Students’ Responsibilities Lesson goal

STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Absences from school

• When there are questionable absences or a pattern of unexcused absences, the school is required to investigate the situation and work with the parent and the student to improve attendance.
• Every school division has one or more attendance officers who are responsible for enforcing attendance laws. If efforts to resolve the non-attendance problem are not successful, the attendance officer may file complaints in the juvenile court. Depending on the circumstances, complaints may be filed against the parent for failure to send the child to school and/or against the student for failure to attend.

STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Truancy

Law enforcement officers and attendance officers are authorized to pick up any student who is reported to be truant from school and deliver the child to school. (Code of Virginia § 22.1-266)

STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Conduct at school

At school, you are expected to follow:

• Your school division’s code of student conduct
• Rules that apply at your particular school
• Classroom rules that apply in particular classrooms
• Other rules about parking or that apply if you participate in sports or clubs

Code of student conduct applies not only when you are on school grounds, but also when you are on the bus going to and from school and at school-sponsored activities, even when the activity is away from school or at another school.

STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Other laws that apply

• Both laws and school rules apply at school.
• In addition to the school rules, you are required to obey:
• Federal laws that apply throughout the United States and its territories
• State laws that apply throughout Virginia
• City, county, or town ordinances that apply in the city, county, or town in which the school is located

STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES