Attendance Policy
When a student is absent, a parent/guardian must excuse the absence. You may excuse the absence by contacting our attendance secretary. Our attendance secretary can be reached the following ways:

Students are expected to come to school on time.  If a student arrives late, they must check in at the attendance office. 

If students are leaving campus prior to the end of the school day, the parent/guardian must check them out through the attendance office. The parent/guardian can do this by visiting the front office or calling 801-264-7408. If the student returns to school following being checked out, they must check in with the attendance office upon their return.

Junior High schools are closed campuses. Students are expected to stay on campus from the time they arrive until dismissal. If a student leaves the school grounds without formally checking out, s/he will be considered truant. In the event of truancy (sluffing), students will be given a U in citizenship and other consequences outlined in our Tardy and Sluffing Policy. (See policy PS 436.1 – Truancy).

Individual teachers cannot excuse absences. However, if you feel a teacher has incorrectly marked your child’s attendance, we encourage you to reach out to the individual teacher.

It is the responsibility of students who have an excused absence to make up class work that can be made up (tests, quizzes, papers, daily assignments, etc.). Students should find out what they missed at a time that does not inhibit the teacher from teaching (before school, lunch, after school, Plus Period, etc). Secondary teachers will set fair and reasonable deadlines for completion.

Attendance codes used at HJH:

E: Excused – Parent/guardian followed above protocol to excuse a legitimate absence. See MCSD Policy PS 401 for examples of legitimate absences.C: Check In/Out: Parent/guardian called the student out of class or brought them to school. Ex. If a student is brought to school with a parent note during 3rd period, the student would receive an “E” for 1st and 2nd and a “C” for 3rd.X: Unexcused Absence A student was not in class and was not excused by a parent or guardian. Multiple X’s make it difficult to have success in class and result in drops in citizenship.
T: Tardy A student arrived to class after the bell or was not following the teacher’s on time policy. Multiple tardies result in consequences that may include but are not limited to lunch detention, a drop in citizenship, service, and trackers.2: Extreme Tardy A student arrived 10 or more minutes after class started.  Consequences related to 2’s may include but are not limited to lunch detention, a drop in citizenship, service, and trackers.S: Sluff/Truancy A student did not make it to class while they were on campus or the student left campus without permission from a parent/guardian. This will result in a “U” in citizenship and additional consequences agreed upon by the principals.   
I: In School Suspension A student was given in school suspension by an administrator. This means your student was sent to a secluded location for part of or the full school day.Z: Out of School Suspension A student was given out of school suspension by an administrator. If a student has a “Z”, they are not allowed on the school campus or to attend any MCSD related events./: Counseling A student spent part of or the whole class with a member of our counseling team.
P or L: Principal Excused A student spent time in the principal’s office. An “L” means the student was there for a part of a period while a “P” would be the whole class period.G: Mental Health A student’s parent/guardian has contacted the attendance secretary and given the reason for absence as a mental health day.D: Doctor’s Note Student comes to school with a note signed by a healthcare provider explaining their absence or late/early arrival.
A: Activity Excusal A student was part of a school sponsored event that prohibited them from attending class or multiple classes.V: Vacation A student has been excused by a parent/guardian for a vacation. 

(If you do not have online access to your student’s grades, attendance and citizenship through Aspire, please contact the HJH front office at 801-264-7442 to set one up.)

You may read the Murray School District Attendance Policy (PS 401) in its entirety through the link: https://go.boarddocs.com/ut/murrayschools/Board.nsf/files/C3VQPW68CB69/$file/PS%20401%20Attendance%20REV%2006-10-2021.pdf