Attendance 

Illinois law requires that whoever has custody or control of any child between six (by September 1st) and seventeen years of age shall assure that the child attends school in the district in which he or she resides, during the entire time school is in session (unless the child has already graduated from high school). Illinois law also requires that whoever has custody or control of a child who is enrolled in the school, regardless of the child’s age, shall assure that the child attends school during the entire time school is in session.

Student Absences

Subject to specific requirements in State law, the following children are not required to attend public school: (1) any child attending a private school (including a home school) or parochial school, (2) any child who is physically or mentally unable to attend school (including a pregnant student suffering medical complications as certified by her physician), (3) any child lawfully and necessarily employed, (4) any child over 12 and under 14 years of age while in confirmation classes, (5) any child absent because of religious reasons, including to observe a religious holiday, for religious instruction, or because his or her religion forbids secular activity on a particular day(s) or time of day, and (6) any child 16 years of age or older who is employed and is enrolled in a graduation incentives program.

For students who are required to attend school there are two types of absences: excused and unexcused. Excused absences include: illness (including up to 5 days per school year for mental or behavioral health of the student), observance of a religious holiday or event, death in the immediate family, family emergency, situations beyond the control of the student as determined by the school board, circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or safety, attending a military honors funeral to sound TAPS, attend a civic event, or other reason as approved by the building principal.  Students eligible to vote are also excused for up to two hours to vote in a primary, special, or general election.

Additionally, a student will be excused for up to 5 days in cases where the student’s parent/guardian is an active-duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat-support postings. The Board of Education, in its discretion, may excuse a student for additional days relative to such leave or deployment. A student and the student’s parent/guardian are responsible for obtaining assignments from the student's teachers prior to any excused absences and for ensuring that such assignments are completed by the student prior to his or her return to school.

Students who are excused from school will be given a reasonable timeframe to make up missed homework and classwork assignments (Reference the Test(s) and Project(s) Make-Up Policy Section).

All other absences are considered unexcused. Pre-arranged excused absences must be approved by the building principal or their designee.

The school may require documentation explaining the reason for the student’s absence.

In the event of any absence, the student’s parent/guardian is required to contact the Attendance Office (West: 847-626-2570 // North: 847-626-2030) before 8:00 a.m. to explain the reason for the absence. If a call has not been made to the school by 10:00 a.m. on the day of a student’s absence, a school official will call the home to inquire why the student is not at school. If the parent/guardian cannot be contacted, the student will be required to submit a signed note from the parent/guardian explaining the reason for the absence. Failure to do so shall result in an unexcused absence. Upon request of the parent/guardian, the reason for an absence will be kept confidential.

Types of Absences

Excused Absences

An excused absence carries with it a privilege of making up academic work under teacher direction and assistance. After such an absence students are expected to see their teacher at once to arrange to make up their work.

The principal or his/her designee shall excuse a student’s absence only if sufficient evidence is presented to substantiate one of the following reasons (Illinois School Code 105 ILSC 5/26-29):

1.      Personal illness or physical or mental disability requiring absence

2.      Death in the family

3.      Emergency in the home or family

4.      Religious holidays

5.      College visits (absence code CV)

District 219 will excuse up to 5 school days of any extended absence.  Absences must be reported in writing to the principal or designee with 5 days advance notice.  Any further days will be unexcused barring extenuating circumstances.

Unexcused Absences

A student absent from school and not meeting the provisions of “A” above will receive an unexcused absence. The student may not be given the privilege of making up academic work missed or due on the day of such absence. 

Teachers and administrators are expected to follow a collaborative process such as the following:

• Attempts by the classroom teacher to remedy the situation

• Referral to the Dean's office

• Telephone contact between dean and parent

• A conference will be convened which may include student, parent, teacher and dean

• Attendance contract which will include additional documents for approval of additional absences

Absences – Parent Responsibilities – Reporting

Students and their parents are responsible for students arriving at school on time for all classes. Complaints about bus service which affect student attendance or punctuality should be reported to the Assistant Principal at:

• West: 847-626-2521

• North: 847-626-2020

For language assistance, please contact our family liaisons.

Illness and Unanticipated Absences

When absences are due to illness or an emergency, the parent must call the Attendance Office by the next day at 8:00 a.m. in order for the absence to be excused. Failure to call may result in an unexcused absence. In the case of consecutive days of absence, a call to the Attendance Office (West: 847-626-2570 and North: 847-626-2030) must be made daily unless the parent can give the exact dates of the student’s extended absences. The telephone number for this purpose is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If calling outside of school hours, please leave a message with the information noted below.

