Policy 2310 Student Attendance

The Board of Education believes that regular attendance is essential to achieving success in school.  Education is a total process based upon continual communication and shared responsibilities among parents, students, teachers and school.  As students mature and progress through the educational system, they should increasingly assume responsibility for regular attendance.  However, parents have a legal and moral responsibility to require regular attendance at school.

Regular and punctual patterns of attendance will be expected of each student enrolled in the school district. Students should strive to maintain a good attendance record, because there is a direct relationship between school attendance and grades, citizenship and success in school.

It is recognized that absence from school may be necessary under certain conditions. However, every effort should be made by students, parents/guardians, teachers and administrators to keep absences and tardiness to a minimum.

Frequent absences of students from regular classroom learning experiences disrupt the continuity of the instructional process. The benefit of regular classroom instruction is lost, and cannot be entirely regained. The school cannot teach students who are not present. The entire process of education requires a regular continuity of instruction, classroom participation, learning experiences and study in order to reach the goal of maximum educational benefits for each individual student. The regular contact of the students with one another in the classroom and their participation in well-planned instructional activities under the supervision of a competent teacher are vital to this purpose.

The superintendent, with the assistance of the administrative and professional staff, shall establish rules and procedures for student attendance within the district. Such rules and procedures shall be published in the various student and parent/guardian handbooks, and shall be subject to review by the Board of Education. Irregular student attendance shall be checked by the building principal or his or her designee to determine the cause of absence. Causes for absences may be obtained by telephone calls, verified notes from parents or guardians, contacts with other members of the student's family, or home visits.

A comprehensive system of attendance records will be maintained for each student. Each teacher is responsible for the accurate reporting of daily attendance in the classroom. The building principal is responsible for supplying information to parents/guardians in regard to student absences, and for submitting attendance information to the superintendent's office.

The district will contact the Children's Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services or the local prosecutor in cases where the district has a reasonable suspicion that a student's lack of attendance constitutes educational neglect on the part of the parents/guardians or that parents/guardians are in violation of the compulsory attendance law. No such action will be taken unless other strategies and interventions have been implemented and proven ineffective.

If a student in foster care is absent from school due to a decision by a court or child-placing agency to change the student's placement or due to a verified court appearance or related court-ordered activity, the grades and credit of the student will be calculated as of the date the student left school, and no lowering of the student's grades shall occur as a result of the absence under these circumstances.

Regulation 2310 Student Attendance

The Board of Education has established the following rules and regulations regarding attendance, absences and excuses for students. These rules and regulations are intended to comply with the Missouri Compulsory Attendance Law (167.031 RSMo.) which establishes compulsory attendance for all children between the ages of seven and sixteen unless their education is provided by other acceptable means or otherwise excusable under the law.

Excusable Absences

In case of absence, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school. If the school is not notified on the day of absence, a note from the parent/guardian will be required on the first day of the student's return to school. The absence will be recorded as unexcused if a note or telephone call is not received.

Excusable absences include, but are not limited to:

1. Illness of the student (Doctor's statement may be required to support such absences).
2. Days of religious observance.
3. Death in the family (Each District shall define degree of relatedness required to excuse absence).
4. Family emergencies which necessitate absence from school. The school must be notified in advance when such absences are foreseen. (Each District shall define degree of emergency required to excuse absence).

The following procedures should be followed by students who are absent so as to prevent academic difficulties:

1. The student shall obtain assignments from appropriate staff members. Assignments shall be obtained in advance if the absence is foreseen.
2. All assigned work shall be submitted upon returning to school.
3. All classroom work (to include tests) shall be completed as indicated by the individual classroom teacher.

Unexcused Absences

Attendance patterns for all students will be monitored. Absences which are not clearly excusable will be investigated by the principal and/or staff, and appropriate action will be taken:

(Disciplinary Option)

1. After a student has been absent for three (3) consecutive days, it is the building principal's responsibility to contact the parent/guardian by telephone or letter in order to inquire about the reason for the student's absence.


2. If the principal is unable to contact the parent/guardian within three (3) days or the parent/guardian does not give a reasonable explanation for the absence within three (3) days, the building principal shall send a registered letter to the parent/guardian requesting a conference within a week.


3. If the parent/guardian does not contact the principal within a week of receipt of the registered letter, the building principal will make a referral to the proper legal authorities.


4. The building principal shall also notify the office of the Superintendent in writing of the excessive absence and continue to update the Superintendent on the situation.

Excessive Absences

Elementary Students and Middle School Students

A student shall be allowed twenty (20) unexcused days per school year. Excessive absences, excused or unexcused, have a detrimental effect upon academic progress and may be one factor considered in promotion/retention decisions.

High School Students

A student shall be allowed a maximum of ten (10) unexcused absences from any class during a semester. Students who accumulate in excess of ten (10) days in any class are subject to loss of credit for that class. (Days of student suspension are not counted as days absent for purposes of this policy.)

When unusual or extreme circumstances occur, exceptions to this stated policy will be made only by administrative discretion on an individual basis. Any absence not accounted for will be considered an unexcused absence.

Any absence from class as a result of a school-sanctioned activity is not recorded as an absence for purposes of this policy. Example: field trip, athletic event, student activity, etc. It is the student's responsibility to remind all of his/her teachers following a school-sanctioned absence to use the attendance correction form if he/she was reported absent inadvertently.

(Disciplinary Option)

A student is expected to make up work as a result of class periods missed. It shall be the student's responsibility to meet with the teacher and receive the necessary instructions and assignments.

Any exceptions to the items cited above shall be approved by the Board of Education.

Each principal may have written policies which further detail procedures for making up work, reporting absence, etc.

Appeal

High school students who are denied credit under this Regulation are entitled to utilize the due process procedures available for student suspensions. These provisions are contained in Regulation 2662 - Suspension.

(Academic Option)

1. After a student has been absent for three (3) consecutive days, it is the building principal's responsibility to contact the parent/guardian by telephone or letter in order to inquire about the reason for the student's absence.


2. If the principal is unable to contact the parent/guardian within three (3) days or the parent/guardian does not give a reasonable explanation for the absence within three (3) days, the building principal shall send a registered letter to the parent/guardian requesting a conference within a week.


3. If the parent/guardian does not contact the principal within a week of receipt of the registered letter, the building principal will make a referral to the proper legal authorities.


4. The building principal shall also notify the office of the Superintendent in writing of the excessive absence and continue to update the Superintendent on the situation.

Excessive Absences

Elementary Students and Middle School Students

A student shall be allowed twenty (20) unexcused days per school year. Excessive absences, excused or unexcused, have a detrimental effect upon academic progress and may be one factor considered in promotion/retention decisions.

High School Students

Regular attendance and participation in classroom instructional activities are essential to achieving the educational objectives for each class. When students are absent from class, they miss the material covered; they miss the opportunity to interact with the teacher as well as other students; and they miss the opportunity to pursue learning opportunities only available in the classroom interaction.

Students whose absence is unexcused will not receive any credit for instructional activities occurring during their absence. The net effect of an unexcused absence or absences may be a reduction in the student's grade. In addition, students who have unexcused absences may be required to attend after school classes or Saturday classes to complete classroom work covered in their absences.

Students are required to make up work as a result of class periods missed. It is the student's responsibility to meet with the teacher to obtain the necessary assignments and instructions.

Any exceptions to the items cited above shall be approved by the Board of Education. Each principal may have written policies that further detail procedures for making up work and reporting absences.