Student Attendance Policy
In order to achieve our ambitious mission, scholars at Atlas Prep must be in school, on time, all day, every day. In order to succeed at school and build habits that will carry into their future, consistent attendance is key to achievement. Atlas Prep believes it is the responsibility of the guardian(s) of the student to ensure that the student attends school daily and complies with school attendance rules in order to receive an appropriate education. Regular attendance is a key factor that leads to academic and social success.
Notification of Absences
There are two very important things that Atlas expects families to do whenever their child is absent:
Update the school whenever contact information changes (phone number & address)
Call the school anytime a student is absent to let us know why they are gone
Please Note: When a student is absent, the contacts provided upon registration will receive automated communication each day the student is absent.
Excused Absences
An excused absence is an absence with permission of the guardian and approved by the principal for one of the reasons below:
Illness with symptoms of fever, vomiting or diarrhea. Students exhibiting these symptoms would be sent home anyway, so we ask that they are kept at home
Death in the immediate family
Medical or mental health appointment
Observance of a religious holiday
Absence resulting from school disciplinary actions (e.g., suspension)
Legal obligation (e.g., court appearance, community service)
Non-avoidable student commitment (guardian should discuss with the front office and principal to determine if the absence will be excused)
The school may require documentation from the guardian in order to confirm the absence should be excused by the school (note from a health care provider or other evidence of the reason the student missed school).
Outside of the absences listed above, families can accumulate up to six absences that the school views as excused and are used under the discretion of the parent. These days are provided to allow support and flexibility for the family if a student needs to be absent but the absence does not warrant a medical note. These discretionary absences will only be accepted if the family calls the school to communicate why the absence is occurring and that they would like to use a discretionary absence. Front office staff will communicate with the family how many of these absences the family has left and once the family has used all six, then future non-documented absences will be considered unexcused.
Unexcused Absences
Absences will be considered unexcused if:
The family does not call the school to communicate the absence
The family does not provide documentation or evidence of the absence
The amount of discretionary absences has been exceeded
The family is on an Attendance Improvement Plan and the absence is not allowed due based on what is outlined in the Plan
Atlas considers all absences, excused or unexcused, as a day that the student is not learning. However, unexcused absences are handled in a different manner, as they signal a disengagement in academics on the behalf of the student or family.
Tardies & Early Pickups
Students who arrive after school has begun are marked as tardy, and any student that leaves before the end of the day will be marked for an early dismissal. These occurrences will be unexcused unless the family provides written documentation of the student's reason for absence from a health care provider for that individual student. In elementary or middle school, tardy students must be walked in by a guardian that will sign them in. If a student needs to leave school before the end of the school day, a parent, guardian, or designee must sign them out before removing the student from school grounds. Students can only be dismissed from class when the guardian has physically come to the front office if the student does not drive, or provides communication in written or verbal form if the student is able to drive. Early dismissals must occur before the last 20 minutes of the day. Any parent attempting to pick up their student within that window will need to wait until dismissal.
Truancy
School attendance is required by state law for students up to age 17. The goal of school attendance and truancy law and policies are to support the student and family and reduce barriers to school attendance.
If a student is absent for consecutive days and the family does not communicate with the school, the school will make several attempts to connect with the family. However, if the ability to connect with the family is unsuccessful, the school will take action to ensure the well being of the student by performing actions such as home visits and contacting Child Protective Services to make sure the student is ok.
If a student above the age of 17 is absent for 2 consecutive weeks and no communication is attempted by the family, the school reserves the right to drop the student from our rosters and withdraw the student. The student will not be re-enrolled at the school unless the principal approves and an attendance improvement plan is in place.
If a student is excessively absent for unexcused reasons, Atlas takes the following action steps to work with the family to mediate further unnecessary absences from school.
At 6 unexcused absences, the family is emailed and sent a report over the PowerSchool Parent Portal that communicates the status and encourages the family to reduce the occurrence of absences without the proper documentation.
At 10 unexcused absences, the family is required to attend a meeting at the school with the building principal and a member of the staff that supports student engagement.
During this meeting, the family will have the opportunity to communicate reasons for extensive absences, and the school will work with the family to come up with a plan for making up for lost learning time and mitigating future unexcused absences.
After the Attendance Improvement Plan is in place, family engagement with the process will be tracked to support if more corrective action is needed to support student learning
The receipt of the Family Incentive gift cards will be suspended until the family can show a good faith effort in fixing attendance issues.
Continued unexcused absences will be referred to Colorado Springs Truancy Court. The Family Scholarship will be forfeited for the remainder of the school year, and the student is at risk of not being promoted to the next grade level.
School teams will review attendance records against academic growth to determine to students will poor attendance will be considered for retention
If the student has accumulated absences that span 15% of the school year, the student will be considered a very likely candidate for retention.
Attendance FAQs
Q: What happens if I do not call or send a note to verify my student’s absence?
A: A member of the office or our automated messaging system will call you to notify you of the absence so that you can verify it and inform us of the reason for the absence. We want to be sure we are always aware of where our students are and if there is anything concerning we should know or can potentially support with.
Q: If I let my student’s advisor or homeroom teacher know the reason for the absence, does that count for verification of the absence?
A: No, it does not. Please contact the front office and inform them of your student’s absence. It is a guardian’s/parent’s responsibility to notify the office by telephone, email, or note for any absence your child has. It is not the teacher’s responsibility to inform the office. We appreciate that level of communication to ensure our teachers remain focused on teaching and their classrooms.
Q: If my student is absent for a vacation and I let the teacher and the office staff know about it, is my absence excused?
A: No, it is not. Even if you let the office and the teachers know that you will be on vacation, the reason for absence is still not excused unless approved by the principal. We strongly discourage you from taking a vacation while school is in session. Learning time is sacred and we appreciate you treating it as such.