ATTENDANCE AND TRUANCY

ATTENDANCE & TRUANCY

MANDATORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

In the State of Delaware, every child between the ages of 5 and 20 has a right to a free and appropriate public educa on. Moreover, State law establishes that every parent and/or legal guardian of a child between the ages of 5-18 has the responsibility to assure that his/her child a ends school (unless the child has been withdrawn). The District shall comply with all compulsory a endance laws and regula ons of the state and has established the following guidelines for student a endance.

Students are required to be present for at least 85% of instruc onal me in any given school year. For grades Kindergarten through Grade 5, a endance is taken for the en rety of the school day. Students who do not a end at least half of the class periods on a given day will be marked absent for that day. For students in Grades 6 through 12, a endance is taken and recorded per course. Thus, a secondary student’s a endance can vary from course to course in any given day. Please Note: Secondary students who are absent for more than fi een (15) minutes of a class may be considered tardy from the class unless excused by proper authority. Any student whose number of absences (excused or unexcused) exceeds the allowable limits could fail to qualify for promo on to the next grade or fail to receive course credit.

For the 2021-2022 school year, the maximum number of absences permi ed are as follows: Kindergarten – Grade 5: 25 absences Grades 6-12: 13 absences

TYPES OF ABSENCES

Unless an absence is preapproved or caused by a school func on, any student not present will be marked as unexcused absence. If the parent/guardian produces a note with a valid reason for the absence (see below), the absence with be coded as excused.

Excused Absence: An excused absence is for one of the reasons listed below and for which the required parental/professional note of explana on has been presented. A student’s absence will be marked as unexcused in the Student Accoun ng System un l the parental/professional note is provided.

The following condi ons only will result in an excused absence: • illness of the student (a physician’s note may be requested a er three consecu ve days); • scheduled appointments for the student and/or parent to a physical or mental healthcare provider; • death in the immediate family; funerals of other rela ves or close friends • contagious disease in the home of the child subject to regula ons of the Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Services; • legal business requiring the student’s presence; • suspension or expulsion from school; • observance of religious holidays; • remedial health treatment; • absence, preapproved by the Principal, to visit a college or university; • authorized school-sponsored ac vi es;

• emergency situa ons as determined by the school Principal; • absences related to military deployment or military moves; • wifi access, internet connec vity, and/or other technology issues.

Unexcused Absence: An unexcused absence is any absence from school or class that is not defi ned as an excused absence above. Lack of documenta on from a parent/ guardian based on one of the criteria above is considered an unexcused absence. • A doctor’s excuse will be required for absences a er the 3rd consecu ve or 10th cumula ve unexcused absence unless otherwise determined by the Visi ng Teacher and/or Principal. • Educa onal experiences require prior approval by the Principal

Prearranged Absence: A prearranged absence is a student’s absence from school for one or more days to visit a college or university or for other educa onal ac vi es approved by the Principal. The absence should be prearranged by wri ng the Principal and providing the full par culars of the absence. Approval for such absences should be sought, where prac cable, at least two (2) weeks prior to the date on which the absence is to occur. Upon the development of a plan by student and teacher for making up the assignments to be missed, the Principal may then defi ne the absence as excused. Prearranged absences will not be approved for school days that require students’ presence for state/district assessments.

Long-Term Leave: For students on a block schedule (9th – 12th) who relocate out of state for any me longer than fi ve (5) school days and for students kindergarten through eighth grade who relocate out of state for any me longer than 10 school days, the parent/guardian must provide documenta on that the student has relocated out of state and the student must be withdrawn. The parent/guardian must re-enroll the student in the District once the family returns to the area. The school cannot ensure that the student will be able to be placed back in the original classroom.

Online/Remote Learning A endance: The defi ni on of what cons tutes a endance and the method for taking and recording a endance for online and remote learning coursework will vary depending upon the type, design, and func on of the course. For example, a endance for a full online, self-paced course, may be defi ned as comple on of all learning tasks assigned for a given week, while a synchronous online course with a real- me teacher may defi ne a endance by verifi ca on of the student’s on-line presence during scheduled class me.

Please note that in the context of online or computer-based learning, documenta on that a student has logged into an online student management system or approved online educa on resource is suffi cient to demonstrate academic a endance by the student for that par cular class period. For example, if a student logs into an online course or class session on September 10 and stays online for the dura on of the period before logging out, the student will receive credit for being in a endance that day.

Should school or District closure require the transi on to remote learning, the District will publish specifi c guidance defi ning how student a endance will be defi ned, determined, and reported. For online courses off ered by the District or through dualenrollment opportuni es that incorporate online instruc on, the course syllabi will defi ne what criteria will be used to determine student a endance.

The same defi ni ons and parameters for excused and unexcused absences apply to

online and remote learning a endance. All absences will be considered unexcused unless the parent/guardian provides wri en documenta on that meets the criteria for an excused absence as defi ned in this Code of Conduct.

Early Dismissal: All early dismissals should be arranged ahead of me by the parent/ guardian. Parents/guardians should send a note to school with the student at the beginning of the school day, and the student should submit that note to the main offi ce at the beginning of the day. At mes, when a parent/guardian does not have advanced no ce of the need for an early dismissal, the parent/guardian can request an early dismissal in person at the main offi ce of the school.

TARDINESS TO SCHOOL AND/OR CLASS

Tardiness to School: All students are expected to arrive at school on me. Students who arrive to their fi rst class (usually homeroom period for Grades K-8 or fi rst period for Grades 9-12) a er the offi cial start of the school day are considered tardy. Parents or guardians of students in grades K-5 must accompany and sign students into the building and provide a wri en explana on for the lateness. Students in grades 6-12 who are late to school should sign in with the a endance secretary and present a wri en explana on from a parent as to the reason for the lateness.

Tardiness to Class: Lateness to class is defi ned by established class start mes. In Grades 6-12, this is typically defi ned by a bell schedule. Students are expected to be in class on me.

TRUANCY

Truancy is defi ned as 4 or more unexcused absences without required documenta on or failing to register a child between the ages of 5 -16 years old within a mely fashion. The District is responsible for repor ng viola ons of the a endance laws of the State of Delaware. In compliance with Delaware Code (Title 14, Chapter 27) the following will occur:

Compulsory A endance Requirements for children in grades K through 12 (Truancy):

The following provisions shall be applicable in regard to statewide minimum mandatory a endance requirements in each school year. Visi ng Teachers reserve the right to make contact prior to the 10th unexcused absence.

1. following the 10th day of unexcused absence by a student, the school shall immediately no fy the parent/guardian, and a visi ng teacher for the District shall visit the student’s home; 2. following the 15th day of unexcused absence by a student, the student’s parent/ guardian shall be no fi ed by cer fi ed mail to appear at the school within 10 days of no fi ca on for a conference and counseling; 3. following the 20th day of unexcused absence by a student, the school shall refer the case for prosecu on; 4. following the comple on of prosecu on of the case and the subsequent failure of the student to return to school within 5 school days thereof, the school shall immediately no fy the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families reques ng interven on services by the Department. The Department shall contact the family within 10 business days.

If contacted by the school, each parent or guardian of a student shall sign a contract with the District agreeing they will make every reasonable eff ort to: