The Board of Education of the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success and that the responsibility for educational success rests with the student, the parent, and the school. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that students arrive at school on time, prepared to work, and remain in school for the entire day. Classroom lessons and participation foster social interaction, development of effective communication skills, and critical thinking. Any absence is detrimental to the learning process. The scheduling of vacations while school is in session is strongly discouraged.

Excused and Unexcused Absences

Excused absences, tardiness, and early departures may be due to personal illness, illness or death in the family, impassable roads due to inclement weather, religious observance, quarantine, required court appearances, attendance at health clinics, approved college visits, approved cooperative work programs, military obligations, or other such reasons as may be approved by the Board of Education.

All other absences, tardiness, and early departures are unexcused. A written excuse signed by a parent/person in parental relation should be presented by the student when returning to school following each absence.

Grade and Credit Consequences

The District continues to support a no-cut policy. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Consistent with the importance of classroom participation, unexcused student absences, tardiness, and early departures will affect a student's grade, including credit for classroom participation, for the marking period.

At the middle school/senior high school level, any student with more than 18 absences in a course may not receive credit for the course. However, students with properly excused absences, tardiness, and early departures for which the student has performed any assigned make-up work, assignments and/or tests shall not be counted as an absence for the purpose of determining the student's eligibility for course credit.

Upon returning to school following a properly excused absence, tardiness, or early departure, it shall be the responsibility of the student to consult with his/her teacher(s) regarding arrangements to make up missed work, assignments and/or tests in accordance with the time schedule specified by the teacher.

Appeals

A parent/person in parental relation may request a building level review of their child's attendance record.

With the safety of the children in mind, no pupil will be allowed to leave the school grounds at any time during the day. Written permission from the parent or guardian is required before a child will be allowed to leave school any time prior to the termination of the school day.

A child may be released prior to the end of the school day providing the child submits a note to the teacher from the parent or guardian stating the reason for early dismissal and the time the child is to be dismissed. The note should also mention the person who is to pick up the child if they are someone other than the parent or guardian. All such dismissals will be from the office of the school. The person who is to pick up the child must report to the office in order to sign the release sheet. Children who must be released from school early because of illness or injury will be released in the custody of the parent or guardian only. In an emergency a child may be released in the custody of the person named on the emergency address form.

Please click here to view the Code of Conduct PDF.

It is the goal of the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District to educate students to their potential. In order to do this effectively, each member of the school community is expected to treat all others with dignity and respect.

A discipline policy has been developed with this goal in mind. It includes a description of the rights and responsibilities of students, as well as a code for student behavior.

The Board of Education’s goal is to provide an environment in which a student’s rights and freedoms are respected. The Board therefore assures District students that they shall have all the rights afforded them by federal and state constitutions, statutes and regulations. The Board also recognizes all federal, state and local laws in connection with these rights, and reminds students that certain responsibilities accompany these rights. It shall be the right of each District student:  

1. To have a safe, healthy and orderly school environment;
2. To take part in all District activities on an equal basis regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, or disability;
3. To attend school and participate in school programs unless suspended from instruction and participation for legally sufficient cause as determined in accordance with due process of law;
4. To have school rules and conditions available for review and, whenever necessary, explanation by school personnel;
5. To Have the means to anonymously report violations of the Code of Conduct.
6. To be suspended from instruction only after his/her rights pursuant to Education Law §3214 have been observed; and
7. In all disciplinary matters, to have the opportunity to present his/her version of the facts and circumstances leading to imposition of disciplinary sanctions to the professional staff member imposing such sanction.

It shall be the responsibility of each District student:

1. To be familiar with and abide by all District policies, rules and regulations pertaining to student conduct;
2. To work to the best of their ability in all academic and extracurricular pursuits and strive toward the highest level of achievement possible;
3. To conduct themselves, when participating in or attending school-sponsored extracurricular events, as a representative of the District and as such hold himself/herself to the highest standards of conduct, demeanor, and sportsmanship, and accept responsibility for his/her actions;
4. To seek help in solving problems that might lead to discipline procedures;
5. To be in regular attendance at school and in class;
6. To contribute to the maintenance of an environment that is conducive to learning and to show due respect to other persons and to property;
7. To dress in accordance with standards promulgated by the Board of Education and the Superintendent;
8. To make constructive contributions to the school, and to report fairly the circumstances of school-related issues;
9. To report all acts and/or threats of violence, including threats of suicide, of which they are aware by reporting such incidents to the school hotline, a faculty member, or the building administrator; and
10. To bring to the attention of the appropriate faculty member or building administrator any other action that might be harmful to students, i.e., drug use in buildings, students carrying inappropriate objects (weapons), or anything that might cause harm to another student.