The following information must be provided by the parent for all absences:

• Student name

• Student ID number

• Name of person calling

• Phone number where parent or guardian can be reached during school hours

• Date and time (periods) of absence

• Reason for absence

• Please note the previous explanation of excused reasons. “Oversleeping”, “car trouble”, “missed bus”, or “personal” are not valid excuses for missing classes.

Anticipated Absence: Full Day or Partial Day (non-emergency)

When a parent or student can anticipate a full or partial day absence, the parent must call the Attendance Office in advance of the absence. Absences that can be anticipated will be considered as unexcused absences unless approval is given by the school 5 days prior to the date of the absence.  When arriving late or leaving early, parent/guardian must call the attendance office.  The student must check in or out of the attendance office.  Failure to follow proper procedures when arriving late or leaving early will result in an unexcused absence.

Parent/Guardian Out of Town

It is the responsibility of parents to inform the Attendance Office if they will be unavailable for a period of time. The authorized person appearing on the students’ emergency card must call the Attendance Office if the student is absent from school. If another adult is designated by the parents to excuse their child from school, a phone call from a parent identifying the temporary guardian must be received prior to the parents leaving town. Failure to follow the above procedures will result in an unexcused absence.

Readmission after Absence Due to Illness

• One or Two Day Absences: When students return to school after an absence(s), they are to report directly to their first class. If their absence was unexcused, they should report to their Dean before going to class.

• Three or More Consecutive Days of Absence: If students have been absent because of illness three or more consecutive school days, they must report to the school nurse first. (See the Health Services section in this Handbook (page 28) for details.) The student shall be re-admitted to class(es) upon presentation of a release slip signed by the nurse. If the absences were unexcused, students should report to their Dean before going to their class(es).

• Late Entry to School: If students arrive late to school after the first period has ended, they should stop at the Attendance Office for a pass.

• Leaving School During School Hours: No student may leave school during their scheduled school day except by permission of the school Principal or his/her designee (Nurses’ Office or Dean’s Office).

School presence during an approved excusable absence is prohibited and may result in the absence being converted to unexcused.

Release Time for Religious Observance/Instruction (See Board Policy 7:80)

Test and Project Make-Up Policy

An important goal for Niles Township is to ensure consistency among classes relative to their make-up policies and to reinforce the value that students assume responsibility for their own learning. With this goal in mind, details of teachers’ test/project make-up policy shall be printed in their Course Policy and Procedures. Students and teachers may agree upon alternative make-up arrangements, with the best interest of students in mind. Make-up work deadlines for lab class set-ups may require some modification. Teachers shall incorporate the following as part of their individual course test/project make-up policy.

In accordance with the Niles Township Academic Dishonesty Policy, any student falsely claiming illness to avoid taking an examination or turning in a paper, project, report or take-home test is subject to penalty as stated in the Academic Dishonesty Policy.

If a test is missed due to an extended unanticipated absence on the day of the test only, the student should take the test by the end of the day upon which he/she returns.

If a test will be missed due to routine doctor/dentist appointments or school-related activities (anticipated absences), the student should inform the teacher of the anticipated absence as far in advance as possible to facilitate the make-up of the missed test.

A test missed due to a partial-day absence should be made up the same day of the absence, after school, if possible.

A test missed due to a full-day absence should be made up by the end of the first day upon returning to school.

If a student is absent (unanticipated) on the due date of a long-term project (project assigned two weeks or more in advance), the completed project is due on the day of return to school.

If a student is absent (anticipated) on the due date of a long-term project (project assigned two weeks or more in advance), the completed project is still due that day. Students should make arrangements for delivery with the teacher.

Absences During Final Exams

A doctor’s note is required to take make-up any final exam.

Students will not be permitted to take final examinations before or after the regular schedule without specific approval from the Principal or his/her designee. Make-up final examinations will be administered after the regular schedule (second semester, summer, or fall) for absences where make-up privileges are available.

Student Attendance Progress Reports

Notification of a student’s absences of any type from all currently scheduled courses will be conveyed via email via the “Student Attendance Progress Report” on a bi-weekly basis.

