Attendance Policy
We want to send out this communication about the attendance policy to help clarify some procedures. Many of you have asked questions surrounding the policy, so we thought it was prudent to send out some guidance.
The entire attendance policy may be found in the Handbook beginning on page 15. The handbook can be found under Resources on BLUE.
Attendance Procedure – Illness
If a student is feeling ill or experiencing any symptoms, the student should stay home. Parent(s)/guardian(s) are expected to call in the absence to the Attendance Line at (408) 294-0645 prior to 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence.
Partial Day Absence
In the rare instance where a student wishes to be excused from class for a medical, dental, or orthodontist appointment, or a court appearance, the following procedure should be followed:
- Students who will miss the start of the school day for an appointment must have a parent/guardian call the attendance line by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the appointment. When the student returns to school, the student must present a note or card from the doctor or a court appearance form as verification.
- Students who need to leave campus for an appointment must present a written note from their parent(s)/guardian(s) to the Dean’s Office before their first class. A doctor’s verification card of the appointment or a court appearance form is required upon the student’s return to school.
Excused vs. Unexcused vs. Unverified Absences
Missing school due to illness, religious holidays, or to attend a funeral is considered an excused absence (EX). All other absences are considered unexcused (UNX).
When a student is marked Unverified (UNV), it means that the attendance office has not received a reason why the student is absent. This is different from an unexcused absence (UNX).
Automatic UNV Emails
When a student is not present in class at the time attendance is taken, parents/guardians and students may receive an UNVERIFIED Notice. The top of the email contains the following language:
“Please note: This email address is not monitored.
If you would like to contact us about an attendance question, please write to Mr. Alex Sarrett in the Bellarmine Attendance Office.”
We ask that you please do not “reply all” to that email.
f this absence was already called in to the automated attendance line (408) 294-0645, please check PowerSchool to see if the attendance record has already been updated. If you see that the attendance record has been updated, no further action is needed.
Please check PowerSchool before sending us an email, especially if this is in reference to an Unverified Absence during the first block of the day and you are certain you called the Attendance Line. It takes us some time to listen to all messages and update records in PowerSchool.
Planned Absence
Students and parent(s)/guardian(s) are strongly discouraged from using school days for absences other than medical or emergency reasons. Bellarmine does not concede to parent(s)/guardian(s) the right to alter the school calendar for their own convenience.
Credit for any work missed because of a planned absence will be at the discretion of each teacher. Students are not permitted to take planned absences during classes in the first week or the last two weeks of each semester, including finals. Students out of school during these weeks may receive academic consequences.
The Planned Absence Form allows students and teachers to have a conversation about the planned dates.