Comprehensive Student Attendance Policy

Transcription

1 Comprehensive Student Attendance Policy The Board of Education of the Fire Island Union Free School District recognizes that regular school attendance is a critical factor in students academic, social, and vocational success leading to achievement of their life goals. In order to meet the NYS Regents goals of raising student performance to higher levels and closing gaps in student achievement, it is imperative that all students regularly attend school to receive instruction and to actively participate in authentic learning activities. These diverse activities often rely on teacher-to-student and student-to-student interactions that cannot be recreated or duplicated for the student who is absent. Recognizing that the classroom experience provides an educational value essential to achieving high standards, the Board enacts this policy aimed at encouraging full attendance by all students. Through the implementation of this policy, the Board seeks to: reduce the current level of unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures (referred to in this policy as ATEDs ); know the whereabouts of every student for safety and other reasons; verify that individual students are complying with education laws relating to compulsory attendance; identify attendance patterns in order to design attendance improvement efforts; adopt and maintain an adequate attendance record keeping system for the purpose of accountability; determine the district s average daily attendance for state aid purposes. Description of Strategies to Meet Objectives The school district will a) Create and maintain a positive school building culture by fostering a positive physical and psychological environment where the presence of strong adult role models encourages respectful and nurturing interactions between adults and students. This positive school culture is aimed at encouraging a high level of student bonding to the school, which in turn should lead to increased attendance. b) Maintain accurate recordkeeping via the District Clerk to record attendance, absence, tardiness, or early departure of each student. c) Analyze student attendance data to determine any individual or group trends in student attendance problems. d) Develop early intervention strategies to improve school attendance for all students. e) Make all members of the school community aware of this policy, its purpose, procedures, and the consequences for non-compliance.

2 Excused and Unexcused Absences, Tardiness, and Early Departures Definitions Excused: Unexcused: An absence, tardiness, or early departure may be excused if due to personal illness, illness or death in the family, impassable roads due to inclement weather, transportation delay, religious observance, quarantine, required court appearances, attendance at health clinics, approved cooperative work programs, school related instruction/activities, military obligations or other such reasons as may be approved by the Superintendent. An absence, tardiness, or early departure is considered unexcused if the reason for the lack of attendance does not fall into the above categories (e.g., family vacation, fishing, babysitting, hair cut, oversleeping). Upon returning to school following an absence, tardiness, or early departure, it shall be the responsibility of the student to consult with his/her teacher(s) regarding arrangements to make up missed work, assignments, and/or tests in accordance with the time schedule specified by the teacher. Student Attendance Recordkeeping/Data Collection The record of each student s presence, absence, tardiness, or early departure shall be kept in a register of attendance in a manner consistent with Commissioner s Regulations. An absence, tardiness, or early departure will be entered as excused or unexcused along with the District code for the reason. Commencing July 1, 2003, attendance shall be taken and recorded in accordance with the following: For students in non-departmentalized Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6 (i.e., self-contained classrooms, and supervised group movement to other scheduled school activities such as physical education in the gym, assembly, etc.), such student s presence or absence shall be recorded after the taking of attendance once per school day. If students move unescorted within the building to other scheduled services such as related services or resource room, attendance must be monitored to insure the safety of all students. Each student should begin the instructional day in his/her classroom for the purposes of accurate attendance, recordkeeping, and safety. Students who are tardy must follow the school s procedures for the arrival of tardy students. All entries in the official register should be made by either a teacher or an employee other than the teacher designated by the Superintendent. Each absence,

3 tardiness, or early departure shall be recorded are excused or unexcused in accordance with the standards articulated in this policy. An affidavit of attendance must be signed by the employee who is recording the attendance. Where additional information is received that requires correction(s) to be made to a student s attendance records, such correction(s) will be made immediately. Notice of such changes will be sent to the appropriate school personnel subject to applicable confidentiality rules. Record of Attendance The record of attendance of each pupil s presence, absence, tardiness, or early departure shall be kept by each school in a uniform register of attendance (i.e.) permanent student record of attendance card). The register of attendance shall include at least the following for each pupil: 1) name 2) student ID 3) date of birth 4) full names of parent(s) or guardians 5) student address 6) phone number(s) where the parent(s) or guardian(s) may be contacted 7) name, address, and phone numbers of emergency contact(s) 8) date of pupil enrollment 9) a record of the pupil s attendance on each day of scheduled instruction 10) a record of school closings for extraordinary circumstances 11) date of pupil s withdrawal or drop from enrollment The nature of an ATED shall be coded on the student s record. The register of attendance shall include a coding system used to identify the reason for a student s ATED. The coding system is as follows: (see attached) A note from a parent/guardian explaining all absences, tardiness, or early departures should be on file with the school within three days of the student s return to school. Review of Attendance Student ATED data shall be available to and should be reviewed by the designated school personnel in an expeditious manner. The Superintendent will identify individual(s) who will be responsible for monitoring attendance and initiating appropriate daily follow-up action.

4 The individual who is responsible for monitoring attendance will provide summary reports on school attendance and student specific reports documenting unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures to the Superintendent on a regular basis. On the basis of these reports and periodic review of attendance records, the Superintendent shall initiate appropriate interventions to address unexcused ATEDs. Attendance data will be analyzed at least quarterly to identify patterns or trends in student absences. Notification and Intervention In order to ensure that parents/persons in a parental relation and students are informed of the attendance policy and procedures and of a student s absence, tardiness, or early departure; Copies of the District s Comprehensive Student Attendance Policy will be distributed to parents/persons in the parental relation at the beginning of each school year or at the time of enrollment. School newsletters and publications will include periodic reminders of the components of the policy. Copies of the policy will be included in student handbooks. Designated staff member(s) will notify by telephone the parent or person in parental relation of the student s absence, tardiness, or early departure and remind the parent/person in the parental relation of the need for a note explaining the ATED. In the event that the parent/person in the parental relation cannot be reached by telephone after a reasonable number of attempts, a letter shall be sent detailing the information. A designated staff member(s) will review the records of students with excessive and/or unexcused absences, tardiness, or early departures and engage the appropriate student support services/personnel within the district as well as possible collaboration/referral to community support services and agencies in order to address the problem. A warning notice will be sent in writing to the student and the student s parent/person in the parental relation when a student s pattern of excessive absences, tardiness, or early departure threatens the student s ability to master content or skills being presented in the classroom. In such cases, appropriate school personnel will counsel the student regarding the importance of regular school attendance and will continue to monitor the student s attendance at least weekly.

5 Disciplinary Consequences Parents will be sent a letter from the superintendent when a child s attendance drops below 85% of the school attendance days in a month, marking period, or school year. Attendance Incentives An attendance honor roll will be maintained and published quarterly in the school newsletter. A certificate will be presented to students with perfect attendance for the entire school year. Annual Review The Board of Education shall annually review student attendance records and if such records show a decline in student attendance, the Board will make any revisions to the Policy and plan deemed necessary to improve student attendance. Community Awareness The Board of Education shall promote necessary community awareness of the District s Comprehensive Attendance Policy by: a) Providing a plain language summary of the policy to parents or persons in the parental relation to students at the beginning of each school year and promoting the understanding of such a policy to students and their parents/persons in a parental relation; b) Providing each teacher, at the beginning of each school year or upon employment, with a copy of the policy; and c) Providing copies of the policy to any other member of the community upon request.