ATTENDANCE POLICY
PHILOSOPHY: Few factors have greater influence upon student success than regular attendance. Daily participation in a rigorous and meaningful education program is vital to success. In order to fully benefit from the educational opportunities provided, students must be in school. Parents retain primary responsibility for student attendance. However, students, parents, teachers and the administration must work together to support the expectations and requirements of compulsory education.
The parent of an absent student must provide the school with a valid, written, signed excuse within five (5) school days of the absence (the first day of the absence if it involves more than one day). Each school shall inform parents of the process to submit the written excuse. Valid excuses defined in State Code are:
- Illness
- family death
- non-attendance preauthorized by a student's Special Education IEP or 504 Plan
- school-authorized activity (such as extra-curricular activities approved by school authority) - excused by the school; parents need not submit excuse note
- absences due to extenuating circumstance approved by the principal and deemed by the principal as not adversely impacting the student's education (such as pre-arranged absences, medical appointments, court appointments, etc.)
- date the excuse is written
- student's name
- student's grade
- name of the student's teacher (K-6 only)
- date(s) of the absence
- statement of valid excuse for the absence
- parent's name (printed and signature)
Should a student continue to be absent without a valid excuse five (5) more times, for a total of ten (10) absences without a valid excuse, State Code compels the school to refer the K-6th grade parent to the County Attorney, or, the 7th-12th grade student to Juvenile Court for violation of state compulsory education code.
To Excuse an Absence:
- Parents of elementary students are directed to send written, valid excuses to the student's classroom teacher upon the student's return to school. It is logical and acceptable for a parent to send the written excuse for the student's absence with the student upon the student's return to school after an absence. (Parents of young students may pin the note to the student, or personally bring the note to the teacher as the student returns to school.)
- Parents of middle school and high school students are directed to send written, valid excuses to the office via their student.
In the Case of Extenuating Circumstances: Should a case arise involving extenuating family need for the extended absence of a child, a parent must gain approval for the absence from the principal in the form of a pre-arranged absence.
- Teachers have no authority to approve absences or to work with parents on pre-arranged absences until the absence is approved by the principal.
- The parent must meet with the principal at least two (2) days prior to the absence.
- The principal retains the authority to deny the pre-arranged absence if it is determined that the extended absence will adversely affect the child's education.
- The school does not guarantee pre-collection of work to be missed by the student during the proposed absence. Upon return, the student is allowed two days per each day of absence to submit work missed during the absence. It is the responsibility of the parent to oversee completion and submission of work missed by his or her child during the absence.