Date

Dear Parents,

This is a reminder of your mandatory Parent Attendance Conference at Havana Elementary on ______. You should have received a letter by mail if your address was correct as listed in our records.

The Code of Student Conduct issued by the Gadsden County School Board outlines the guidelines for attendance, and Florida Statutes 1003.24 (1)(a) mandates that “all children who have not attained the age of 16 be required to attend school regularly during the entire school year.” This responsibility is placed on both the parent and the child. Because of the number of absentees your child has accumulated, your presence is needed on ______. If you have received a notice for more than one of your children in the same or different grade, you only need to attend one meeting.

Consistent school attendance is one factor that is essential in the educational success of your child, and unexcused absences can lead to failure in the classroom, as well as result in legal actions from school officials.

Florida Statutes 1003.27 states that if parents do not make a real effort to keep their children in school, they can be prosecuted for violation of this mandatory attendance law. This is a second-degree misdemeanor, and the court may order if found guilty, a jail term or fine. We value your child’s presence here at Havana Elementary School, and we are sure that you are willing to do whatever it takes to keep your child in school.

If your child receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), continuing unexcused absences may result in a reduction of the check.

We ask that you please notify the school when your child will not be in attendance. Please make sure that you send a note of explanation by your child when he/she returns to school from an illness or absence. If you are unsure of what constitutes an unexcused absence, please refer to your County Code of Student Conduct.

You must be in attendance at this meeting. If we can be of further assistance, please call the school at 539-2877. The time schedule is listed below:

8:30 Self-Contained ESE

9:30 5th grade parents

10:30 Kindergarten parents

11:30 2nd grade parents

12:30 1st grade parents

1:30 3rd grade parents

2:00 4th grade parents

Respectfully,