Elgin High School

Elgin High School Attendance Office

*During Distance Learning, please remember that you must continue to call in absences and late arrivals or early dismissals.   

Attendance Secretary: Zelma Rodriguez ZelmaRodriguez@u-46.org

All day absence (847)888-5100 x5110

Late arrival or early release, (847)888-5100 x5111 

Nurse: Deana Dial  (847)888-5100 x5337 deanadial@u-46.org 

Attendance Matters

We ask parents to ensure children arrive on time to school and that they are at school every day. Daily attendance matters and helps build the foundation for a child’s academic success. Extended absences and/or vacations during the school year are discouraged and considered unexcused absences. When unexcused absences reach more than nine days a school year, or five percent, it is considered chronic truancy and significantly negatively impacts a child’s learning. While we want students to stay home if they are ill, we really want all students in school to optimize learning time. Parents can track students’ attendance at the secondary level via Infinite Campus

Attendance Office Procedures 

Parents are responsible for notifying the attendance office of their student's absence on the day of the absence.  Recorded messages are accepted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the Attendance Office number.  Please give the name, grade, reason and I.D. number to the attendance secretary.  A student will be considered truant if a phone call explaining the absence is not made to the attendance office within 72 hours.

Excused Absences

Absences are excused for illness, medical appointments, and death in the family, court appearances and religious holidays. An excused absence carries with it a privilege of making up class work under the teacher's direction and assistance. Students have the responsibility to make up work missed for all absences but receive no credit if the absence is unexcused. Teachers have the option of waiving make-up work which requires special facilities or supplies. The approval of an administrator is required in cases of extenuating circumstances. There is no sanctioned "Senior Skip Day" at EHS or in U-46.

Leaving Early

If you become ill or need to leave because of an emergency, you must be excused by the Attendance Office, Nurse's Office or an administrator. In situations other than emergences, the proper procedure for being excused early (i.e., for an orthodontist appointment, a medical appointment, a trip out of town, etc.) is a follows: 

Parents/guardians must call the Attendance Office at least two days prior to the student leaving school at (847)888-5100. In other words, any early dismissal from school should be pre-arranged in the Attendance Office. 
Students must sign out at the Attendance Office or the Nurse's Office before leaving school. Students returning to school must sign in at the attendance office. Failure to do so will result in being truant from those classes. Students who leave early without signing out may receive a discipline consequence. 
Calls for early dismissal for medical appointments must be pre-arranged with the Attendance Office. A note from the medical office must be given to the attendance office when the student returns to school. 

Late Arrival/Early Dismissal Privilege

There will be no convenient schedule changes to accommodate "late arrival" or "early release".  "Late arrival" students are asked to remain in the union until the dismissal bell rings for that period.  "Early dismissal" students are asked to leave the building with-in the five-minute passing time after their first class.  Consistent failure to follow these guidelines may necessitate cancellation of this privilege.

Pre-Arranged Absences

Absences for educational purposes such as college visits, participation in civic and educational religious programs and court appearances must be arranged at least two days in advance by parents and students. The student has the responsibility for making prior arrangements with his/her teachers. Students with prearranged excuses are expected to have all assignments completed upon returning to school unless other arrangements are made with the teachers. The appropriate form must be obtained from the attendance office and signed by the teacher in advance of the absence. 

Absences for vacations or other purposes at the request of parents place all responsibility for securing assignments and make-up work with the student. The same procedure as above is followed. 

The law requires that children be in attendance at school whenever the child’s school is open for instruction.  The only approved vacation periods for School District U-46 occur during Winter Recess, Spring Recess, and Summer Vacation. Therefore, extended absences and/or vacations during the school year are discouraged.  Valuable educational experiences are lost and grads may be affected.  If an extended absence/vacation during the school year is unavoidable, the absence will be marked as unexcused and teachers will not be required to provide assignments during this absence.

Single-Period Absences

1.    All single-period absences must be pre-excused by the parent or guardian calling the attendance office at least two days in advance. Single period absences will be excused for medical or health-related reasons only, with exceptions made personally by an administrator.

2.    The student must sign out at the Attendance Office before leaving school and sign in again upon returning. Failure to do this will result in the student being truant from classes missed. Students who leave early without signing out may receive a discipline consequence.  

Field Trips

All school-sponsored field trips must be approved by the school administration. As an approved school function, the time spent on a field trip will not be considered as an absence. Trips will be paid for by students. There will be no field trips in the last two weeks of the first semester, within one week of the end of the first and third grading periods and the last three weeks of the second semester.

Field trips expose students to many diverse educational experiences, fostering many multiple intelligences. Students are expected to be in school at all periods prior to going on a field trip. Failure to attend school prior to a field trip may result in the student not being allowed to participate. Field trip money is non-refundable.

Closed Campus

All students must remain in the school building for their entire day after arrival at school unless excused by a building administrator or their parents prior to leaving.  Students are not allowed to visit their cars or be in the parking lot area except at the beginning or end of the school day.  They must follow their assigned program throughout the school day unless excused by the teacher or supervisor in charge prior to the absence.  Students who violate these provisions will be considered truant.

Homework and Make-up Work

The responsibility for missed work rests with the absent student.  The student must make arrangements with the classroom teacher for missed assignments and classwork according to the following guidelines:

Excuse absence-prolonged absence arrangements for missed work may be made by contacting the counselor or the student may contact the classroom teacher for assignments and the deadline for turning in the missed work. One day is given for make-up for each day absent.

Prearranged absences- the student is to contact the teachers for homework to be missed and plan to have the work completed within a reasonable length of time after returning to school.

Suspension- make-up work and completion of missed assignments are the responsibility of the student.   The number of days allowed to make-up work is equal to the number of suspended days.  Students will be provided homework for any/all suspensions.