Attendance FAQs
Chronically Truant and Chronically Absent are not the same.
Chronically truant is triggered when the student has unexcused absences over the parent count of nine. Which is why doctor's notes are encouraged any time your child goes to the doctor as those are not in the parent count. Once a child is identified as chronically truant, parents/guardians receive notification and further intervention may be indicated. Chronically Absent is triggered by # of absences, excused or unexcused for any student greater than 10% of the current days of enrollment. For example if we have been in school for 114 days and your child has been absent (excused or unexcused) for 11 days- that would be 10% and is reported automatically to the State. They collect the data monthly. For the entire year, 18 days out of the 180 total days in session, would be 10%. The results of chronically absent students is available by statistics, not personal identification to anyone looking up information on our school.
1. Parents can call their children out as absent for any reason up to nine times without written documentation by a doctor or other provider, but it does need to be reported to the school nurse to be excused.
2. After absence nine, documentation is required, so if a child is sick, that would be a doctor's note, or the absence may be excused for the other reasons listed in our policy and the appropriate documentation.
3. To help keep absences down for the parent under the nine count, it is a good idea to get a doctor's note whenever your child goes to the doctor for an illness, as those would not be in the parent count of nine. It is also a good idea to schedule appointments either early in the morning or in the later afternoon, so your child does not need to miss the entire day and could come late or leave early to accommodate those appointments.
4. We encourage vacations and time away to be scheduled when school is not in session and much time is already built into the school calendar during the year to take those breaks but if you do have plans during the school year, getting the Extraordinary Educational Opportunities ( Planned Leave form), filled out and signed off on by the Principal BEFORE going away, would excuse those absences without being in the Parent count of nine. Keep in mind though that those absences do accrue into the potential 10% of the school year missed for chronically absent.
5. There are no longer any allotted days to be out for mental health days. If your child needs a mental health day, then that day out will be in the parent count of absences.
6. The School Nurse can excuse an absence for illness, if they have dismissed your child ill, or determined they were ill. However, we can only excuse them for a couple of days, if illness is taking longer to resolve, they need to be evaluated by their doctor.
7. To report your child absent, please contact the nurse directly, you may leave a message on my confidential line, 860-364-0197 or email me at [email protected]
Please call me or stop in anytime, if you have questions or any health concerns you need clarified. My door is always open.
