ATTENDANCE OFFICE

Hours:
Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m

(847) 718-7001 or (847) 718-7002

A 24-hour voicemail system is also available. Please leave your student's name, ID number, date and reason for the absence.

Parents may also use the parent portal on Infinite Campus to submit attendance requests, please click here for more information. 

*Please note that only authorized parents or guardians on file may contact the attendance office for any changes or requests to a student’s attendance.

Wheeling High School Virtual Attendance Office 

Philosophy
(ref. Board Policy Section 7:70)
The Board of Education authorizes the administration to develop and enforce procedures that ensure regular student attendance and accurate accounting for student absences. Attendance at school is required by state law. Being in the classroom, doing the assigned work, and contributing to the class, all on a regular basis, are important to succeed in school. Only in the classroom can the student take full advantage of fellow classmates’ ideas, the teacher’s explanations, and other material that enriches the class.

Tardies

For more information, please reference the Attendance Procedures.

A. A student shall be marked as tardy when the student misses up to 9 minutes of
scheduled classroom time, regardless of the school bell schedule.
B. A student who misses more than 9 minutes of scheduled classroom time will be marked as an unexcused absence.
C. All students must scan utilizing a school-issued identification upon arrival and re-entry to school.
D. Tardy tables will be facilitated daily by the Attendance Interventionist, DHSSSW, and Campus Safety staff.
E. Within an individual course, initial tardies should be addressed by the teacher.
F. Tardies that result in unexcused absences will follow the same administrative procedures.
G. Students who are chronically tardy in one or more courses will be supported through intervention and remediation strategies by the DHSSSW office.

Attendance Codes
Excused Absences

• PRNT = Excused parental absence for illness, medical & dental appointment
• MED = Excused absence for illness, written documentation from doctor/dentist
• ADMIN = Absence excused by Administration/school personnel
• TRIP = Absence due to participation in an approved field trip
• VACA = Vacation
• HOME = Homebound
• NRSE = Absence excused by the Nurse’s office
• WD = Wellness/Mental Health Day

Unexcused Absences

• CUT = Class cut
• OSS = Absence due to out-of-school suspension
• ISS = Absence due to in-school suspension
• UNA = Did not follow procedures or when a student has had over 8 parentally excused absences.

After 8 total full days of parentally excused absences, students will begin to have any further parentally excused absences coded as “unauthorized absences”, unless a medical note is provided.

Excused Absences
If a student is absent from school, their parent or guardian needs to contact the attendance office. Parents and guardians will have 24 hours to contact the attendance office. The absence will be considered a CUT if the attendance office isn’t contacted within the 24-hour time period. Appeals may be made to the student’s Division Head of Student Safety, Success, and Wellness.

Examples of excused absences include, but are not limited to:

• Personal illness or other physical disablement (Note * section below)
• Illness or death in the student’s family
• Family emergency
• Religious observances
• Court appearances
• Medical/Dental appointments (Follow prescribed procedures below)
• Permission from Nurse to go home
• Field Trip (Follow prescribed procedures below)
• Student Services division approved activity
• Administrator excusal
• Other specific excuses are dependent on the judgment of the DHSSSW or designees.

Excused absences allow for full make-up privileges, including a reasonable amount of help from teachers. The student must take the initiative to secure any work missed during an excused absence.

Students must attend a minimum of four consecutive class periods in order to participate in any practices, competitions, or school-sponsored activities after school or during the evening on the day of their absence. The only exception is if the absence results from court, funeral, field trip, or a college visit. Written verification may be required.

