This is our preferred method of reporting absences due to mandatory attendance audits conducted annaully. All absences must be documented by our staff and explained to the Department of Education and/or your scholarship funding organization. It is your responsibility to let us know why your student(s) was absent (in detail), noting that your child may be in jeopardy of losing their spot due to Department of Education rules, Florida statue and truancy laws. Please note that not all absences will be excused.
ATTENDANCE POLICY Our holistic learning environment suffers when students come in late or do not come to class consistently. We strongly discourage parents from enabling their children to miss classes for arbitrary reasons. When a student misses class, he or she misses a planned progression of subject information as well as the conceptual processof learning new material. We feel strongly that each student contributes to the holistic learning experience of the entire class, and their absence impedes this process. Daily attendance is essential to assure a quality holistic learning environment. Any student missing 5 days or more in a quarter (excused or unexcused) will be put on an Attendance Action Plan. If absences are medical in nature, a medical exemption form will be provided with the Attendance Action Plan that can be signed by the child’s medical provider if it is determined that classes will continue to be missed for
medical reasons. Additionally, if the administration believes that there is a pattern of absences, we will require a parent teacher conference may be called at any time to address these concerns. If there are over 9 days missed in a semester, either a medical exemption must be completed by a medical practioner or a conference will be called to develop a Detailed Action Plan for habitual absences (this will be done if a medical exemption cannot be obtained or if absences are not medical in nature). If there is a family trip that a parent would like to request a one-time excused absence for, this must be done sixty (60) days prior to when the trip is scheduled. Students who are absent from school will be marked in one of two categories:
Excused Absences: Absences are excused for the following reasons: student illness, death in the family, medical or dental appointments, or any other reason excused by the Executive Director or Associate Director. Examples of illnesses may include but are not limited to:
1. Contagious diseases such as measles, mumps, chicken pox, pink eye, influenza, and all flus.
2. Skin rashes–especially if the cause is unknown or if accompanied by fever or drainage. (We may require medical provider note to verify that the student is not contagious)
3. Head lice infestation.
4. Fever–students with an oral temperature of 100.4 or greater should be kept home until they have been fever-free without medication for 24 hours.
5. Vomiting–students who vomit must stay home for 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting.
6. Not feeling well due to recent vaccination/immunization-Of special note: we request that you vaccinate your child on a Friday since most students may not feel well after receiving a vaccination/immunization. If you are unable to schedule an appointment on a Friday, please provide us the note from your doctor stating that your child has received a vaccination, and we will excuse the absence that day and up to 2 days afterwards, as needed.
Missing Academic Instruction Not Related to Illness. Examples Include:
1. There is a major illness in the student's immediate family.
2. There is a death in the immediate family.
3. The student attends religious instruction or there is a religious holiday in the student’s own faith (noting we are closed for most Christian religious holidays).
4. Student is required by summons, subpoena, or court order to appear in court (must supply subpoena).
5. Special events: important public functions, conferences, state/national competitions, cases of family need approved by administration.
6. The student has a scheduled medical, dental, or therapy appointment (if this is weekly or habitual, a medical exemption is preferred and will be provided to the parent/guardian, or a note must be provided for each and every visit).
7. A college visitation.
You have two options to report absences:
Option One: Call before 8:24am the day of the absence and leave a detailed voice message explaining the reason for the absence (subject to administration approval). A voicemail message from a parent is acceptable for up to 5 days per instructional year. OR
Option Two (preferred) Complete our Absence Reporting Form preferably the same day the child will be absent
preferably before 8:24am (we will be accept your excuse via our Absence Reporting Form within 2 instructional days of absence) using the following link: https://form.jotform.com/oasnopa/absence-form-attendance-policy) or via the Parent
Portal on our website. ***end options
The parent/guardian is required to call us (as shown in option one) before 8:25am the day of the absences or complete our Absence Reporting submit a medical provider or a note from a parent is acceptable for up to 9 days per semester (noting that all students missing 5 days or more per quarter will receive an Attendance Action Plan regardless of whether the absence was excused or not). Additionally, it is at the discretion of the administration to excuse the absence (see the Excused Absences section of this policy for more information). All notes must contain a reason for the absence. If the administration believes that there is a pattern of absences, a parent teacher conference may be called to address these concerns. If there are over 9 days missed in semester, either a medical exemption must be completed by a medical practitioner, or a conference will be called that can be attended in person, via Zoom or phone call (if the parent/guardian refuses or is unable to attend, a conference, we will proceed without his/her input) to develop a Detailed Attendance Action Plan for habitual absences. Family Trips/Extended Vacations during our regularly scheduled instructional days (see our instructional calendar on the parent portal) are strongly discouraged. If there is a family trip/extended vacation that a parent would like to request a one-time excused absence for, this must be done sixty (60) days prior to when the family trip/extended vacation is scheduled. Any other pre-arranged absences must be pre-approved by the Administration sixty (60) days prior to student missing instruction unless it falls under the Excused Absences section of this policy.
