R1. Student Attendance, Whereabouts, and Status
Centers must:
a. Account for and document the whereabouts and status of every Job Corps student for each day and time during that student’s enrollment.
b. Ensure that students attend class or are participating in approved training activities during training periods. Students may not be counted as present for classes or training unless centers can demonstrate they are in a classroom or training area.
c. Be capable of detecting and responding to instances of unauthorized or unexplained student absences.
d. Procedures for managing attendance, whereabouts, and status must be included in the Student Accountability Procedures SOP (see Exhibit 5-1d).
R2. Attendance System
Centers must:
a. Have a system for tracking students’ attendance that allows them to effectively carry out their responsibilities as described in R1 of this Section. Each center’s system must include the following elements:
1. Conduct a morning attendance check no later than one hour after a student’s scheduled training day start time to establish present-for-duty status for all students. Documentation must be authenticated by the signature of a staff member on the morning attendance check form.
2. Maintain attendance records in Center Information System (CIS) for all scheduled career development activities, including on- and off-center academic and career technical training (CTT) classes, group activities, and off-center trips.
3. Develop a procedure to document student arrivals to and departures from the campus. Departure records must indicate student destination and estimated and actual time of return.
4. Conduct, at a minimum, two bed checks each night for residential students.
5. Develop a process for new enrollees, transfer students, nonresidential students, and students returning from off-center status, to sign in and alert appropriate center staff to their presence immediately upon their arrival on center.
b. Report each student’s duty status in the CIS using the guidelines shown in Exhibit 6-1, Duty/Pay/Leave Status Chart, and the procedures stated in the CIS documentation.
c. Document each duty/pay/leave status change and the reason for such change in CIS.
d. Maintain documentation of duty status for a minimum of three years.
e. Identify and remediate chronic absences, missed appointments, and tardiness.
f. Monitor and document student attendance at off-center training activities, including work-based learning, Other Training Provider (OTP), Advanced Career Training (ACT), and other center-sponsored events.
R3. Authorized Absences
Centers must:
a. Designate, in writing, staff members who are authorized to approve student leave.
b. Grant breaks and leave to students based on the criteria shown in Exhibit 6-1.
NOTE: Leave must not be granted as a means of artificially postponing the student’s separation.
c. Authorize overnight leave (e.g., travel home on weekend) with the following restrictions:
1. Only for periods that do not conflict with scheduled classes unless an accommodation for a class schedule adjustment is approved for a student with a disability.
2. For minors, only to destinations authorized by written parent/legal guardian/case manager consent.
d. Approve leave for minor students only with the written consent of the minor’s parent/legal guardian/case manager. Leave consents must include, at a minimum, information specified on the Job Corps Parental Consent Form.
e. Document all leave requested by students in CIS. Each automated leave request must include justification, as appropriate, for the type of leave requested based on criteria shown in Exhibit 6-1. Retain any supporting hard-copy verification documentation in the student’s E-Folder. Verification obtained from phone calls must be documented in CIS and must include: name of contact person, title, phone number, date of contact, and name and address of the facility.
R4. Free Time Leave
Centers must authorize Free Time Leave (FTL) that allows students to exit and safely return to center on the same day provided that the center has an approved FTL SOP approved by the Office of Job Corps.
a. FTL procedures must be inclusive of the requirements in Chapter 6, Section 6.1, R3. At a minimum, the FTL SOP must clearly state:
1. Who is authorized to approve requests for FTL;
2. When this leave type will be available (days of the week, times, etc.);
3. Criteria for students to be able to apply for a FTL;
4. Total number of students that can be off center on FTL at one time to ensure security screening is not compromised upon their return;
5. What specific procedures will be in place for minors consistent with Section 6.1, R5f;
6. Safety education for students leaving center (e.g., center emergency numbers) including off-limits areas; and
b. How community safety factors, location of the center and transportation options, cooperation with local law enforcement, and any city- or town-imposed curfews will be incorporated.
c. FTL must only be authorized after the training day or on weekends or holidays.
d. FTL return time must not be after the center’s established curfew and must adhere to the unauthorized absence policy outlined in Section 6.1, R5a.
e. All FTL must be documented as leave category Not Present for Duty-Same Day- Paid, On Authorized Leave – Same Day Leave, Free Time Leave (FTL) with records maintained in the Center Information System (CIS).
