The regular school day is from 8:45 a.m. until 4:10 p.m. The first bell rings at 8:35 a.m. and the tardy bell rings at 8:45 a.m. Students eating breakfast may enter the cafeteria beginning at 8:20 a.m. During inclement weather, all students may go to the cafeteria beginning at 8:15 a.m. in the morning and remain until the 8:35 bell. Students will be allowed in the building for tutoring but must sign in at the security desk. Ending time is 4:10 p.m. and all students are asked to leave the campus by 4:20 p.m. unless under the direct supervision of a teacher.
It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to call the school each day of absence by 10:30 a.m. to report the absence of the student. Refer to the Student Code of Conduct handbook for a further explanation of absences.
Policy
- A student may not be given credit for a class if the student has nine or more days of absences during a semester, and a “0” (ABS) will be recorded for the semester grade.
- Consistent with the requirements of the Texas Compulsory Attendance Law, students who have excessive absences will be required to continue in school and assume responsibility for the completion of all assignments. A student in this circumstance who creates a disturbance or becomes uncooperative and a disciplinary problem is subject to disciplinary action, including placement in an alternative educational program. A STUDENT WHO LOSES CREDIT FOR ANY CLASS MUST CONTINUE TO ATTEND THAT CLASS!!
- According to TEC 25.092, ALL students are required to attend class 90% of the time the class is offered. Once this policy has been violated by missing NINE (9) days per class per semester, students will be placed on an “Attendance Contract” so that they have the opportunity to receive credit for the course. DOCTOR’S NOTES will be required for any future absences, once a student is placed on an Attendance Contract. If parents are unable to take their child to the doctor, they may bring the student to GJH to see our school nurse/clinic aide before 9:00 a.m. to excuse an absence with no make-up time. If a student is unable to provide a doctor’s/clinic note, make-up time is required.
- By written request, a parent/student may ask for an Attendance Review Committee hearing to waive the attendance policy. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the appropriate school administrator to schedule the hearing.
In the case of non-resolution, the parent or guardian may appeal, within five days from the school hearing, in writing, to the Executive Director for Student Services.
The school regards personal illness, death in the family or extreme family emergencies as valid reasons for absence from school. A parent is to call the school the morning of the absence. If not, then a phone call, doctor’s note, or written note from the parent or guardian must be received in the office within 24 hours of the students’ return to excuse an absence. A student with five (5) absences that have not been cleared in a semester may fail for the semester. After the third consecutive day of absences, a doctor’s note will be necessary for the absence to be excused.
If possible, medical appointments should be made after 12:00 noon. When it is necessary for a student to leave school during the day, a parent must sign the student out with the reason for the student’s absence. A medical appointment pass will need to be completed by the doctor/nurse and returned to the school office.
Unexcused Absences
A student, who is absent from class or classes without the knowledge or permission from the parent, legal guardian or school official, may not receive credit for work in the class missed during the unexcused absences period and will receive additional disciplinary consequences based on the circumstances of the unexcused absence.
The school regards punctuality as essential to the successful operation of a learning program. Tardiness to any class causes distractions and interruptions of class work and is detrimental to the student involved and to classmates. First period teachers will handle tardiness to school in the morning. Exceptions which will be dealt with in the office include a student who is more than five (5) minutes late or a student who is late due to extenuating circumstances which are verified by a parent note. Tardiness to all other classes is handled by the teacher of the class involved. Our GJH tardy policy is all students must be in their assigned seats when the tardy bell rings.
Three unexcused tardies per six weeks equal one unexcused absence. An unexcused tardy more than 5 minutes will be treated as an unexcused absence. Tardies will be counted per class and handled on a semester basis.
Students will be rewarded for accruing zero absences, tardies, or ID violations periodically throughout the school year.
Once students enter classrooms, they are prohibited from exiting without a pass from the teacher. It is imperative to the educational process that students arrive to class with the necessary supplies. If a student has a need, please bring that need to the attention of our administrators or our Title 1 liaison. Any student who arrives in class on a regular basis without supplies will be considered a discipline issue and will be handled accordingly
The student is responsible for work missed, and must check with their teachers for make-up work. A general rule is one day to make up work for each day missed. The teachers are instructed to mark zeroes for work not made up. If a student misses three consecutive days of school due to illness, the parent may choose to contact the school and request assignments. To allow time for teachers to receive the request and gather the work, the request for make-up work must be done between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. The parents may pick up the assignments after 3:30 p.m. Students will have the same number of days to complete assignments, as they were ill. Parents who fail to pick up the requested assignments may be denied this courtesy by the building principal or designee.