5100
Comprehensive Student Attendance POLICY
The Board of Education recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success. It also represents each student’s most basic responsibility as a member of the school community. Through implementation of this policy, the Board expects to minimize the number of unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures in order to encourage full attendance by all students. The District will maintain an adequate attendance recordkeeping system, identify patterns of absence, tardiness and early departures from school, and, as appropriate, intervene to encourage student attendance and develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.
To be successful in this endeavor, it is important that all members of the school community are aware of this policy, its purpose and procedures. To ensure that students, parents, teachers and administrators are notified of and understand this policy, the following procedures shall be implemented.
· A plain language summary of this attendance policy will be included in student handbooks and will be reviewed with students at the start of the school year.
· Parents will receive a plain language summary of this policy by email/mail at the start of the school year. The summary and all policies pertaining to attendance will be easily accessible on the District website.
§ When a student is absent, tardy, or leaves early from class or school without excuse, designated staff member(s) will notify the student’s parent(s) by automated or other phone calls, email, District parent portal, or mail of the specific attendance event, remind them of the attendance policy, and, where appropriate, suggest a review of intervention procedures. In addition, the District will periodically provide parents with summary information regarding attendance through communications such as the District parent portal, elementary reports, progress reports, and report cards.
§ At the fall back-to-school event, school personnel will emphasize that every day of attendance counts, explain this policy, and stress the parent’s responsibility for ensuring their children’s attendance.
§ School newsletters and publications will include periodic reminders of the components of this policy.
DEfinitions:
Excused and Unexcused Absences
Student absences, late arrivals, and early departures shall be either excused or unexcused.
a. Excused absences include but are not limited to:
· Illness
· Illness or death in the family
· Religious observance or religious instruction
· Required appearance in court
· Remedial health treatment (e.g. for illness or injuries)
· Pre-approved college visits
· Absence due to circumstance related to homelessness
A student whose parent or legal guardian has been called for military deployment, is on leave from, or is returning from a combat zone or combat support may be excused from school for an additional five (5) days by the Building Principal or Superintendent of Schools, but any work which was missed by the student must be made up according to the rules applicable to other excused absences. Parents/guardians must notify the Building Principal no less than three (3) days before the intended absence.
b. Unexcused absences include but are not limited to:
· Family vacations, visits, and events
· Camp attendance
· Lessons (tutoring, sports, music, dance, etc.)
· Oversleeping
· Car troubles
All absences, tardiness and early departures from class or school, must be accounted for. It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the District attendance office by 9:00 AM the day the student will be absent and a written excuse may be required upon the student’s return to school. For homeless students, the homeless liaison will assist the student in providing or obtaining documentation if needed.
The Building Principal shall have discretion to designate an absence, late arrival or early departure as “excused” if he or she determines that the absence was unavoidable and/or otherwise not the fault of the student or the student’s parent(s)/legal guardian(s). In the event that the parent/guardian or student disagrees with the principal's determination, they may appeal to the Superintendent within 10 days.
Attendance Register Codes -- The District shall adopt codes to record student absences in the pupil attendance record. These codes are included in Appendix A.
RECORD KEEPING & DATA:
Attendance will be taken during each class period at the middle school and high school. At all elementary schools, attendance will be taken at the start of the school day. At the conclusion of each class period or school day, all attendance information shall be compiled and provided to the designated staff member(s) responsible for attendance. The nature of an attendance event shall be coded on a student’s record.
Student attendance data shall be available to and should be reviewed by the District Attendance Office. Where additional information is received that requires corrections to be made to a student’s attendance records, such correction will be made immediately. Notice
of such a change will be sent to appropriate school personnel subject to applicable confidentiality rules.
Attendance data will be analyzed quarterly to identify patterns or trends in student absences. If patterns emerge, District resources will be targeted to understand and eliminate barriers to attendance.
Attendance data will be analyzed periodically by the Superintendent or his/her designee to identify patterns or trends in student absences. Continuous monitoring will be conducted to identify students who are absent, tardy, or leave class or school early
Continuous monitoring will be conducted to identify students who are absent, tardy, or leave class or school early. If a pattern of absences, tardiness and early departures from class or school for an individual student is identified a designated staff person will follow-up by contacting and involving parents, and addressing underlying issues through plans developed by building level teams, psychologist, counselors and/or administrators, in collaboration with the student and parents. Teacher, counselors or school officials shall notify parents or guardians by phone and/or writing of any chronic absences.
When necessary, school personnel may seek to involve the Juvenile Justice System, and in cases of habitual truancy, the Family Court, by filing a Person In Need of Supervision (PINS) Petition. When the student’s repeated absences are due to the parent/guardian’s failure to ensure his/her attendance, and the student is of compulsory school age, school personnel, who are mandated reporters under the Social Services Law, are obligated to report the matter as educational neglect to the District’s Registration Office.
CONSEQUENCES FOR UNEXCUSED TARDINESS OR ABSENCES:
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes on time.
A designated staff member(s) will contact the student’s parents and the student’s guidance counselor in the event that a student’s record reveals excessive absences, tardiness and early departures from class or school, excused and/or unexcused. Excessive absences, tardiness and early departures from class or school is defined as: 5 consecutive days or 10 cumulative days. Such staff member(s) shall remind parents of the attendance policy, explain the ramifications of excessive absences, tardiness and early departures from class or school, stress the importance of class attendance and discuss appropriate intervention strategies to correct the situation.
Unexcused absences, tardiness and early departures from class or school may result in disciplinary action consistent with the district’s code of conduct. However, absences related to homelessness shall not result in negative consequences where the District determines that it would be in the best interests of the student in retaining the student in school.
Students and parent(s)/guardian(s) must be aware that in order to participate in a school sponsored event or activity, including athletics, the student must be in attendance no less than one half of the instructional day on the day the activity/event is to take place. The Principal or his/her designee has the sole discretion to make any exception to this rule on a case-by-case basis.
In accordance with the Code of Conduct, any student who impermissibly does not attend class, or who establishes a pattern of chronic unexcused absences will be subject to the following disciplinary actions consistent with the code of conduct including, but not limited to:
Marked absent from class
Parent notification
Incomplete or failing grade for all work missed during absence
Detention (before, during, or after school)
Suspension/Revocation of parking privilege
Suspension/Revocation of privilege to leave campus
In-School Suspension
Ineligibility to participate in co-curricular activities or attend school-wide events; i.e.:
• Becoming or remaining a class officer
• Participating in clubs
• Participating in intermural and interscholastic sports
• Going on field trips
• Attending the prom
• Attending graduation ceremony
ANNUAL REVIEW
The District Administrator or his designee will provide the Superintendent of schools with an annual report of student attendance. The Board of Education shall annually review the building level attendance records. If such records show a decline in pupil attendance, the Board shall review and revise this policy as appropriate to improve attendance.
Ref: Education Law §§ 3202
Commissioner’s Regulations, 8 NYCRR 104.1
Adoption date: January 16, 2001
Revised: September 10, 2002
Revised: July 1, 2015
Revised: February 28, 2017