Unexcused/Unauthorized Absences
Some absences that occur at the discretion of the student and/or parent may not be considered excused. The school believes students benefit most from uninterrupted contact with their teachers in the learning environment. Therefore, absences that occur for the following reasons will be considered unexcused or unauthorized, respecting the parents’/guardians’ wishes to have their student out of school:
Examples of unauthorized absences may include but are not limited to:

• Class cutting
• All day truancy
• Birthdays
• Failure to sign in or sign out
• Job interview
• Oversleeping
• Shopping trips
• Missed school bus
• Beauty appointments (before dances)
• Car trouble
• Baby-sitting
• Late call
• Excessive parent calls
• Runaways
• Extended lunch or breakfast
• Undocumented health-related absences
• Senior Ditch Day
• Pre-Approved Family Related Activity days exceeding the pre-approved limit

When an absence is unexcused, a student will be permitted to make up the work missed. Credit given for such work will be at the discretion of the teacher who will establish reasonable time limits for its completion. The student may request a review of these decisions by the Division Head.

Pre-Arranged Absences
When it is necessary for a student to be absent from school, and this is known in advance, the Attendance Office must receive prior notification according to the following procedures in order for the absence to be excused:

• A parent/guardian should notify the Attendance office before the date of the absence, indicating the reason for the absence and its duration.
• If the absence is for more than three school days or more, the student/parents must follow the steps below:
  • Contact the Wheeling High School Main Office at the numbers below:
  • (847) 718-7015 (English)
  • (847) 718-7011 (Spanish)

Late Arrival
When arriving late, the student’s parent/guardian must notify the Attendance Office and state why the student is late. The student then must sign in at the attendance office. The absence will not be excused if the student does not sign in.

Leaving School During the School Day
When it is necessary for a student to leave during the school day, a parent /guardian must contact the Attendance Office PRIOR to the time of the student’s departure. We are unable to allow the student to leave the campus without parental authorization. (A note or text message will not be accepted.) It is the student’s responsibility to then follow through with the following procedures in order to avoid attendance consequences:

• Obtain a pass from the attendance office to present to the classroom teacher when it is time to leave unless during passing period or the student’s lunch period. If the student is leaving or coming back during their lunch hour, they MUST sign out in the Attendance office
• Go to the attendance office and sign out. 
• If returning before the end of the school day, sign back in the Attendance Office.

• If the above procedures are not followed, the student’s absence may be coded as an UNA or CUT. Continued disregard for the procedure will result in disciplinary action.

Medical or Dental Absences
When a student must miss school and has seen a doctor, the parent may choose to obtain medical documentation verifying the appointment. The documentation should include the name of the student, the doctor, the date and time of the treatment or the dates the student was under the doctor’s care. This information can then be provided to the school upon the student’s return and will be coded as MED for medical. This may become important later if the student exceeds their eight days per semester of excused absences. After eight excused days in any one semester, medical documentation will be required and a letter will be sent home explaining the details of this policy.

Period Absences
Period absences must be accounted for by the supervising teacher or staff member. It is the student’s responsibility to see that this occurs at the time of the absence by obtaining a pass from the teacher or staff member with whom they spend the class period. If there is a discrepancy in the student’s attendance, the student must see the classroom teacher and the attendance office. 

Going Home Sick
Students who become ill or injured during the school day must request a pass from the classroom teacher in order to access the School Nurse in the Health office. The nurse will then determine whether the student must go home due to illness. If the nurse decides the student should go home, she (or their designee) will contact the parent/guardian. It will be established at that time how the student will be transported home. The nurse will instruct the student to go to their locker or classroom to obtain their belongings and then the Attendance Office to sign out. Failure to follow this procedure will result in the issuance of an unexcused absence and possible disciplinary action.

Messages/Deliveries to Students
Please note that during the school day, the Attendance office cannot accept nor deliver personal messages to students. Only in the case of IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEDICAL EMERGENCY can a message be delivered.

Ditch Day
Wheeling High School does not support a "senior ditch day." We ask parents to support us in taking a stance against "ditch day." When an excessive number of students are out of class, their absence negatively impacts the educational process in the building. Should a student make the decision to participate in "ditch day," the absence will be treated as unexcused. Medical documentation may be requested to excuse any absence on such a day.