From now on, OHS students will need to verify their attendance at State tournaments in order to have their absence marked as excused. Students must turn in their ticket stubs to the main office on the next school day following their absence, or their absence will be marked as unexcused.

Formerly, students only needed to fill out and have a parent sign a permission slip. Students still need to follow this procedure, but additionally turn in their ticket stub the next day. This new policy has been enacted due to a significant number of OHS students turning in permission slips, but not actually attending the event.

The following letter from Principal Dave Benson was sent to parents on Wednesday, March 1, confirming the new policy.

“Dear Parents:

Orono High School athletes have enjoyed a successful winter sports season so far, and we expect that will continue. This week, our Boys’ Swim and Dive Team will compete, beginning on Thursday afternoon and extending through Saturday.

Our wrestlers will begin their contests on Friday and will finish on Saturday. Our students have a tradition of supporting our athletes – their classmates and friends – by attending these types events.

For attendance purposes, students who plan to attend a state tournament event need to have a permission slip signed by a parent and returned prior to the day of the event. This has always been our practice.

But beginning with these next events, students will also need to present a ticket stub from the event to verify that they actually attended it. They will be expected to turn in their ticket stubs the day following the event. We will be following this practice, as is followed by other schools, to make sure students actually attend the event – as they say they are – and help deter the abuse of this privilege.

Thank you for your understanding of the need to do follow through with this new practice. We appreciate your support.

Sincerely,
Dave Benson, Principal”