Students are responsible for meeting their school commitments, and the school views regular attendance at all obligations as essential to the progress of each student. Therefore, the school assumes that students will be present at all advisory meetings, classes, sports practices, and other commitments unless ill. Students who are absent from a commitment, but are not excused, will face consequences administered by the faculty member in charge of that commitment. In some cases, the problem will be referred to the Dean of Students.
Regular attendance is essential if a student is to receive maximum benefit from his/her education at Cardinal Gibbons High School. The school will designate absences and tardies as "excused" if parental permission has been given, and "unexcused" if parental permission has not been given. In determining eligibility for academic credit, there is no difference between excused and unexcused absences and tardies. Cardinal Gibbons has adopted the following policy:
- Parents, as the primary educators of their children, have the responsibility to see that their children do not miss school unnecessarily.
- The school has the duty to ensure that the academic progress of classes is not impeded by students who miss school frequently.
- Teachers are not obligated to serve as private tutors for students who miss school unnecessarily.
- Teachers are not obligated to give students work in advance of the absence.
- Students must accept full responsibility for making up missed work, including staying after school if this is required by an educator.
- A student must be in school the majority of the day (medical attention excluded) in order to participate in after-school activities that day. Students with excessive numbers of absences (10 per semester or more) may not participate in activities that require the student to miss class.
- If parents/guardians are going to be traveling out of town, the Attendance Office should be notified and provided the name of the adult locally responsible for the student(s).
Absence
If a student is absent from school, the parent is required to email or call the Attendance Office between 8 A.M. and 10 A.M. unless the absence is prearranged. The Attendance Office can be contacted via email (attendance@cghsnc.org) or by phone 919-834-1625 ext. 214. The student must bring a written excuse upon returning to school for the attendance file and to receive an excused absence. The note should give the dates and reason for the absence along with a parent’s signature.
Prearranged Absence
The purpose of prearranging an absence is to give the educator an opportunity to express academic concerns about a student’s absence. It is the student's responsibility to notify his or her educators prior to planned absences. Prearranged absences are still absences, and as such, are included in the count of days/periods missed. Parents are responsible for giving notice to the Attendance Office prior to the prearranged absence via email, phone, or note (see above). The notice should provide the dates and reason for the absence along with a parent’s signature.
Sick Policy
A student should remain at home if any of the following symptoms are present:
- Fever within the last 24 hours or a fever that is reduced with medication
- Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
- Sore throat or earache
- Unidentified or contagious rash
- Chicken Pox or Shingles
- Head lice
- Chronic cough and congestion
- Red, watery eyes that emit a discharge
- Thick mucus from the nose
Should a student become ill at school, he/she should see the School Nurse. That student may not return to school until cleared by a physician, have been on prescription medication for 24 hours, or there is an absence of symptoms for 24 hours.
Early Dismissals
If a student needs to leave school early, parents are asked to give their child a signed note to bring to the Attendance Office or the parent may contact the Attendance Office before school starts that morning. The Attendance Office will issue a Permit to Leave School slip for the student, which the student will give to his/her educator when leaving that educator's classroom. Students are not allowed to leave campus without permission of their parent(s) or an emergency contact.
Make-Up Work
When a student is absent from school, it is the student's responsibility to make specific arrangements for making up work missed during the absence. All work shall be made up in a reasonable length of time, as determined by the respective educator in his or her written classroom guidelines.
If a student is absent the day an assignment is due or a test is given and the student was informed of the assignment, test, or project prior to the absence, the work is due and/or the test must be taken the day the student returns. An educator's policy regarding due dates for assignments takes precedence over the above statement. An educator may require that an assignment be handed in by a particular date regardless of whether the student is or is not in school that day.
Tardies
Students arriving late to school report to the Attendance Director for an admittance slip. Students arriving late to class are marked tardy by their classroom educators. Excessive tardiness is one of the most significant factors in poor student performance. It also has deleterious effects on the student’s sense of personal responsibility.
Consequences for tardies:
- 3rd unexcused tardy - Email home from Dean of Students
- 4th unexcused tardy - Detention
- 5th unexcused tardy - Conference with family and Dean of Students
Off-Campus Permission
If it is necessary for a student to leave the campus once he/she has arrived at school for any reason other than off-campus lunch or flex privileges, he/she must have the permission of a parent and the Attendance Office.
Any student leaving and/or returning to school must sign in/out at the Attendance Office.
Inclement Weather
School closings, delayed openings, and early dismissals due to inclement weather are announced on the school website, via email and text message for families with PowerSchool data access accounts. All contact information can be updated via FinalForms.