R5. Unauthorized Absences
Centers must:
a. Identify and report as Unauthorized Absence (UA) any student who fails to return or report within two hours after the student’s required attendance time, whether on-center or off-center (e.g., the start of a training day).
The Unauthorized Absence of minor students should be reported to the center records department, center management, and regional office immediately after it is confirmed.
b. If a student who was identified and reported as an Unauthorized Absence contacts the center with a credible and verifiable explanation, the student’s status may be changed to the appropriate leave category, effective the date of the emergency, if the emergency prevented the student from contacting the center timely. Additionally, if the emergency prevents the student from contacting the center and the student has been separated, the student must be reinstated if the student wants to be reinstated. Receipt of documentation to support the status change is required.
c. If a student who was identified and reported as an Unauthorized Absence returns to or reports to the center or off-center activity more than two hours after the student’s required attendance time, but has no credible or verifiable explanation, the student must be listed as being in an Unauthorized Absence status for that day. The student may, however, participate in regularly scheduled activities for that day. The student’s scheduled required attendance time and actual report time should be documented in CIS Case Notes, and a printout of the CIS Case Notes should be included in the student’s personnel folder.
d. Have implemented a step-by-step Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to report, locate, and contact the student who is in an Unauthorized Absence or Missing Minor Student status. The procedures must include staff notification to center managers and the Center Director, a center-wide search for the UA student, and discussions with staff and students on center as to the UA student’s suspected whereabouts. The SOP must also detail both procedures for contacting the students’ parent/guardian if the student is a minor and law enforcement reporting, as detailed in Sections e. and f. below. The center must write a written investigative report after every incident, the investigation and retrieval efforts must be documented in CIS Case Notes, and a printout of the investigative report and CIS Case Notes must be included in the student’s personnel folder.
e. In the event that an adult student (i.e., 18 or older) is considered to be in an Unauthorized Absence status, as described in Section a, the center must initiate an investigation to verify the student’s whereabouts, consistent with the SOP described in Section d. If the investigation fails to identify the UA adult student’s location, the center must contact local law enforcement and adhere to their guidelines for reporting of missing persons. The center must document all appropriate notifications and the result of the internal investigation in CIS Case Notes, and include a copy of the CIS case notes in the student’s personnel folder.
Important note: If police find a missing adult student whose actions were voluntary, they might not disclose where the person is to the center unless the person gives permission. Filing a missing person report for an adult does not entitle the center to know where they are, only that they are safe.
f. In the event that a minor student (i.e., under 18) is considered an Unauthorized Absence, and as described in Section a, the center must contact the parent/guardian immediately, to inform them of the absence. If the parent/legal guardian is unaware of the student’s whereabouts, the center must immediately report the missing minor to local law enforcement and record the missing minor’s duty status as Missing Minor Student in CIS. The center must fully cooperate with law enforcement in locating the student, as well as conduct a thorough internal investigation to establish the whereabouts of the student consistent with the SOP described in Section d, as long as it does not interfere with the law enforcement investigation. The center must document the parent/guardian/police notification and the result of the internal investigation in CIS Case Notes, include a copy of the CIS case notes in the student’s personnel folder, and follow the Significant Incident Report (SIR) requirement as described in Chapter 5, Section 5.4. To supplement the SIR, the center must provide a written detail of the center’s retrieval efforts to the respective Regional Office. As soon as the student's whereabouts are known, the center must change the missing minor student’s duty status from Missing Minor Student to the appropriate duty status and begin regular retrieval efforts, as appropriate.
g. Assist the student in arranging return transportation, at the student’s request and expense.
h. Notify probation or parole officers, if applicable.
