RIVER DELL BOARD OF EDUCATION FILE CODE: 5113 River Dell, NJ 07452 ABSENCES AND EXCUSES MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL Goal Daily attendance in all classes is vital for the successful completion of the course requirements of River Dell Middle and High Schools. The exchange of ideas which takes place in the classroom is crucial in the development of a student s understanding of each course and cannot be adequately made up through alternative assignments. Promulgation A copy of this procedure shall be provided to all middle school and high school students, parents/guardians and teachers every September. Teachers shall be informed of the procedure and policy at a workshop session in early September. Parents/guardians and students shall be informed of the policy and procedure by the administration at their respective grade level meetings in September, and the Home and School Association shall be informed of the policy and procedure at its September meeting and additional meetings as appropriate, and also will be discussed at Back to School Night. Further information on discipline will be found in regulations 5131, Conduct / Discipline Definitions and Procedures Covering: Absence, Excused Daily Absence, Unexcused Daily Absence, Cuts, Truancy, Early Dismissal, Lateness A. Absence A student is absent who is recorded absent from period one and assigned classes, and is not participating in a field trip. Parents/guardians should call the attendance office by 9:00 A.M. to report the reason for, and the expected duration of, the absence. If no call is received from the parent/guardian, the school shall attempt to call the parent/guardian. B. Excused daily absence An absence from class will be excused upon a satisfactory written explanation from a parent/guardian and/or a phoned explanation as recorded by the attendance office. The following are considered excused absences: 1. Verified illness of the student. After four or more consecutive days of absence, a student must present a doctor s note or the parent/guardian must confer with the Principal or his/her designee. 2. Critical family emergency, such as death in the family, serious family illness. 3. Religious observance 4. An alternative educational program, provided prior consent has been obtained from the school administration. 5. College visit, up to three visits. 6. Other urgent personal circumstances that the Principal or his/her designee agrees are valid. Page 1 of 7
Absence Notes An absence note from a parent/guardian should be presented to the attendance office before 7:45 a.m. on the day that the student returns to school. The note should contain: Absence Notes (continued) I. Name of student 2. Date or dates of absence 3. Reasons for absence Additional documentation shall be furnished to the Principal, upon request, if needed to verify the student s absence. Parents or guardians who bring their students to school after the school day has started should report to the Principal s office. Unexcused Daily Absences A. A student is unexcused when he/she is absent without a valid excuse or did not receive prior school permission to be absent from school. B. Vacations, when school is in session, are unexcused. Family vacations should be planned to coincide with the school calendar. C. College visits in excess of three are unexcused. D. Absences other than those specifically designated as excused may be classified as unexcused upon review by the Principal. Cuts (Unexcused Class Absences) A. A cut is defined as being present in the school building but failing to report for instruction, without the specific approval of certified personnel, in the period and classroom assigned. B. Failure to report for instruction in the assigned period and classroom as a result of being tardy to school without a proper excuse is unexcused and may be considered a cut. C. Classes missed because a student is truant are classified as cuts. Truancy (Unexcused Daily Cuts) Truancy is defined as being absent with out an excused daily absence or leaving the school building during the instructional day, without the specific approval of the Principal or his/her designee. Truancy also occurs when a parent/guardian or other person having charge of the pupil is unable to cause him/her to attend school and further, when a pupil is incorrigible or vagrant. The district shall deal with pupil truancy by investigating causes, notifying parents/guardians/ and taking such other actions that are appropriate. District efforts shall be ongoing. For Up to Four Cumulative Unexcused Absences The school district shall: A. Make a reasonable attempt to notify the pupil s parents/guardians of each unexcused absence prior to the start of the following day; Page 2 of 7
For Up to Four Cumulative Unexcused Absences (continued) B. Conduct an investigation of the cause of each unexcused absence, including contact with the pupil s parents/guardians; C. Develop an action plan in consultation with the pupil s parents/guardians designed to address patterns of unexcused absences and to have the child returned to school to maintain his or her regular attendance; D. Contact Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) if child abuse and neglect is suspected; E. Cooperate with law enforcement and other authorities and agencies, if appropriate. For Between Five And Nine Cumulative Unexcused Absences The district shall: A. Make a reasonable attempt to notify the pupil s parents/guardians of each unexcused absence prior to the start of the following school day; B. Conduct a follow-up investigation, including contact with a pupil s parents/guardians. to determine the cause of each unexcused absence; C. Evaluate the appropriateness of the action plan; D. Revise the action plan, a needed, to identify patterns of unexcused absences and establish outcomes based on the pupils needs and specified interventions necessary for achieving the outcomes; E. Interventions may include, but are not limited to: 1. Referral or consultation with the building s intervention and referral services team; 2. Assessment of the pupil s academic, behavioral and health needs; 3. Consideration of alternate educational placement; 4. Referral to a community-based social and health agency or other community resource; 5. Referral to a court program as designated by the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts; 6. Contacting DCP&P if child abuse and neglect is suspected; 7. Cooperating with law enforcement authorities and agencies. For Cumulative Unexcused Absences Of 10 Or More If the pupil has 10 or more cumulative absences, he/she is deemed truant according to New Jersey law. The school district is required to: A. Make a mandatory referral to the court program as required by the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts; B. Make a reasonable attempt to notify the pupil s parents/guardians of the mandatory referral; C. Continue to consult with a parents/guardians and the involved agency to support the pupil s return to school and regular attendance; D. Cooperate with law enforcement and other authorities and agencies as appropriate; E. Compel attendance at school in accordance with the statutory and administrative means available, including proceeding to court. Page 3 of 7
Early Dismissal Appointments for students should be made outside of school hours. Early dismissal should be used only when no other reasonable alternative is available. A. Only an administrator is empowered to grant permission for early dismissal. B. If a student has to be excused from school early, a request in writing must be submitted to the attendance office or an administrator between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. This note must contain reasons for the request and a telephone number for parent/guardian contact. 1. If the request is approved, a written permit will be issued to the student. 2. The student must sign out before leaving the building and sign in if the student returns to school. 3. If the request is not approved, and should the student not appear in class, the absence will be considered and treated as a cut. Lateness Lateness to homeroom and/or class shall be treated within the guidelines of the regular disciplinary code of the school Policy/regulations 5131 Conduct/Discipline. Teachers shall initiate conferences in order to change the student s behavior. When such conferences fail to achieve the goal of prompt attendance, the teacher shall notify the Assistant Principal in writing regarding the situation. The Assistant Principal may place the student under whatever appropriate restrictions are necessary to improve the student s sense of responsibility. These include detentions which may become progressively more frequent if the student does not change his/her behavior. Ultimately, suspension from school may result. The same restrictions apply to a student who is not present for period one and fails to sign in at the area designated by the administration. Disciplinary Consequences of Cutting A. Reported Cuts 1. When a student s absence from class appears to be a cut, the teacher will report the cut to administration and initiate a conference with the student to ascertain the reason for the absence. If the teacher believes that the absence should be classified as cutting, the teacher shall file a report with the Assistant Principal. This report shall contain an account of the teacher-student conference. 2. The Assistant Principal or designee shall review the teacher s report and confer with the student. If a cut is confirmed, the Assistant Principal shall complete a verification form, file it in the student s record, notify the parent/guardian by mail and assign appropriate discipline measures as developed by the Principal and filed in the Superintendent s office. B. Detention times All general detentions will be held at a time specified by the administration. C. Consequences of unexcused absences In the event a student accrues excessive absences requiring a review for credit, unexcused absences/cuts will weigh negatively in attendance committee review and recommendation. Page 4 of 7
Attendance Review Procedure A. Excessive absence The Assistant Principal or designee will carefully review attendance records at the conclusion of each quarter of the school year and meet with students who have accumulated excessive absences. Parents will be informed of absences on a bimonthly basis through an attendance letter. B. Probation The attendance office shall notify the student s parents/guardian when the student s name has been placed on a probationary list. Parents/guardians should discourage the student from taking part in any activities which will cause him/her to miss daily classes. The Principal reserves the right to review records of all students with excessive unexcused absences and place the student on attendance probation. A set of guidelines for each student placed on probation will be developed by the guidance counselor and the Principal. The guidelines will be presented to the parents and students for signature signifying their agreement. C. Attendance and student responsibility Students are responsible for material covered and assigned in each class session, including sessions missed through absence or lateness. Work to be made up must be reviewed with the teacher. Satisfactory make-up work will be accepted for the achievement grades. Failure to make up assigned work will be a factor in determining the grade for the marking period. Make-up tests or quizzes must be taken within a reasonable time following an absence, to be determined by the teacher. Procedures Relating to Loss of Credit All excused and unexcused absences are included in attendance records. A student whose absences exceed ten percent (18 days) of the scheduled classes for each full year course may be denied credit for the course. For courses of less than a full year, credit will be calculated proportionally. Loss of credit will occur in all cases when a student has attained the following absences unless he or she successfully appeals the loss of credit: 5 absences in a one marking period course, i.e., health 13 absences in a three marking period course, i.e., physical education 9 absences in a one semester course 18 absences in a full year course Attendance Appeal Review Committee The Principal shall establish an Attendance Appeal Review Committee comprised of the Assistant Principal, the director of student personnel services, a nurse, one middle school classroom teacher and one high school classroom teacher. It shall be the duty of the Attendance Appeal Review Committee to review the case of each student whose attendance violations appear to warrant the loss of credit for a course. The Attendance Appeal Review Committee shall meet as often as necessary. Prior to making a recommendation, the attendance office shall furnish the student with a copy of his/her attendance record upon which a determination will be made. The Attendance Appeal Page 5 of 7
Attendance Appeal Review Committee (continued) Review Committee shall provide the student with an opportunity to appeal his or her loss of credit and present testimony and/or documentary evidence in support of the appeal. The Attendance Appeal Review Committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the Principal. In those cases where the Attendance Appeal Review Committee believes a credit loss should be imposed, it shall provide full documentation in making this recommendation to the Principal and guidance office. Role of the Principal Upon receipt of the recommendation of the Attendance Appeal Review Committee, the Principal shall act on the committee s determination. The Principal shall rule on the awarding or loss of credit after review of the documents, and then he/she shall report a final decision back to the Attendance Appeal Review Committee. The student has the right to appeal a loss of credit to the Principal, to the Superintendent, and ultimately to the Board of Education. DISTRICT-WIDE Handling Runaways A. As soon as any staff member has reason to suspect that a student has run away (is missing and absent from school), a report should be made to the Principal. B. The Principal or designee should contact the parents/guardians (by phone or certified mail if necessary) and notify the social worker, nurse, attendance officer, guidance counselor, and psychologist. If the parent/guardian cannot be reached within a reasonable time, the police should be contacted. C. if the student is missing from home and absent for more than one day, the administrator shall contact the Bergen County Crisis Intervention Center and the attendance officer. D. The Principal or designee shall schedule a case conference with child study team members, guidance counselor, and other appropriate personnel to: 1. Explore types of school support for the student and to develop a plan to provide this support; 2. Review and summarize student s educational status; 3. Identify other types of assistance available; 4. Arrange for an immediate referral to the child study team (with parents /guardians approval) for evaluation. Absence Due to Suspected Child Abuse If a staff member believes that any absence may be result of suspected child abuse, all the requirements in the policy and regulations 5141.4 Child Abuse and Neglect shall be followed. Exemplary Attendance Exemplary attendance shall be recognized in each school by the Principal s Attendance Reward. Page 6 of 7
Approved: September 1979 Revised: August 1985, July 1986, January 1988, May 1988, April 1992, January 2002, January 24, 2005, July 30, 2007, September 8, 2008, January 26, 2009, January 6, 2014 Page 7 of 7