to return a parent/doctor note or the absence will remain unexcused.
Checking In
- Students arriving on campus after 7:40am must check in through the Attendance Office.
Checking Out
- Students will not be allowed to check out of school without a written note from a parent/guardian. All students are to check out through the Attendance Office.
- Students cannot be checked out after 2:00pm in the afternoon.
Illness During the School Day
If your child becomes too ill to stay at school, it is required that the parent or the parent’s designee comes to the Attendance Office to sign out the student. For their safety, students too ill to stay at school cannot leave school based on a phone call, email, fax, or note. No exceptions.
College Visits
Students wishing to visit a college must coordinate information through both the Counseling and Attendance offices. At least 2 days before the trip, students must have the signature of the following: counselor, one parent, the Attendance Office, and each teacher. Upon returning to CHS, the student must bring, to the Attendance Office, this form and a letter from the official of the college that he/she visited with his/her name on it. Failure to return both of these will result in an unexcused absence. The Attendance Office will issue the student an admit slip.
9th-12th grade students are allowed 3 college visits per year. The college visits will be counted as field trips with proper documentation turned in to the Attendance Office.
Make up Work
In the event of an excused absence, students are expected to make up missed work within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the school policy, with a minimum of one day allowed for each day absent.
Semester Exams
A student having a ninety (90) or higher average for the two (2) terms in a specific course may be exempted from the semester exam, if the student desires. When a student is exempted from the exam, the semester average will be the average of the two (2) term grades. ANY UNEXCUSED ABSENCE OR MORE THAN FIVE (5) EXCUSED ABSENCES PER SEMESTER IN THE COURSE WILL DISQUALIFY THE STUDENT FROM ALL EXEMPTIONS. EXEMPTIONS APPLY ONLY TO TEACHER-MADE SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS. Religious holidays and excused post-secondary travel days will not count against the exemption status of the student. Twelfth (12th) grade students are eligible for exam exemption during both semesters. All other students in high school courses who meet the above requirements may be exempted for only the second semester exam.
2021-2022 TN Truancy Law
Tier 1 – Once a student accumulates 5 Unexcused Absences
- Letter – Notification of Truancy mailed
- Attendance Conference – Includes completion of an Attendance Contract – Which contains Expectation, Penalties – (school based), Length of Contract, Follow-up date, Signed by Parent, Student, and Administrator. (The administrator will have the discretion to make absences excused if the parents are able to provide satisfactory evidence.)
Tier 2 – 8 Unexcused Absences
- (Referral form sent to SS) Letter from Student Services
- Attendance Assessment by School – Complete student assessment form (by teacher or counselor), may also include phone conference with teacher.
Tier 3 – 12 Unexcused Absences
- Complete second referral form and send to Student Services (Must have evidence of Tier 1 and Tier 2)
- Student Services Truancy Conference with Parent
- Referral to Juvenile Court