Attendance and Truancy
RIHS Attendance Expectations for in-person learning >>
Rock Island High School Attendance Guidelines
- Calling in/Calling out your student.
Calling in - Call the attendance office at 309-581-2478 the day of your child’s absence. A doctor’s note provided upon student’s return to school will also be accepted. Only those people listed in your student’s contacts can call out or pick up your student. Please review the list periodically and add or subtract names as needed.
Calling out - A note by a parent/guardian, stating the time of departure, should be submitted to the attendance office in the morning prior to the start of the school day. At that time, the student will receive a pass to give to his or her teacher when it is time for them to leave. This method is faster and more convenient for you and your student. You may also call the attendance office in the morning with the time your student will need to leave school. Please provide adequate time for us to notify your student when they need to leave school. - Per school and district guidelines, we will not allow students to leave the building without consent from the parent or other authorized adults on your student’s contact list. In the event a student arrives late to school and we cannot get ahold of someone on the contact list, your student will be marked not excused and may receive consequences.
- Tardy Policy - Each student is allowed 5 excused tardies for the entire school year. (please use them wisely). After 5 tardies, documentation is required to justify any additional tardies. Examples of acceptable documentation includes doctor notes, (physician, dentist, psychologist, chiropractor, ophthalmologist), court papers, etc. Without documentation your student may receive disciplinary action for each tardy. If your student is late ten or more times, they may be subject to truancy tickets. Not excused tardies start over at semester. Excused tardies do not.
- 10-day List Policy - Your student can only be called into school ten times/70 class periods in a school year without documentation. Ten or more absences will put your student on a Doctor’s Note Restriction List. Proper documentation will be required in order for your student to receive an excused absence. If your student has an on-going medical condition that may lead to them missing 10 or more school days, contact your family physician for a doctor’s note explaining the illness and what accommodations they need.
- Illinois Truancy Laws - In Illinois, a student between the ages of 7-17 must attend a public/private school. A student cannot miss more than 5% of the school year (9 days). If a student violates our attendance polices/truancy laws, they may receive a truancy ticket with a $50-500 fine. If your child cannot pay the fine (not up to parents to pay for) they can be assigned community service hours through court. Parents also can be held accountable if the Regional Office of Education feels the need to take families to court.
We understand there is a direct correlation between attendance and academic success. We know the first and most critical step to preparing your student for the future is to be in class, on time, every day. We thank you in advance for your support and understanding of our attendance procedures.
If you have any questions/concerns regarding your student’s attendance or truancy issues at Rock Island High School, please contact Audrey Moody at 309-581-2478.
Audrey Moody
Attendance Interventionist, Rock Island High School
309-581-2478
Dawn Mlekush
Attendance Secretary,
Rock Island High School
(309) 793-5950 ext 52050