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Attendance

Please submit absences via Family Access
Attendance line: (708) 434-3104
Email for questions or submitting an absence: attendance@oprfhs.org

 

 

Why Attendance Matters

A growing body of research shows that chronic absenteeism (defined as missing 10% or more school days per year) for any reason can have a significant impact on a child’s learning experience. A Johns Hopkins University study concluded that chronic absenteeism is associated with lower academic performance, a decline in high school graduation rates, and increased achievement gaps for students of color. A Policy Analysis for California Education study found that chronic absenteeism negatively affects test scores, impacts vulnerable students more frequently, and leads to decreased social-emotional learning outcomes for students.

In addition to the academic impact, students who are chronically absent miss out on other benefits that derive from being present in a classroom: developing strong relationships with peers and with teachers, learning teamwork and collaboration skills, engaging in community building in the classroom and school communities, developing time management and executive functioning skills, learning conflict resolution strategies, and practicing decision-making skills.

Attendance Guidelines

Because being present and engaged in the classroom will lead to better student learning outcomes and more robust social-emotional learning and executive function skills, beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, OPRF has new attendance guidelines into place.

  • Students can have up to 12 absences in a class period per semester. More than 12 absences in a class puts them at risk of potentially losing credit for that class.
  • Both excused and unexcused absences count toward the total of 12 absences.
  • Absences that do NOT count toward the total of 12 are:
    • Five Mental Wellness Days per school year
    • Hospitalizations
    • Religious holidays
    • Death of an immediate family member
    • In-school meetings with school support staff (counselors, social workers, deans, Special Education, school nurse, etc.)
    • IEP or 504 Meetings
    • School-sponsored field trip
    • In-School Reflection (ISR) or Out-of-School Suspension (OSS)
  • Tardies can potentially count as an absence. Tardies occur when a student is less than 10 minutes late to a class period.
    • Five tardies to a class equal one unexcused absence.
    • A student who enters class with a pass from faculty or staff would not be penalized.
  • Partial absence occurs when a student misses more than 10 minutes of class by arriving late, leaving in the middle of the class, or leaving early and not returning to class. One partial absence equals a whole missed period.

Frequently Asked Questions