Repeating Grade Due to Excessive Days Missed: A student who is absent more than 25 days during the instructional year may be required to repeat the entire school year at the same grade level. The administration reserves the right to waive this requirement. Students absent 20-24 days during the instructional year may be required to attend our summer program (at a cost to the parent) in order acquire the necessary hours for grade promotion or for awarding of academic credit on their high school transcript or report card. The administration reserves the right to waive this requirement. Parents are strongly urged to consider this subsection of our attendance policy when planning non urgent medical appointments during the instructional day and extended vacations (see our Excused Absences section of the attendance policy for more information).
NOTE: There are two exceptions to our absence policy, through our Medical Exemption (see MEDICAL EXEMPTION FOR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM and HEALTH LEAVE FORM FOR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM) noting that we may exercise the right to contact with your medical provider to ensure that excessive absences or tardies are medically necessary.
MEDICAL EXEMPTION FOR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM In compliance with Florida State Statute, Ocala Preparatory Academy may require a medical exemption for a chronically absent student in the event of a qualified medical condition, meaning a severe, chronic, physical, or mental illness, infection, injury, disease, or emotional trauma that meets the following criteria: The condition affects the student so severely as to incapacitate the student and causes the student to miss school for more than 5 consecutive days in a semester or as deemed necessary for any reason as determined by administration to meet the criteria for medical exemption. This form can be completed at any time. When the administration has identified that a student may qualify for a medical exemption, our medical exemption form will be provided to the parent/ guardian to give to their medical provider. The medical provider (medical doctor, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant or therapist, and possibly other medical/healthcare providers within the State of FL-ask if you have questions) will document the condition and verify in writing with their signature and medical information. A copy of the documentation verifying the student's condition and the medical provider overseeing his/her care shall be filed in the student's educational record. Examples of medically exempt conditions include the following: a student has a serious chronic medical condition (a condition lasting three months or more) and is absent for the purpose of receiving condition-related treatment (medical or therapeutic intervention). Examples include (but not limited to): autism, PTSD, anxiety, compromised immune system or
frequently getting sick, epilepsy, severe anaphylactic response, and other chronic or related conditions, or the death or life threatening injury of an immediate family member of the student (student's parent/guardian, sibling, or child). A completed and signed medical exemption must be provided as soon as possible after the onset of the condition, illness, or injury (it is
at our discretion when a determination is made regarding whether the absence will be excused until we receive a signed medical exemption). Work must be caught up while out or upon return to ensure compliance with the Department of Education. Additionally, if a medical provider requires a medical exemption to be completed by a specialist, we reserve the
right to wait to get the medical exemption from the specialist. We will review each case and come up with an action plan based upon a student's medical or therapeutic interventions required and/or compromised immune system. Finally, a “once in always in” medical exemption will remain in effect unless the medical provider writes a letter stating that the child no
longer has the medical condition that would cause him/her to miss more instructional days than the average student OR the parent/guardian unenrolls the child from Ocala Preparatory Academy. Please note that if a child misses 6 days consecutively, the parent/guardian must get a Health Leave Form (see below for information on our Health Leave Policy)
for longer term consecutive absences (this applies even if the child has a Medical Exemption form on file with us). The school always reserves the right to unenroll after 10 consecutive days absent.
HEALTH LEAVE FORM FOR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM: Ocala Preparatory Academy has developed a Health Leave Policy to support and facilitate families obtaining care for a parent/guardian or their child(ren) while aiming to minimize long term consequences to their child’s (our student’s) academic standing. A Health Leave Form should be completed if:
1. A student that is absent 6 consecutive days absent due to a parent/guardian’s health- related issue; a Health Leave Medical Form will be provided to the parent/guardian for their treating medical provider to sign (and provide their medical credentials) and return to us within 30 days (including instructional days, weekends, breaks, holidays, etc.). It is
strongly encouraged that a family member or friend brings the child to school whenever possible so that he/she does not miss valuable instruction time.
2. Once a student is absent 6 consecutive days due to a parent/guardian’s sickness, a Health Leave Medical Form must be filled out and signed by a healthcare professional/medical provider before the 15th instructional day is missed to determine the child’s health status.
On the 10th instructional day, a determination will be made about the likelihood of the student being able to return to school with work completed for the instructional year. Return from a health leave is contingent on agreement of the school and recommendation of healthcare professional/medical provider. The school will also determine what portion of the missed
instructional work has been made up, and the student’s status upon his/her return. The school always reserves the right to unenroll after 10 days of being consecutively absent.
