Flathead High removes 'grade impact' from attendance policy

Flathead High School students can expect minor changes to the attendance policy this school year.

A “grade impact” category has been deleted from the school-wide policy; however, individual teachers still retain the authority to decide how attendance/participation factors into grades.

Previously, attendance points were 10 percent of a semester grade. Students with more than five absences (not counting school-sponsored, student council, office request or community-sponsored absences) in a class over a semester received a reduction in attendance points by 2 percent per day to a 10 percent maximum.

A semester assessment incentive also was revised. A day was added to the maximum allowable absences a semester for a student to be exempt from taking final exams. Students now can have up to three absences in a class during a semester and still be exempt from finals.

An item was deleted that pertained to seniors being exempt from taking a final exam if they earned a 90 percent or above in a class.

With some concerns that students would show up to class sick so they could meet the finals incentive, administrators added this reminder under the incentive description: “We expect students to use common sense and not come to school sick in order to maintain eligibility for the semester assessment incentive. School administrators have the authority to send a sick student home if they deem it in the best interest of the student and/or the school community. Such absences count toward the three-day cap.”

Students going to school sick was a top issue during the school year and brought to school board’s attention when parents spoke during a March meeting, which was followed by a policy review process that began in April with input from staff, parents and students.

In 2009, the district made the decision to suspend the exam incentive in order to encourage sick students to stay home to reduce the spread of illness after the district experienced an increase in the number of absences attributed to flu-like symptoms, according to a Daily Inter Lake article.

From November 2018 through June 2019, the county’s largest high school experienced 29 cases of pertussis, according to the Flathead City-County Health Department — the highest among schools in the valley.

At the meeting Flathead Principal Michele Paine spoke about the attendance policy curbing chronic absenteeism and teachers spoke in support of the policy to keep students in class and participating in activities and discussions.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.