Rule of 85

The Rule of 85 requires that students be in class and on time 85% of the time, calculated by school periods, in order to participate in many of the extra activities at VHS including athletics, cheer, drill team, dances, field trips etc.  

Students who participate in school related field trips, sports excusals are not counted. All other absences (excused, unexcused, truant, unverified etc.) are included in the calculation. Tardies are also counted.  If there are medical or social/emotional circumstances please contact an Administrator.

We do understand families and students face unforeseen situations that are out of their control and can affect their school attendance. If a student does face special circumstances including chronic medical, behavioral health issues that affects their attendance, that student can contact their administrator to set up an appointment to formally appeal their situation. The administrative team will then make the decision if the student has indeed faced unavoidable circumstances. Please note all decisions are final at that point and students are not allowed to appeal that decision to the district office or governing board.

YES! For other purposes there is a HUGE difference between excused absences and those that are not. For example, teachers are not required to allow students to make up work for absences that are not excused.  

We will check for eligibility every grading period.   

Yes. Each Saturday School a student attends removes a full day’s absence in calculating the Rule of 85. (It does not remove scattered period absences or tardies) Students wishing to take advantage of this opportunity may sign up in the Student Support Center.  

If a student is out on short-term independent study and completes his or her work according the contract requirements, the student is not considered to have been absent. It’s as if the student was in class and on time for the duration of his or time out of school. If, however, the student does not complete his or her work in a timely manner, the student is considered absent for the time missed; this could have a significant impact on the student’s ability to reach the 85% mark. 

The appeal form can be picked up in the Student Support Center or click the link below. It must be completed by the student and signed by the parent. Please submit pertinent medical notes with the appeal. Administration will call the student in once they have made a decision about whether or not the student qualifies for the appeal. If the student qualifies, administration will then remove the student’s name from the ineligibility list and contact coaches (if applicable).

Rule of 85 Appeal Form

See the rule of 85 cheat sheet for the cumulative total number of absences/tardies that students must be under each week in order to be at 85% or above. Students and families can view their attendance on the Aeries Parent Portal and follow step 1 below to find out if you are under 85%. To calculate your specific percentage, follow the steps below: 

1. Add up the total number of tardies, excused absences, unverified absences, unexcused absence, truant absences.  
2. Multiply the number of days enrolled by the number of periods that you have.  
3. Subtract the answer from #1 from the answer to #2.  
4. Divide the answer from #3 by the answer from #2. This is your final percentage

Example:  

1. A student has 10 tardies, 30 periods of excused absences and 40 periods of unverified absences for a total of 80 periods.  

2. The student has been enrolled for 70 days for 6 periods a day; 70 x 6 = 420.  

3. 420-80= 340.  

4. 340/420=80.9% 

Per CIF regulations and board policy, in order to participate in athletics a student must demonstrate satisfactory educational progress in meeting the requirements for graduation. In addition, the academic standard for the student is a GPA of 2.0 or above.  Any student who earns a GPA that falls below a 2.0 at the quarter/semester will be ineligible. Any ineligibility from extra or co-curricular activities shall be effective on Monday of the week after grades are posted.

Students who are involved in extracurricular functions that require physical activity (Athletics, Marching Band, Color Guard, Cheer, etc) must dress out and participate in their Physical Education class to be eligible to participate in that day’s after-school activity.  Students who are injured, not dressed out for PE, or are too ill for Physical Education class, may not participate in any after-school physical activity on that day.

If a student falls below the established academic standard (2.0), he/she may opt to use probation under the following conditions:

• A student cannot have more than one D, or one F to access probation.
• A student can access a maximum of two probation periods during their high school years (9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades). A student can access their second probationary period if they have successfully completed their first probationary period.
• After 5 weeks on probation, the student’s grades will be reviewed. If they do not meet eligibility requirements at this time (grades are not C or better), they will be ineligible.
• The probationary periods cannot be used in back-to-back grading periods.
• A student that was unsuccessful in completing the criteria of their Academic Eligibility Plan must wait out five (5) quarters to access the second probation.
• Incomplete grades must be changed to a letter grade before the student can be declared eligible.