Due to the State of Florida legislative requirements to accept choice scholarships, we reserve the right to expel based on our absence policy and FL Compulsory School Law (as shown on top of our attendance policy, which requires us to report truancy). However, please note that if we have doctor's notes for lost time due to sickness, this is generally not a reason to
expel. Each situation is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Tardy Policy Students are to check in at the office when they arrive after 8:35am. As stated above, students are considered tardy at 8:35am (on our clock located in our front lobby). Parents must sign students in at or after 8:35am. Tardies will be excused for medical appointments and/or therapeutic appointments with an accompanying note from the
clinic. Calling the office because you are running late is excused four times in the instructional year. At our discretion, students arriving late will need to make-up work that he/she misses (see Make Up Policy). If repeated tardiness occurs, the parent or guardian will be contacted to work on a plan to ensure that the student arrives to class on time.
PLEASE NOTE: Students dropped off for instruction after 11:30am (on a full instructional day, not an early release day) will be marked absent and not get credit for the instructional day unless the child has a medical exemption OR was at a medical
appointment (students that have a medical exemption are required to have a note from their medical or therapeutic clinic for late arrivals after 11:30am). The required 180 days are calculated at 15-minute intervals, based on 6 hours per day.
Make-Up Policy Students who have excused absences are expected to make up tests, quizzes, assignments, or other assigned work. Missed assignments will be sent home to be completed with a parent or guardian when the child returns to school. Students who neglect or refuse to do their makeup work can expect to get a “zero”. Students are required to make up for missed work within 2 instructional days of returning to class (in extenuating circumstances, exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis). Our teachers are not required to give students full credit for missed work/instruction if work is not completed within 2 instructional days for excused absences OR partial credit for unexcused absences (our students are now required to make up all work whether the absence is excused or unexcused). The administration will make the final decision if there is a question regarding credit received or lack of credit received for missed work. Work missed will not be provided to students until after they return from being absent unless it is a planned absence that has been approved by administration OR a child has a medical exemption or a health leave form on file due to medical reasons (noting we need one week notice not including holidays or breaks)- SEE MEDICAL EXEMPTION FOR CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM AND HEALTH LEAVE FORM DUE TO CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM for more information.
Of final note, Since we are a holistic school, some work cannot be sent home since we provide hands on learning activities that are completed with other students in the classroom or outside (for upper grade students, an alternative assignment may be provided). Due to this, we request that you plan family trips and other leisure absences during times that we are closed or offer an early release day.
Extended Parent/Guardian Absence: Parents/Guardians on an extended absence from the home must update emergency contact information through the Student Inquiry Form (found on our Parent Portal or at this link directly: https://form.jotform.com/oasnopa/student-inquiry-form) within 3 instructional days. This information will include the length of absence & the name and contact number(s) of those responsible for the student’s care during a parent/guardian’s absence.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q: Is my child required to do make-up work when he/she is absent? A: Yes, the child is required to make up for missed work within 2 instructional days of returning to class (see Make Up Policy section for more information).
Q. What if my student will be absent for semester exams? A: Semester exams may be given early at the teacher’s discretion. It is not guaranteed. Semester exams are not given late unless there are extenuating circumstances approved by administration.
Q: What is an unexcused absence? A: Anything that does not meet the criteria of an excused absence (see our Excused Absences section regarding what we consider an excused absence) is considered unexcused. Examples include unapproved family trips, oversleeping, the student doesn’t want to come to class, family is in town, or anything else not on our list.
Q: May a student leave early? A: Students are expected to be in classes for the full instructional day. If a student misses more than a 1/2 day of instruction (leaves before 11:30am), the child will be marked absent for the entire day, unless the absence is excused. Excused reasons for early dismissal follow the same guidelines as excused absences. If a student habitually leaves early, this could be a reason for academic probation.
Q: Can a student be expelled for excessive absences or tardies or not be offered a spot for the upcoming instructional year? A. Yes, students that are excessively absent or tardy can be expelled and/or not offered a spot in the upcominginstructional year. Of additional note, the school reserves the right to unenroll a student after 10 consecutive days of being absent.
Q: Why are you open if Marion County Public Schools close due to inclement (bad) weather? A. Marion County Public Schools utilizes many schools for shelters. Since we do not use our building for shelter, we may open at times when Marion County Public Schools does not. If it is safe to travel to us, we prefer your child to be in attendance (even if Marion County Public Schools is closed due to inclement weather) but will excuse your absence as a courtesy if you feel it is necessary to keep your child home.
Q. Why don't you follow the Marion County Public Schools instructional calendar? A. We are not required to follow Marion County's instructional calendar, so our calendar is made to best serve the needs of our students & staff. Ensure you have an updated copy of our instructional calendar close by, or you can find the most up to date copy on our Parent
Portal. You, as a parent/guardian, are required to keep a copy of our updated calendar and ensure that your child is present for the minimum number of required instructional days.
Q: Why are your policies so strict? A. We are required by Florida statute to adhere to strict policies to ensure students receive the minimum instructional days required.