STUDENT ATTENDANCE 5100

ATTENDANCE

The Board of Education recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success. Through implementation of this policy, the Board expects to reduce the current level of unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures (referred to in this policy as “ATEDs”), encourage full attendance by all students, maintain an adequate attendance recordkeeping system, identify patterns of student ATEDs and develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.

Notice

To be successful in this endeavor, it is imperative that all members of the school community are aware of this policy, its purpose, procedures and the consequences of non-compliance. To ensure that students, parents, teachers and administrators are notified of and understand this policy, the following procedures shall be implemented.

  • The attendance policy will be included in student handbooks and will be reviewed with students at the start of the school year. Parents will be asked to sign and return a statement indicating that they have read and understand the policy.
  • A full text version of this policy is available on the districts web site.
  • School newsletters and publications will include periodic reminders of the components of this policy.
  • The district will provide a copy of the attendance policy and any amendments thereto to faculty and staff.
  • Copies of this policy will also be made available to any community member, upon request.
  • The district will share this policy with local Child Protective Services (CPS) to ensure a common understanding of excused and unexcused ATED’s and to work toward identifying and addressing cases of educational neglect.

Excused and Unexcused Absences

Excused ATEDs are defined as absences, tardiness, and early departures from class or school due to personal illness, illness or death in the family, religious observance, required court appearances, attendance at medical/health

related appointments, approved college visits, or such other reasons as may be approved by the appropriate building administrator.

All other ATEDs are considered unexcused absences.

All ATEDs must be accounted for. It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the school attendance officer when your child is absent from school. A

written excuse must be furnished by the parent upon the student’s return to school.

General Procedures/Data Collection

  • For students in grades K-6attendance must be recorded at least once daily.
  • For students in grades 7-12, attendance must be recorded during each period of instruction.
  • The nature of an ATED shall be coded on a student’s record.
  • Student ATED data shall be available to and should be reviewed by the designated school personnel in an expeditious manner.
  • 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 periodically 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. If a pattern of ATED’s for an individual student is identified, a designated staff person(s) will follow-up in accordance with this policy.
Attendance Incentives

The district will design and implement systems to acknowledge a student’s efforts to maintain or improve school attendance. For example:

Attendance incentives will include but not be limited to Attendance Breakfasts, Attendance Lunches, Awards/Certificates, and other appropriate recognitions as determined by the principal.

Perfect attendance under this section is defined as any student that does not have any absences, tardiness, and early departures (referred to in this policy as “ATEDs”).

Consequences of Excessive ATED’s

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 ATED’s, excused and/or unexcused. Such staff member(s) shall remind parents of the attendance policy, explain the ramifications of excessive ATEDs, stress the importance of class attendance and discuss appropriate intervention strategies to correct the situation.

Unexcused ATEDs will result in disciplinary action consistent with the district’s code of conduct. Those penalties may include, for example, detention or in-school suspension. Students may also be denied the privilege of participating in or attending extracurricular events.

In addition, the designated staff member will contact local Child Protective Services (CPS) if they suspect that the child is being educationally neglected. The designated staff member will provide CPS with the information necessary to initiate a report. If other staff members suspect education neglect, they must follow the procedures outlined in Board policy and regulation 5460, Child Abuse in a Domestic Setting, and advise the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

School Procedures:

Tardiness to school

  • At the Mackenzie Elementary School tardiness is defined as arrival at school after 8:25 AM.
  • At the JSHS tardiness is defined as arriving after the first bell at 7:30 AM.

Procedure for both schools:

  • Each student will be permitted 5 tardy arrivals. After the 5th tardy a letter will be sent home.
  • After the 8th tardy the student will serve a lunch detention and a letter will be sent home.
  • After the 12th tardy the student will serve after school detention, a letter will be sent home and the parents will be required to meet with the principal.
  • Tardiness in excess of 12 incidents may result in a Superintendent’s Hearing and/or a report being filed with theNew York State Offices of Children and Family Services.

Absences

  • After the 5th unexcused absence a letter will be sent home.
  • After the 8th unexcused absence the student will serve a lunch detention and a letter will be sent home.
  • After the 12th unexcused absence the student will serve after school detention, a letter will be sent home and the parents will be required to meet with the principal.
  • Unexcused absences in excess of 12 incidents may result in a Superintendent’s Hearing and/or a report being filed with theNew York State Offices of Children and Family Services.

Additional Procedures for the Mackenzie Elementary School grades Pre K through Kindergarten:

Absences

  • After the 5th unexcused absence a letter will be sent home.
  • After the 8th unexcused absence a letter will be sent home and the principal will contact the parent or guardian by telephone.
  • After the 12th unexcused absence a letter will be sent home and the parents will be required to meet with the principal.
  • Unexcused absences in excess of 12 incidents may result in a Superintendent’s Hearing.

Tardiness

  • Each student will be permitted 5 tardy arrivals. After the 5th tardy a letter will be sent home.
  • After the 8th tardy the student a letter will be sent home and the principal will contact the parent or guardian by telephone.
  • After the 12th tardy a letter will be sent home and the parents will be required to meet with the principal.
  • Tardiness in excess of 12 incidents may result in a Superintendent’s Hearing.

Additional procedures for the Eldred Junior-Senior High School:

Tardiness to school:

  • Student Drivers who are tardy to school will have their driving privileges suspended as follows:
  • 8 tardy to school - Driving privileges suspended for 1 week
  • 11 tardy to school - Driving privileges suspended for 1 month
  • 14 + tardy - Driving privileges lost for rest of school year.
  • Students involved in extracurricular activities must be in school by 7:45 a.m. in order to participate that day unless the tardy is excused.

Tardiness to class:

  • Students who arrive to class after the bell are considered tardy.
  • Students who are 15 minutes or more late for a class will be marked absent for that class.
  • Consequences for being tardy are at the discretion of the teacher and will be clearly communicated to students and parents.

Make up work:

  • Makeup work will be provided to the student on their return to school unless there are extenuating circumstances.
  • The student is responsible for requesting make-up work or accessing it through the district website.
  • Upon the student’s return to school, the student will be allowed one day for every day they were out up to a total of four calendar days for make-up

work. If a student is absent on a Friday and returns to school on Monday they will have until Wednesday to submit the makeup work.

  • Assignments that are turned in during the required time frame will receive full credit for all submitted assignments and no credit for missing assignments.
  • Assignments missed due to school sponsored activities should, whenever possible, be completed prior to the absence.
  • Previously assigned projects and/or assessments must be turned in or taken on the day of the student’s return to school. If extenuating circumstances exist, the teacher may grant additional make-up time.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with his/her teachers for make-up tests and any other assignments upon returning to class.
Attendance/Grade Policy

The Board of Education recognizes an important relationship between class attendance and student performance. Consequently, each marking period a student’s final grade may be based on classroom participation as well as student’s performance on homework, tests, papers, projects, etc.

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes.

All students with an excused ATED are expected upon their return to consult with their teachers regarding missed work.

Annual Review

The Board shall annually review building-level student attendance records and, if such records show a decline in student attendance, the Board shall revise this comprehensive attendance policy and make any revisions to the plan it deems necessary to improve student attendance.

Cross ref:4710, Grading Systems

5300, Code of Conduct

5460, Child Abuse in a Domestic Setting

Ref:Education Law §§1709; 3024; 3025; 3202; 3205-3213; 3225

8 NYCRR §§104.1; 175.6

Social Service Law §34-a

Adoption date: March 14, 2002

Revised: August 26, 2002

Revised: February 10, 2005

Revised: March 9, 2006

Revised: October 9, 2008

Revised September 10, 2009

Revised: April 14, 2011

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