Margaretta Local School District

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

Please adhere to the following guidelines when dropping off and picking up your child from school.

Arrival Procedures for car riders

Arrival Time is 7:40 – 7:55 – we do not have staff on duty before 7:40. If you arrive early, you are welcome to wait with your child in your car.
Parents may drop off their child(ren) once they are beyond the "Student Drop Off" sign and within the marked drop off zone. Letting a student exit a vehicle before this point is neither safe nor permitted. Children need to exit the car on the passenger side.
Parents who are dropping off must remain in their vehicles at all times.
Cars must stay in line, parallel to the curb. No vehicle should pull around or pass another vehicle in line.
Please adhere to a five mile per hour speed limit while driving on school grounds.

Dismissal Procedures for car riders
Dismissal time is 2:43.

Parents will display a sign on the passenger side that lists the name of any student they will be picking up. The sign needs to be displayed until your child/children is safely in the car. We will provide one copy of this sign per child. However, you will be responsible for making additional signs if needed.
There will be a "caller" standing in the pick-up zone that will read off the name(s) from the sign into a 2-way radio as the parent passes by.
Parents who are picking up must remain in their vehicles at all times.
Cars must stay in line, parallel to the curb. No vehicle should pull around or pass another vehicle in line.
All children will be loaded on the passenger side of the car only! Due to the quick stops and starts we cannot load children on the driver's side of the car.
Drivers should pull up directly behind the car in front of them to maximize the use of available space.
Please adhere to a five mile per hour speed limit while driving on school grounds.
All car riders need to be picked up no later than 3:10. If your child is not picked up by this time and you have not called to inform us why you are running late, the bus garage will be called and you can pick up your child there.

Arrival and dismissal times at Margaretta Elementary are busy times. We are asking for your help to ensure that all our students arrive safely at school in the morning and at home in the afternoon. Parents are asked to avoid calling the school between 2:40 and 3:00 pm as the office
staff is focused on dismissal. While our intent is to design arrival and dismissal procedures that are convenient for families, the safety of our students is our top priority. Should you find that it takes a few minutes for traffic to clear the area, your patience is greatly appreciated.

Late Arrival

If your child arrives after the final bell (8:00 AM) you need to bring the child into the building and sign them in. A student will not be allowed in to class without the signed slip for the teacher.
Arrival after 8:00 is considered tardy. Please note that late arrivals will affect your child's attendance record.

Early Dismissal

If you must pick your child up early, please come to the main office to sign your child out. We will contact the teacher and have your child come to the office to meet you.
Two notes stating the reason for dismissal with a phone number where the parent can be
reached needs be sent to the homeroom teacher who will forward one copy to the office. This way both the teacher and the office have documentation as to the dismissal procedure.
A "Car Rider Permission Slip" will be sent home at the beginning of the school year. This is to be filled out only if you are picking up your child every day of the school year. Otherwise two notes need to be sent in to the homeroom teacher, as stated above, even if you are picking up your child the same day(s) every week.
IN THE INTEREST OF STUDENT SAFETY – NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED TO CHANGE THE WAY A CHILD GOES HOME AFTER 1:00PM. End of the day phone calls to the office to change your children's dismissal plans create many problems for the school. These calls should be limited to emergencies only. When numerous calls are made to the office near the end of the school day, it is difficult for the office to honor these requests.
Parents are asked to assist with dismissal procedures by making certain that children are clear about dismissal plans before they enter school each morning. Last minute changes in plans are often confusing to the children.

ATTENDANCE REGULATIONS

The compulsory attendance laws of Ohio, along with the House Bill 410, hold parents responsible for their child's attendance. Attendance update letters will be sent home when a student has accumulated 30 hours of absence. Any student who meets the state attendance qualification of Habitual Truancy, Excessive Absence or Chronic Absence will be required to participate with parent, school attendance officer and principal in a student absence intervention plan. At any point during the absence intervention plan parents may be referred to the juvenile court judge.
Absences for any reason count toward a student's total absentee record for the year. Legal
absences are as follows: A) illness; B) quarantine at home; C) death in the family;
D) observance of religious holidays; and E) other absences requested beforehand by the parents and approved by the principal. These requests must be made by the parents at least 5 school days prior to the date of release. Any absence for a reason other than stated above (A-E) presumably is illegal and constitutes truancy. A student must be in school a full day in order to participate in an extra-curricular activity, school program or event.

REPORTING ABSENCES

In order to be in compliance with Ohio State Law Senate Bill 321, the Missing Child Act, a requirement of our schools is that you must call the school the morning of your child's absence. Please call between 7:00 and 7:45 AM. We ask for your assistance and cooperation in reporting absences as we share your concern for the safety of your child. Margaretta Elementary School's phone numbers are 419-684-5357 or 419-648-7731. You can call in the evening and leave a message, or you can email [email protected] to report your child's absence. Please put in the subject line the student's name, give the reason for absence and then your email will be forward to the homeroom teacher.

Students leaving one-half hour before school dismisses will be considered one-half day absent. Students who are signed out during the day for any reason and then return for the remainder of the day will be counted one-half day absent. Leaving during the last half hour of school may also result in the loss of perfect attendance incentives. Upon returning to school from an
absence, children are required to present an excuse written by their parent/ guardian or health care provider, to the homeroom teacher citing the cause of the absence. If absences exceed 10 days, a doctor's note is required. The Board of Education reserves the right to verify such statements and to investigate the cause of each single or prolonged absence. Excessive absences may be a factor considered in student retentions.

TARDINESS AND SAFETY PROCEDURES

Tardiness: Students are considered tardy if they are not in their assigned classroom location by the starting bell (8:00). Students who are tardy to school must be signed in by an adult.

Safety Measures: For your child's safety, we require anyone wishing to remove a child from the building before or at regular dismissal to sign that child out. Verification of identity may be requested. The sign out log is located outside the office. You will be asked to sign your name, the child's name, your relationship to the child, the date, time, and reason for the removal before the child will be released from the building. If someone other than the legal guardian is picking up a child a note or phone call from the legal guardian is required.

In the interest of safety, students are not allowed to leave the school grounds during the school hours unless accompanied by a teacher in a school activity or released to their parent or legal guardian for an appointment or an emergency. If one parent has been awarded custody of the student in a divorce settlement, the custodial parent as defined in legal statute shall inform the school in writing of any limitations in the rights of the non-custodial parent. Absent such notice, the school will presume that the student may be released into the care of either parent.