Attendance/Credit Requirements

A.       MJBHA Upper School offers a rich program of instruction and takes pride in the diploma offered to graduates. We believe strongly that the contact time between our students and the staff, the administration, the other students, and the environment of our school are fundamental to the educational experience we promote. To that end, the residency requirement stipulates that a student can miss no more than ten (10) total school days or ten (10) recurring portions thereof during the course of a semester, including the midterm and examinations period. “Recurring portions thereof” means, for example, that a student may be present on most days for most of the day, but continually misses period #7 and mincha. A student who is in violation of this policy may not receive credit for the affected course(s), and may need to retake a course during the summer to earn an MJBHA diploma. This policy applies to each semester independently; days ‘unused’ in one semester do not increase the number of available days in the second semester.

B.       MJBHA takes pride in its athletic program and desires to have students find a positive balance between academics and extracurricular interests. We also engage in numerous clubs and academic extra-curricular activities that may draw students out of class from time to time. Yet, the school day and the academic program, our raison-d’etre, must take precedence. For student athletes and club participants whose events and competitions often require them to miss the various periods of school days, the policy will view two such absences in a given class as a single absence vis-à-vis the residency policy. Students, parents, club advisors, and coaches need to be regularly mindful of where a student stands in relation to the residency policy.

C.       MJBHA participates in numerous one-time events for which we rely on student representation. An example of such might be the sending of a delegation of students sent to meet a foreign dignitary, or the sending of a delegation to lobby in Annapolis on behalf of a particular bill. The administration will use its discretion in relation to this category of event and not count the missed classes against the students’ residency obligations.

D.       The administration will use its discretion in rare and unusual cases affecting individual students such as extended illnesses and, לא עלינו, the passing of a relative for which a student sits shiva. Cases of this sort will be addressed by the administration on a case-by-case basis in order to help facilitate the student’s successful completion of all courses.      

E.        Seniors, who leave school early to embark on internships, must be absent no more than seven (7) times from any given class in the second semester prior to the onset of internships.