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Attendance Policy

Riverside's attendance policy has been revised to be in line with state and district guidelines. It is our policy that you will need to call the school to notify us of the reason for a student’s absence. You should be aware that we track attendance by half days. So five full days of absence would look like 10 half-days on a letter sent home.

If you are keeping your student home because they are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 please call the school to excuse their absence. We will work with you regarding your student's attendance.

In order to distinguish between excused and unexcused absences the following attendance codes will be used on the Skyward tracking system:

Excused {E, V, G}

E = The student was absent and is considered excused because of illness, medical/dental appointment verified by parent call, death/funeral of family member, family wedding, court appearance, etc.

V = excused vacation days approved by completing an “Educational/Vacation Leave” form prior to the trip.

G = The student was absent and is considered unexcused because the parent or guardian provided a call or note with an excuse not considered valid by the Truancy Court or Jordan School District. (going out to lunch, snowboarding, sleeping in, etc.)

Unexcused {A, I, O}

A = The student was absent and the school received no call or note from the parent/guardian.

C-I = The student checked in more than 10 minutes late.

C-O = Student was checked out early.

Tardiness {T}

T = The student came to class 10 minutes late.

Guidelines:

• Valid excuses [E] include illness, medical/dental appointments, family death, family weddings, court  appearances, etc.
• Illness absences will be excused by a phone call or signed note from parents the day they return to school.
• The child is responsible for work missed resulting from any absence, excused or unexcused.
• Educational Leave form [V] must be completed prior to the trip and the work must be completed for it.

Action Taken to Improve Poor Attendance:

• The Compulsory Education letter is sent home in the first day packet.
• After 5 unexcused absences (10 half-days) a letter from the principal will be sent home reminding parents of the attendance policy.
• After 10 unexcused absences (20 half-days) a letter will be sent home and a meeting with the administration may be scheduled to discuss attendance issues and offer appropriate interventions (e.g. truancy school for 5th-6th, district intake, attendance contract, etc.)
• After 15 unexcused absences (30 half-days) a certified letter will be sent home informing the parent that a juvenile court referral may be made, and a meeting will be scheduled to discuss attendance issues and offer appropriate interventions (e.g. truancy school for 5th-6th, district intake, attendance contract, etc.)
• Letters from the office will also be sent home at every 10 total absences and tardies (beginning at 20) to inform and educate parents regarding school attendance policies. These letters include excused and unexcused absences.

The intent of our attendance policy is to encourage students to be in school as much as possible. With every absence, valuable instruction is missed that cannot be regained by simply completing the missed work. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter. Please notify our office staff if you have any further questions regarding our attendance policy or procedures.

Attendance Awards

As a faculty and staff we strive to provide the best education possible for our students.  In order for this to occur, students need to be in attendance and in their classroom on time.  Attendance Awards will be given to students who demonstrate outstanding attendance and punctuality.  These awards will be presented during the student awards assembly at the end of the school year.

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Bicycles, Scooters etc.

The school cannot assume responsibility for stolen, lost or damaged bikes or scooters.  Riverside provides bike racks and cages for bikes and scooters.  These cages are not locked!  You should provide a lock for your bike or scooter.  Students on school property must walk their bikes or scooters.  These are not to be ridden on school grounds or while crossing marked crosswalks.  These rules are enforced before and after school.

Skateboards, or rollerblades/ shoes are never allowed at school due to the danger they pose.  Please do not allow your child to bring these items to school.

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Cell Phone Policy

We understand the need for students to be able to contact parents using cell phones. However, we do not want cell phones to interrupt the school day. Cell phone use is ONLY allowed before or after school. Parents who need to communicate with their students during the school day should contact the main office.

Student Consequences for cell phone use during the school day:

1st Offense: Teacher will explain the rule to the student. Student is allowed to keep the cell phone in backpack only.

2nd Offense: Teacher will take cell phone and return it to the student at the end of the day. Teacher will also notify parents.

3rd Offense:  Teacher will take cell phone and give it to the office. Parent or guardian must pick up phone from office.

*All further offenses will result in this consequence.

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Checking In & Checking Out

Once students arrive at school, they will not be allowed to leave except with a parent or parent designee.  If you need to check your student out for an appointment, you will need to come in to the office for your signature.  You will be asked to show your ID whenever you check a child out- even if we know you.  We will not release a student to an individual who is not listed on Skyward.  You can make changes to emergency contact information at any time.  Your student’s safety is our primary concern!

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Dress Code

Appropriate dress and appearance avoids extremes, exemplifies personal cleanliness, promotes an effective learning environment free of unnecessary disruption(s) and increases school safety, security and sanitation factors. There are a variety of clothing styles which may be popular but are inappropriate for the school or school sponsored activity setting.

