Attendance

PRAISE recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success.   PRAISE parents, teachers, and administrators collaborate to ensure that unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures from school are kept to a minimum.  This is designed to:

  • Encourage full attendance by all scholars.
  • Maintain an adequate record-keeping system.
  • Identify patterns and develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.
  • Ensure that school officials and parents know the daily whereabouts of every scholar.

Attendance Expectations:
Students will be expected to maintain at least 90% attendance in a class in order to receive credit. Each student will be limited to 3 absences per semester in order to receive credit for the class.

Absence Verification:
The parent will be required to verify any absence within twenty-four hours (without explanation) or the absence will be classified as truancy and disciplinary action will be taken.

Consequences to Unsatisfactory Attendance:
The parent/guardian and the student will be informed when the student has three (3) absences. If the student reaches four (4) absences in a course during a school year, the parent and scholar will receive a second notification to indicate that the student will fail upon the next absence. The student will automatically receive an incomplete “I” grade. Immediately upon the fifth (5) absences the parent/guardian will be sent information about the waiver process and a grade change if the waiver is granted.

Only under EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES will the student receive a waiver for credit in any class where that student has more than five (5) absences for that semester. Extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to, personal illness, death in the immediate family, required court appearances, official high school visits, and bona fide religious observances.* To apply for a waiver, the student and his/her parent/guardian must follow the appeal process.

Students are expected to maintain good attendance in all classes. Their success in school depends upon it. The responsibility for the implementation and success of this policy is jointly shared by the parent/guardian, student, school officials, community agencies, and all citizens of the community.

Discipline:
Prohibited Scholar Conduct:
All scholars should conduct themselves in an appropriate and civil manner, with proper regard for the rights and welfare of other scholars and other members of the school community, and for the care of school facilities and equipment. Scholars who violate these school rules will be required to accept the consequences for their conduct. Scholars may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension from school, when they engage in:
•Conduct that is disorderly.
•Conduct that is insubordinate.
•Conduct that is disruptive.
•Conduct that is violent.
•Conduct that endangers the safety, morals, health, or welfare of others.
•Any form of academic misconduct.

Disciplinary Penalties:
Disciplinary action in most cases will be firm, fair, and consistent in order to be the most effective in changing scholar behavior. For non-violent behaviors, discipline will be progressive.  This means that a scholar's first violation will usually merit a lighter penalty than subsequent violations.  Scholars who are found to have violated PRAISE’s Code of Conduct may be subject to the penalties enumerated below, either alone or in combination. 

1.    Oral warning
2.    Written notification to parent(s) or guardian(s)
3.    Detention 
4.    Suspension from extracurricular activities
5.    Expulsion 

Alcoholic, Narcotics, Drugs and Weapons:
No drugs are allowed on PRAISE premises at any time!  Programs will be offered with the intent of discouraging scholars from using substances.  Scholars found in possession of alcohol or restricted substances will be subject to immediate suspension and/or arrest.  If a scholar appears "under the influence" of alcohol or other drugs in class or on school grounds, parent/guardian will be contacted and the scholar will be sent home immediately. The scholar and parents will be informed that the scholar must report to the school counselor for a minimum of three sessions for counseling.  If a scholar is found "under the influence" on a subsequent occasion, he will be subject to suspension.  Scholars who are found guilty of bringing a weapon to school will be subject to suspension from school for at least one calendar year and/or prosecuted!

Dress Code:
All scholars are required to dress appropriately for school and school functions.  PRAISE requires its scholars to wear the following on a daily basis:
PRAISE T-Shirts

First Saturday of the month, the scholars are required to wear:
  • Dress shirt (preferably white dress shirt) always tucked into pants.
  • Dress ties (preferably solid, dark-colored).
  • Dress or casual slacks (black) with a belt (no jeans!)
  • Shoes (no sneakers!).

Furthermore, PRAISE staff will exemplify and reinforce acceptable dress and help scholars to maintain appropriate appearance in school.  A scholar's dress, grooming, and appearance must reflect the following principles:

Clothing must be safe, appropriate and not be disruptive or interfere with the educational process, e.g., items of clothing that can be easily removed or tossed about by others.
  • Safe footwear must be worn at all times.
  • Vulgar, obscene, libelous, or denigrating items must not be worn.
  • Clothing that promotes and/or endorses the use of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and/or encourages illegal or violent activities, or pornographic/sexual overtones must not be worn.  Scholars who violate the dress code will face disciplinary action.

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