School Closed 9/30/25, Staff Professional Development
Attendance and Excuses
Students are required to attend school regularly and on time.
N.J.S.A. 18A:38-31 “A parent or guardian or other person having charge and control of a child between the ages of 6 and 16 years, who shall fail to comply with any of the provisions of the articles (N.J.S.A 18A:38-25) relating to his /her duties, shall be deemed to be a disorderly person and shall be subject to a fine of the discretion of the court.
Parents are asked to call the school to report the absence of their child. Please call our Main Office phone number (201-313-2361) before 9:00 A.M or email the secretary in advance. Ms. Demaio can be reached at Sdemaio@cliffsidepark.edu to report any student absences. You will receive a text message and/or phone call if your son or daughter is not in school.
Students who are absent from school for three consecutive days due to absence, must have a doctor’s note to return to school. Students must give the note to the nurse upon arrival at school.
Early Dismissal Procedures
When requesting an early dismissal for a student, a parent/guardian is asked to send in a written note on the same day of the requested dismissal. Please include in the note the reason and time of the dismissal. All appointments should be made after 3:00 P.M. if possible.
The student should bring the note to the Main Office as soon as possible.
Parents/Guardians are required to meet their child at the Main Office at the scheduled time. The student must then be signed out on the Main Office log. Students are not permitted to walk home unless given permission by school administration.
Attendance Guidelines
Students not in compliance with the following guidelines may be subject to after school detention, Saturday detention, suspension and a parent/guardian meeting. Additionally, students may be excluded from graduation and the 8th-grade dinner dance or other special events.
Late to School
1. Chronic tardiness to school or class will affect a student's academic grade in that class. A student who is not present 100% of the time does not receive the same instruction as those who are present. Any student who is late to school or to any one class more than 12 times during a marking period may not be able to attend or join extracurricular activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, participating on sport teams, attending trips, dinner dance and other special events, etc. Such absences may cause a student to be retained or excluded from 8th grade graduation. This policy will begin anew at the beginning of each marking period.
2. All students who arrive at school after 8:20 a.m. are considered late to school. Students arriving late to school after 8:30 a.m. must enter through the front doors and obtain an admittance slip from the secretary to enter. A detention will be assigned to students if they are late five times to each class. Detentions will be issued for every five lates to class. For example, a student would receive a detention for the 5th late, 10th late, 15th late, etc. If the administration feels a student is chronically late to school or class, a Saturday detention might be issued. Students might be assigned morning detentions as an alternative to after school or Saturday detentions.
3. Any student arriving late to school after 8:30 must enter through the main door on Oakdene Avenue and sign in at the Main Office. He/she will be given an admittance slip to class.
4. LATE TO CLASS: Students must arrive to all classes on time. Any student arriving to class late will be admitted by the classroom teacher. A detention will be issued for every five lates to class.
Cutting Class
Any student missing from class whose name does not appear on the daily absentee list will be charged with a class cut and have his/her name submitted to the Vice Principal for disciplinary action.
Attendance Conference and Appeal Process
1. Main Office personnel will refer to the Vice Principal the name of any student who has any pattern of absences.
2. Parents/guardians of any such student will be contacted by phone and/or letter.
3. If, despite the warning, the student continues to exhibit excessive absenteeism, the Vice Principal will notify the student and his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) that an in-person conference will be required to discuss the reasons for the absences.
Conferences with the Principal and/or the Vice Principal:
1. During the conference, the importance of regular school attendance will be stressed. State law mandates that a student’s regular attendance in school is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.
2. In the case of excessive absences, medical documentation may be necessary.
3. Truancy charges may be filed in cases where excessive absences continue. If truancy charges are filed, a parent must appear before the prosecutor and/or judge (virtual or in-person) to plead their case. Any fines levied against them are from the Borough of Cliffside Park.
Long Term Medical Absences
To request home instruction due to a temporary illness or injury, the parent shall submit a written note requesting home instruction. In addition to the parent request, a written determination from a physician documenting the need for confinement at the student’s residence for at least a two week period of time is required. The doctor’s note must include a diagnosis, prognosis, suggested starting date for home instruction, and the approximate length of time the home tutoring will be required. A parent or an adult responsible for the student must be present in the home during the tutoring process. Questions regarding this process should be directed to the middle school guidance counselor.