Dress and appearance standards include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. 1. General Standards
      1. Any clothing, jewelry, accessory, footwear, personal item or appearance practice may be prohibited when it:
         1. Draws undue attention, distracts, disrupts, and/or interferes with the learning environment at school or school sponsored activity.
         2. Endangers or affects the health, safety and/or welfare of the individual or others.
         3. May cause damage or harm to individuals, school devices, resources, equipment or facilities.
         4. Limits the ability to identify the student.
         5. Appears as an attempt to challenge the intent and scope of policy or the authority of the school.
      2. Dress and appearance, including clothing, jewelry, accessory, footwear, personal item or appearance practice, shall be in a manner suitable to the day’s activities consistent with the standards of health, safety, and appropriate behavior. School personnel may require students to wear certain types of clothing for health, safety, security, or sanitation factors or in connection with classes, activities or circumstances.
      3. Clothing, appearance, jewelry, accessory, footwear, and/or personal items shall be free of writing, images, symbols or any other insignias that:
         1. Are lewd, obscene, vulgar, or profane.
         2. Advocate, represent or promote racism, discrimination, violence or hate in any form.
         3. Signify gang affiliation.
         4. Advocate, represent or promote tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or any illegal substance(s).
         5. Advocate, represent or promote criminal or illegal activities.
         6. Infringe on the rights of others.
         7. Are pornographic or sexually suggestive.
   2. Specific dress and appearance standards are found at Student Support Services online at https://studentsupport.jordandistrict.org/dresscode.
   3. School administration may authorize exceptions for health/medical issues, religious beliefs, or safety reasons.
   4. School dress and appearance enforcement should be reasonable and seek to minimize the loss of instructional time.

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Phone Calls

We have an overwhelming amount of phone calls each day with messages for students.  Please make arrangements for rides before school so that we do not have to interrupt classrooms and the office staff during the school day.  There are also a limited number of phone lines and so students will not be allowed to use the school phone unless it is an emergency.   Bad weather, playtime, and arranging for rides are not considered an emergency.

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Winter Weather and Environmental Policies

Cold:

• Students will stay inside when the temperature is below 21 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Ensure that students are prepared to go outside every day with appropriate cold-weather clothing such as a hat, gloves, and boots.
• It is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Safety:

• In order to maintain student safety and prevent injury, the following two activities are prohibited.
  • *Throwing snowballs *Sliding on ice
• Students who engage in these activities will be subject to school disciplinary consequences.

Rain:

• Students may also stay inside on days of heavy rain.

School Closure:

• On extremely rare occasions, school will be closed according to the Jordan School District school closure policy
• Parents and employees should listen to the following radio or television stations for school closure information between the hours of 6-8 a.m.
• Radio stations: KSL 1160
• Television stations: KSL Channel 5, KUTV Channel 2, KTVX Channel 4, Fox Channel 13
• Schools also may close early for emergencies.
• Media outlets will air updates as soon as possible.

Automated (SKYLERT) messages will be sent via phone or email.

Air Quality

• We use Riverton area WeatherBug stations to get daily air quality alerts.
• On High alert days, students with asthma or other respiratory conditions will stay inside.

Changes

• School administration will determine whether students will remain inside or go outside according to current weather conditions.  It is likely that this decision may change several times within a day.

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Educator Licensing and LEA Specific Licensing

The Utah State Board of Education may grant an educator one of the following education licenses:

1. Professional Educator License – a license issued to an individual who has demonstrated all of the State established competencies to be an educator.
2. Associate Educator License – a license issued to an individual who has met a minimum set of educator requirements and is completing all professional educator requirements to receive a Professional Educator License.
3. Local Education Agency (LEA)-specific Educator License – a license issued to an individual, approved by the local Board of Education, who has met locally defined competencies to be an educator.

An LEA-specific license area or endorsement may include:

• Out of State and Internationally licensed educators completing Utah licensing requirements.
• Educators waiting for university license recommendations.
• Educators with expired Utah licenses.
• Educators working towards an Associate license area/endorsement.
• Career and Technical Education educators completing skills testing.
• Educators waiting to begin a university licensure program.

Schools may employ individuals holding LEA-specific Educator Licenses, as well as Professional and Associate Educator Licenses, as outlined below based on the employee’s FTE:

 

Location	Type	Fully Qualified	Educators who are teaching under LEA Specific or are not Qualified	Educators in an Associate Program to become Professional Qualified
Riverside Elementary	Elementary	85.55%	4.62%	9.83%