Please submit absences via Family Access
Desktop users, visit bit.ly/SkywardDesktop for instructions
Skyward Mobile App users, visit bit.ly/SkywardMobilefor instructions
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
- Will my child automatically fail a class if they have more than 12 absences?
- How will I know if my child is in danger of reaching 12 absences?
- What happens when my child reaches 12 absences?
- How will the school let me know if my child shows up late or doesn’t arrive for first period?
- The student handbook and website say I have to excuse my child’s absences via Family Access. How do I do that?
- How long do I have to excuse an absence?
- What qualifies as an excused absence?
- Why aren't all excused absences exempt from the 12-absence limit?
- My child texted me saying they’re sick and need to come home. Why do they have to see the nurse before being excused? Why can’t I just call Attendance to say I’m picking them up?
- Why can’t a person listed as an emergency contact call my student in?
- My student needs to leave in the middle of the class period for an appointment. Can they just get a pass from the teacher?
- My student is 18. Why can’t they call themself in as late or absent?
- To whom should I address questions about attendance policies?
Will my child automatically fail a class if they have more than 12 absences?
No. More than 12 absences in a class puts them at risk of potentially losing credit for that class. Our goal is to figure out how to support your child so that this doesn’t happen.
How will I know if my child is in danger of reaching 12 absences?
- An automated phone call is made each time a student is absent from a class without notice. Skyward attendance is in real-time, so parents/guardians are encouraged to log in and check attendance if their child is struggling with attending or being on time to their classes.
- As students begin to accrue absences in a class period, the teacher will address the issue with the student directly and will also make contact with the student’s parent/guardian. A member of the student’s Pupil Support Service team will reach out to the parent/guardian to offer suggestions and possible interventions.
- Once a student has hit their 13th absence, the student’s dean will make live contact with the parent/guardian and will set up an Attendance Contract for the student. Note that as the state of Illinois allows for up to five Mental Wellness Days, which are not part of the 12-count total, the contract could be put into place as late as the 18th absence in a semester.
What happens when my child reaches 12 absences?
Our goal is to work directly with you to create a plan to support your child so that they can succeed in passing and getting credit for the class.
Once a student has hit their 13th absence, the student’s dean will make live contact with the parent/guardian and will set up an Attendance Contract for the student. Note that as the state of Illinois allows for up to five Mental Wellness Days, which are not part of the 12-count total, the contract could be put into place as late as the 18th absence in a semester.
- The contract will establish the attendance parameters for the student for the remainder of the semester.
- At the end of the semester, the Pupil Support Services teams will review the student’s attendance under the direction of the assistant principal of operations and the director of Student Services.
- If the student meets the parameters in their Attendance Contract and is passing the class, credit will be earned.
- If the student does NOT meet the parameters set forth in the Attendance Contract and has a passing grade, an N-Grade (no credit earned) will be issued for the class.
- If a student is failing a course, that failing grade will be given and it will override the N-Grade.
OPRF faculty, in partnership with your child’s Pupil Support Services Team, will work diligently to support your child if they begin struggling with attending school. We will also work to support parents/guardians with tools and resources to encourage school attendance.
How will the school let me know if my child shows up late or doesn’t arrive for first period?
Skyward is updated in real time, so you can log into Family Access anytime for up-to-the-minute information. A robocall will also go out every evening informing parents of their students’ missed classes for the day. Parents/guardians will also receive a nightly email notifications of ANY attendance notation (excused, unexcused, and otherwise) recorded for their student. Note: Not all attendance notations are absences; some are an indication of student's whereabouts during a particular period.
The student handbook and website say I have to excuse my child’s absences via Family Access. How do I do that?
If you are a desktop user, visit bit.ly/SkywardDesktop for step-by-step instructions on how to report a student absence in Family Access. If you are using the Skyward Mobile App, step-by-step instructions can be found at bit.ly/SkywardMobile. While submission through Family Access is preferred, you may also call the office at 708-434-3104 or send an email to attendance@oprfhs.org to excuse your student’s absence as well.
We've streamlined our absence reporting so that parents select from just one of four reasons when they notify the school:
- Parent/Guardian Excused Absence
- Mental Wellness
- Religious Holiday
- Bereavement
How long do I have to excuse an absence?
Absence requests can always be submitted in advance. Otherwise, requests must be submitted by 9 p.m. on the same day of the absence for full-day absences and prior to the end of the first period missed for partial-day absences.
What qualifies as an excused absence?
- Observance of a religious holiday
- Illness
- Appointments (doctor, dentist, therapy, etc.)
- Hospitalizations
- Death in the immediate family
- Family emergency/personal reasons
- Pre-arranged absences
- School-sponsored field trips & activities
- Visits to the school nurse
- In-school meetings with school staff (counselor, dean, social worker, etc.)
- In-school reflection and out-of-school suspension
- College visits
Why aren't all excused absences exempt from the 12-absence limit?
While we understand some absences are unavoidable and even necessary, any absence has a potentially negative effect on students that go well beyond grades.Students who are chronically absent, whatever the reason, miss out on developing strong relationships with peers and teachers, learning teamwork and collaboration, 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. Therefore, we are including most absences in the 12-absence total to ensure that we are able to convene a team to support students with a large number of absences as quickly as possible.
My child texted me saying they’re sick and need to come home. Why do they have to see the nurse before being excused? Why can’t I just call Attendance to say I’m picking them up?
We are still responsible for the student and need to be sure they don't require more serious care. Also, we track the reasons students leave school sick to be aware of any trends, particularly with communicable illnesses.
Why can’t a person listed as an emergency contact call my student in?
A parent or guardian is the party responsible, so only one of these family contacts may call in a student as absent.
My student needs to leave in the middle of the class period for an appointment. Can they just get a pass from the teacher?
No. Teachers may write hall passes but not dismissal passes. If a student is planning to leave the building during a class, they should go to the Attendance Office before that class to get a dismissal pass.
My student is 18. Why can’t they call themself in as late or absent?
Unless a student is emancipated and living on their own, we consider the parent or guardian still to be responsible.
To whom should I address questions about attendance policies?
Reach out to Kris Johnson, Director of Student Services, at kjohnson@oprfhs.org.
