School Hours for HVMS are as follows:
Monday- Thursday 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
*All alternate Bell Schedules will be sent to parents/guardians via ParentSquare
ATTENDANCE
Utah law requires that students attend school every day, every period, except when a parent excuses an absence for a legitimate reason. HVMS will begin truancy tracking procedures once a student has missed 10 school days or 80 class periods. Parents shall contact the attendance office within two weeks and notify the school of their student’s absence. After ten days, the absence will remain unexcused. Parents are encouraged to use Skyward attendance, send a note or call the school in order to acknowledge that they are aware of the student’s absence. The student must make up all missed work according to the school’s make-up policy.
Skyward attendance instructions (English)
Skyward attendance instructions (Spanish)
Attendance Responsibilities
The Role of the School and Administration
- The administration shall identify students with attendance issues and work cooperatively with parents and students to improve attendance.
- The administration shall make an earnest and persistent effort to improve student’s attendance.
The Role of the Attendance Office
- The attendance office shall keep administrators and parents informed of attendance problems.
- The attendance office shall notify parents of excessive absenteeism by phone message, email, or letter.
- The attendance office shall review attendance daily and resolve discrepancies in student attendance records.
The Role of the Teacher
- Teachers shall keep an accurate roll of all absences and tardies.
- Teachers shall emphasize the importance of punctuality by beginning class promptly with meaningful instruction.
- Teachers shall discuss attendance issues with students as they arise and inform the school administration if attendance does not improve.
The Role of the Student
- Students shall gain the most of their educational experience by regularly attending and being on time to all classes.
- Students shall be present in assigned or designated areas at all times.
- Students shall follow proper check-in/check-out procedures.
- Students shall obtain make-up assignments from the teacher due to an absence and return them according to classroom procedures.
The Role of the Parent
- Parents shall avoid interruptions of the academic year and plan medical appointments and vacations at times that will not require students to be out of school.
- Parents shall support school, district policies and state law by expecting regular school attendance.
- In the case of illness or other legitimate reasons for absences, the parent shall contact the attendance office within one week and notify the school of their student’s absence. After ten days, the absence will remain unexcused.
Checking in/out: If a student arrives less than 10 minutes late to school, they must go directly to class and will be marked tardy. If a student arrives more than 10 minutes late to school, they must check-in at the attendance office. If it becomes necessary for a student to leave school for any reason during the school day, they must sign out through the attendance office. A parent or person listed as an emergency contact on Skyward must come into the attendance office and show a picture ID in order to check the student out. Students are not allowed to check out solely with a note or phone call from a parent. Students should only leave school grounds with a parent/guardian after being checked out through the Attendance Office. Students who leave school grounds without being checked out are considered truant ("sluffing").
Educational Leave: Students may apply for up to 10 days of educational leave per school year. The parent should contact the attendance office at least three school days before taking leave, pick up an Educational Leave Form, and return the form to the attendance office before leaving on vacation. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and make up work missed during educational leave.
Home and Hospital: If a doctor writes an order for the student to be out of school for over 10 school days, the parent needs to contact the attendance office to arrange for home-and-hospital teaching services. The doctor’s note must contain a diagnosis, a treatment plan, and a return-to-school date. The note must be provided to the attendance office before home-and-hospital instruction can begin.
Tardiness: HVMS follows a school-wide tardy policy. All teachers use the same definition for tardy: You are tardy if you are not in class and ready to work when the bell rings. Parents can only excuse a tardy to the first period which can be done by contacting the attendance office or providing a note upon check-in. Repeated tardiness also negatively affects your citizenship. School consequences can be given for excessive tardiness.
Truancy/"Sluffing": JSD policy AA432 defines truancy as a condition in which a school-aged child, without valid excuse is absent for at least half the school day.
At Hidden Valley Middle, truancy is used synonymously for “sluffing”. "Sluffing" is defined as not being in class when you should be. The best place for all students to be is in class every period. School consequences can be given for truancy/"sluffing".
Truancy/"sluffing" can mean any of the following:
- Leave school without checking out through the attendance office (parents need to physically come into the Attendance office and show ID)
- Leave school without parent permission
- Arrive at school but do not attend one or more classes
- Obtain permission to go to a certain place in the school but do not report there
- Stay home without parents’ knowledge
- Leave class without permission
- Arrive to class more than 10 minutes late or leave class early without teacher permission
Withdrawal from School: When students move outside the school boundaries, they need to withdraw from HVMS. This process includes obtaining a withdrawal sheet from the attendance office, receiving clearance from each teacher, returning all textbooks, cleaning out lockers, and paying any fines. Failure to complete all of these steps may result in delay or denial of credit.