AF Amistad High School Family Handbook 2017-2018 | 63 family and the school to explain his or her absences, that seat will be filled with another scholar from the waitlist. If a child is absent for ten consecutive days during the school year, and there has been no successful contact between the family and the school to explain the absence, that seat may be filled by another scholar from the waitlist.  Attendance at after-school events: Scholars who are absent from school cannot attend school events, dances, or other school-sponsored activities on the day of the absence, unless the school has given advance permission. For weekend events, scholars must be present at the school on the Friday before in order to attend the weekend event.  The school will track and follow up on scholar absences: The School will take attendance daily and will maintain records of all scholar absences. If a scholar is absent from school, AFAHS staff will make reasonable efforts to contact the scholar’s parent/guardian by telephone and/or email to notify them of the absence or confirm the reason for the absence. Families of absent scholars, or those who will be absent at school start, should call the school prior to 8:00 am to report the absence/tardiness. The Deans of Students or a member of the Attendance Team will follow up with parents/guardians about recurring attendance issues. In addition, a report may be filed with the appropriate child services agency. Scholars absent for cumulative 15 days and/or considered truant may also be referred to a Planning and Placement Team (PPT). The PPT is a team composed of the student’s parent, teachers, school administrators, and district representatives. The PPT will review current student data and determine whether the student should be tested to determine if the scholar qualifies for Special Education services. For more information about the PPT, see the Special Services section (page 51).  Exams and Quizzes: If a scholar is absent, he or she must make up any exams, quizzes, interim assessments, or other tests the day he or she returns. It is the responsibility of the scholar to arrange a time to make up the assessment, as it may not be possible to make it up during class.  Vacations: We expect that families will schedule vacations when school is not in session. Parents should not take a child on a vacation during the school year. Absences related to vacation will be considered unexcused.  Fifteen Absences in a Year: If a scholar is absent fifteen or more times in a year, the scholar is considered truant and is at risk of not being promoted to the next grade. (Note: Five early releases equal one absence, and, similarly, five tardies equal one absence.) The parent/guardian will be called to the school to meet with the Deans of Students and/or Principal. Fifteen or more absences may jeopardize scholar promotion because of the likely impact on academic performance; attendance, in conjunction with other promotion indicators, can be a factor that triggers retention.