Absences should be reported by the parent/guardian to the office before 8:00 A.M. on the day the student is absent.  Parents will be called by JCAMPUS to verify their child’s absence if the absence has not been reported by a parent.  This is to confirm that the parent is aware that the student is absent and to request an explanation for the absence.  Calling the school to report an absence does not excuse an absence unless a doctor’s excuse is on file or the absence falls under the excused absence category. 

According to the compulsory school attendance law, a middle school student must be present at least 167 days per school year to be eligible for promotion.  An absence will not count against the total number of required days when the absence is due to:  (1) personal illness of student or family member (when verified by a physician); (2) death in the immediate family; (3) certain recognized religious holidays; (4) natural catastrophe and/or disaster; or (5) attending school approved activities.

As specified in the Caddo Parish Discipline Policy, absences due to personal illness are only excused with a doctor’s note or a parent’s note within two school days after returning to school.  Doctor’s excuses and notes from parents must be brought to the front office when the student returns to school before going to class. When a student returns to school after an excused absence, he/she has three days or a number of days equal to the number of days of consecutive absences, whichever is greater, following his/her return to class to make up his/her work.  It is the student’s responsibility to secure any and all assignments after an absence and see that they are turned in within the time allotted. 

Youree Drive office staff and administration reserve the right to deny an excused absence based on a parent note if those notes are excessive (more than 5) in number during the 1st or 2nd semester.  Students with more than 3 consecutive days of absences must have a doctor’s excuse upon returning to school. Parents may dispute the decision directly with the CPSB attendance department if denied at the school level. 

When it is necessary for a student to leave school before dismissal time, a parent/guardian should call the office to notify the school that the student will be checking out. Parents will need to  report to the front office breezeway to check-out the student.  Such a check-out will require a signature and/or picture ID.  Please maintain social distancing and wear your mask. The procedures for check-outs are: 

• The parent/guardian must report to the front office breezeway and sign the check-out log.

• Identification must be presented upon request.

• If anyone other than the parent/guardian is to be sent to check-out a student, a note signed by the parent/guardian and identification will be required.  A phone call will be placed to the parent/guardian in the absence of a note.

• If a student knows that he/she needs to check-out in advance, a parent note should be brought to the front office no later than 8:00 a.m. (The parent note must contain the student’s name, date, time, and phone number and name of the parent/guardian).  The office staff will call the parent before the designated time to verify the check-out.

• There will be no check-outs after 3:00 P.M.

If a student becomes ill and needs to check-out, the teacher will send a check out request form to the office or may allow the student to call home from the classroom.  Once the parent arrives on campus the student will be called from class to check-out.  

Doctor and dental appointments, personal illness of a student or serious illness in the immediate family (when verified by a physician), death in the family, religious holidays, or school sponsored meetings are the only check-outs that will be excused.

A parent/guardian who suspects that some unauthorized person may try to check-out a student should notify the school office.  Unless the school has legal custody papers on file, a child will be released to either natural parent.  

After 8:20 a.m.,  students arriving at school will check in through the front office and be marked “late to school.” All students arriving after 8:20 a.m. will arrive to class with a note from the front office. A child will never be marked late to school if he/she arrives late on a CPSB school bus. 

Personal illness, doctors appointments,  or death in the family are the ONLY excused check-ins. A parent walking in with their child does not constitute an excused check-in. Documentation must be provided within two days of the late to school entry in order to be excused. 

Discipline for unexcused late to school entry as follows:

• 1st offense- Warning and parent contact

• 2nd offense- Lunch Detention(s)

• 3rd offense- After school detention(s)

• 4th offense-  Referral to administration and 1 day ISS

• 5th offense- 2 days ISS

• 6th offense- 1 day OSS

• 7th offense: 2 days OSS

• Additional offenses will result in district level involvement

Students with a pattern of late to school infractions will be referred to the CPSB attendance department for truancy.

Every student at Youree Drive Middle School is responsible for getting to class on time.  Learning to be on time is a very important lesson for middle school students.  The academic achievement of students is related directly to the amount of instructional time received.  Students are expected to be in their seats when the tardy bell rings. Students will be rewarded for having no tardies each nine week period, which will be discussed at the beginning of the school year. 

Tardies will accumulate each nine weeks. Reports will be run each Friday and discipline will be assigned accordingly.

• 1st tardy parental contact is made via JCampus

• 2nd tardy parental contact is made via JCampus

• 3rd/4th tardy Lunch Detention

• 5th/6th tardy After School Detention

• 7th tardy 1 day ISS

• 8th tardy 2 days ISS

• 9th tardy 3 days ISS

• 10th tardy 1 day OSS

• 11th tardy 2 days OSS

• 12th tardy + 3 days OSS

The administration reserves the right to implement a tardy lockout randomly when deemed necessary.  When any student is late to a particular class, they will receive an automatic one day suspension.  When a lockout is ordered, the above tardy policy will be suspended during that time.  If the student had permission to be out of the classroom, the student may appeal to the teacher that granted them permission to be out of the classroom.  That teacher will then appeal to the administration.

Suspended days are unexcused absences however, make-up work is allowed according to the attendance policy for Caddo Parish Schools. The teacher is allowed to give make-up work for 50% of the grade.

These absences are not confirmed by written documentation and will count against the total number of days students must be present at school.  Make up classwork is at the teacher’s discretion.

Parents should use the side parking lot to drop off and pick up students. The front horseshoe is reserved for busses from 7:40 a.m.-8:05 a.m. and 3:05-3:45 p.m. Please do not enter the driveway or park cars in front of the school between 7:40 A.M. and 8:05 A.M or between 3:05 P.M. and 3:45 P.M.  

• Cars may not enter the Carroll Street driveway between 7:40-8:10 A.M. or 3:25-4:00 P.M. 

• Traffic should follow the pattern shown on the last page of this handbook for morning drop off. 

• Students may only be picked up from the car loading zone after school. 

• Students may not walk through the parking lot for any reason with or without adult supervision to get in a vehicle or after exiting a vehicle.

• Students exiting campus must do so on an approved sidewalk. 

• Students may not wait in area businesses or parking lots for their rides after school. Any student not picked up will return to the ISS Room by 3:40 P.M. to be monitored until their ride arrives.

• 1st:   8:00-8:48 

• 2nd:  8:52-9:39 

• 3rd:   9:43-10:30   

• 4th:  10:34-11:21

• 5th:  11:25-12:50 

• 1st lunch shift   11:25-11:52

• 2nd lunch shift  11:54-12:21

• 3rd lunch shift   12:23-12:50

• 6th:   12:54-1:41 

• 7th:   1:45- 2:32

• 8th:   2:36-3:25

All students must be off campus no later than 3:40 p.m. unless attending a school-sponsored activity. Students on campus after 3:40 will be escorted to detention and may be picked up from the discipline office by a parent.