Attendance - Al Faris International School

Good student attendance is essential for learning. When a student is not in school, he/she misses valuable instructional time. For this reason, the school equates attendance with academic achievement and establishes policies and procedures designed to encourage and require students to be in school.
School Attendance
- Students must be at school no later than 7:15 AM.
- Students who do not show in class at 7:30 AM will face the following consequences:
- Students are not allowed to attend the first period.
- Students will take zero (0) on any test, quiz or activity conducted during the first period.
- Students are responsible for any missed work and explanation.
- Marks will be deducted on attendance.
- Students have either recess detention or after school detention.
Student Absences
- Parent(s) must provide a written explanation of the reason(s) for each absence or call school before 8:00 AM. If the written explanation is not provided within a two day period, the absences will be coded unexcused. A student must be in attendance one-half day to be counted present. Absences will be excused for the following reason:
- Personal illness without doctor’s excuse, with parent excuse
- Personal illness with a doctor’s statement
- Death in the immediate family
- Weather preventing attendance (would endanger student’s health)
- Prior permission by the principal at the request of parent
Excused Absences
- After an accumulation of 6 excused absences for illness without a doctor’s statement, the student will receive unexcused absences for illness unless absences are documented with a doctor’s statement.
- Any exception to this policy will require a doctor’s documentation of a chronic illness which causes absences which may not comply with the attendance policy.
- A student will still receive excused absences for reasons 2, 3, 4, or 5 above.
A student may have a total of 6 excused absences for illness without a doctor’s statement.
Student Absences
- Any absence(s) not classified as excused absence(s) will be coded unexcused.
- Days absent due to suspension will be classified as unexcused.
- All suspended students will be allowed to make up homework, tests, or activities, etc. missed due to suspension.
Unexcused Absences
Student Absences
Illness and Injury
While Al Faris holds strict attendance policies; we are always looking out for the health and wellbeing of our students. Please do not send your child to school if he/she is ill. If a child has a temperature, he/she should be kept home for at least twenty-four hours after the temperature returns to normal. Any students who become ill or injured at school will be seen by the school doctor. The doctor will assess the student’s condition. If we feel additional medical care is needed, we will immediately take your child to the Riyadh Clinic.
Please keep in mind that sending your child to school ill can have repercussions on his/her classmates, teachers, and all support staff. In addition we must keep in mind that children need time to rest and recuperate. For the wellbeing of all involved we kindly request that you abide with our Health Policies.
The school must be notified if the child has a communicable disease such as mumps, chicken pox, head lice etc. The child will be re-admitted to school with a release from the physician and must be cleared by the office before re-entering the classroom.
Student Absences
Medication
Any medication sent to school for a student including over the counter drugs such as aspirin and cough drops must be kept in the school clinic. The medication will not be dispensed without the proper release forms that can be obtained at the office.
Student Absences
- Attendance Requirements for High School Credit (Grades 9 to 12)
- Requests for excused religious absences exceeding three days per student, per year, must be approved in writing by the principal or the vice principal.
- Attendance Requirements for High School Credit (Grades 9 to 12)
- Three (3) unexcused class absences of a student on ten (10) week term schedule
- Five (5) unexcused class absences of a student on eighteen (18 ) week term schedule
Absences Due to Religious Purpose
Absences for religious purposes are excused only if the parent submits a written request. Such requests must clearly specify the denomination and the particular religious observance for which the excused absence is requested. Requests for excused religious absences exceeding three days per student, per year, must be approved in writing by the principal or the vice principal.
The Principal may deny course credit or subject credit to a student if the number of unexcused class absences exceeds the following: