Student Attendance

Parents and guardians are reminded that prompt and regular attendance at school is extremely important. At the same time, a child that is ill should not be in school, since this may result in further impairment of their health or the exposure of other children and staff to a communicable disease. We ask all parents to work in collaboration with us to make sure students are not ill while in attendance. We also encourage every effort to have children in school each day they are able to attend.

 

When your child is absent from school, you are required to notify the school office to report your child’s absence before the start of the school day. Staff will be on duty to take these calls beginning at 7:30 a.m. each day. You may also leave a detailed message reporting your student’s absence on our school attendance line if you call outside of our normal office hours. Please be sure to contact our school attendance line for every absence. Emailing teachers directly is not sufficient to report an absence.

Failure to telephone in an absence each day that a child is out of school by one hour after the attendance bell (9:20 a.m. for Walker School) will result in a telephone call the same day. Calls will continue to be made to the parent/guardian and all emergency contacts until the student’s location can be verified. Failure to contact the school shall result in an unexcused absence and possible well-being check by local authorities.

It is considered “best practice” to provide the school with a note from your health care provider for illnesses with absences over three days.

Regarding tardiness to school, after the ninth instance of tardiness, a note may be required, or some suitable school-based intervention or disciplinary action may be taken.

Assignments missed due to absence will be given one day per absence plus one day. Requests for homework should be given to the school office before 11:00 a.m. and picked up at the school at the end of the school day (no later than 3:55 p.m.).

Vacations are considered unexcused absences. Assignments missed due to vacation will be given one day per day of absence plus one day. Homework will be provided to the student upon return from vacation.