Any other absence may or may not be approved by the principal. It should be noted that not all absences requested are granted. Even though parents request and approve of an absence, the school retains the right to either excuse or not excuse a student from class. It is suggested that these requests be made only if a student is going to be out of school for two or more days. The request can be made at the time the parent calls in to report the absence.
Teachers prefer that make-up work be completed upon the student's return.
It should be recognized that teaching and learning is complex and that classroom activity cannot be totally replicated for the absent students. A typical week's learning includes classroom discussion, teacher and student questions, films, video tapes, lecture, lab experiences, etc. Therein, is the staff rationale for this policy. Good performance should also be recognized. To this end Black Hawk Middle School has a formalized Honor Roll which is calculated at the end of each quarter's grade reporting period.