The report will include:

• The total number of days of absence from school for that specific semester;

• The attendance percentage for each specific course, as well as the corresponding course grade;

• Teachers’ email addresses.

The following interventions may occur for students who miss multiple days of school or multiple periods of a particular class:

• Referral to Pupil Service Team

• Referral to a Social Worker

• Referral to School Psychologist

• Placement on Attendance Probation (see below)

Attendance Probation

Students who are chronically absent, whether excused or unexcused, may be required to attend school every day.  Any absences will be marked unexcused in these cases.  Should the student claim illness, they should still report to school and the nurse will assess. If the nurse determines that the student should not attend school for the day, the student will be sent home and given an excused absence. If the nurse determines that the student is able to attend school, the student will be required to go to class.

If the student does not attend school to be assessed by the nurse, he/she may be required to be assessed by the family physician. A note signed by the physician on the day of the absence will be required to excuse the absence. The doctor's note must be brought to the Health Center when the student returns to school.

If the student fails to come to school and be assessed by the nurse, or if the student fails to bring a doctor's note to school on the day he/she returns, the absence will be considered unexcused.

Tardiness

Student tardiness shall initiate disciplinary procedures including, but not limited to, parental conferences in order to develop corrective steps.

Attendance Records

A student’s absences and tardies shall be entered upon his/her record.

Truant, Chronically Truant, or Chronically Absent Students

State law requires every school district to collect and review its chronic absence data and determine what systems of support and resources are needed to engage chronically absent students and their families to encourage the habit of daily attendance and promote success. This review must include an analysis of chronic absence data from each attendance center.

Furthermore, State law provides that school districts are encouraged to provide a system of support to students who are at risk of reaching or exceeding chronic absence levels with strategies and are also encouraged to make resources available to families such as those available through the State Board of Education's Family Engagement Framework to support and engage students and their families to encourage heightened school engagement and improved daily school attendance.

A "Chronically Absent” student is one whose absences total 10% or more of school days of the most recent academic school year, including absences with and without valid cause, and out-of-school suspensions.

A "chronic or habitual truant" is a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for five 5% or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days.

A “Truant Minor” is one whom supportive services, including prevention, diagnostic, intervention and remedial services, alternative programs, and other school and community resources have been provided but who has failed to cease chronic truancy or who has been offered such services and has refused them.

The School and District use the following diagnostic procedures for identifying the causes of unexcused student absences:  Interviews with the student, his or her parent/guardian and any school officials who may have information about the reasons for the student’s attendance problems.

Supportive services to truant or chronically truant students include: parent conferences, student counseling, family counseling, information about existing community services, placement in more restrictive educational environment, and evaluation by multidisciplinary staff to determine student’s overall needs.

Penalties for truancies may include any of the following: Extended Detention, Loss of Social Privileges, RPC assignments, suspension, and/or possible withdrawal and failure from classes; provided however, that no punitive action shall be taken against chronic truants unless available supportive sources and other school resources have been provided to the student, referral to the truancy officer, reporting to officials under the Juvenile Court Act, referral to the State’s Attorney, and other appropriate school discipline measures.

A student who misses 15 consecutive days of school without valid cause and who cannot be located or, after exhausting all available support services, cannot be compelled to return to school is subject to expulsion from school.

A parent or guardian who knowingly and willfully permits a child to be truant is in violation of State law.

To understand the escalating response to single class unexcused absences and tardies, please view the District 219 Attendance Protocol and Tardy Protocol.

Attendance Codes in Infinite Campus

AE (Absence Excused): Parent/guardian has excused the student’s absence and work will be able to be made up.

AS (School Related Absence): Student is in school but is not present in class and work will be able to be made up.

AU (Absence Unexcused): The absence has not been excused and Work MAY NOT be able to be made up.

CL (Cleared Absence): The absence has been cleared by a staff member.

CV (College Visit): Student at college visit and requires student and/or parent/guardian to provide documentation

ER (Early Release): Student will need to leave class early.

ISS (In School Suspension): Student has been suspended in-school and will spend the day in the Restorative Practices Center (RPC). A suspension is considered an excused absence. An excused absence carries with it a privilege of making up academic work.

MH (Mental Health Day): Student was excused by a parent/guardian for mental health reasons. Students are allowed five mental health days per year per state law. Work is able to be made up.

OSS (Out of School Suspension): Out of School Suspension. Student is suspended out of school. A suspension is considered an excused absence. An excused absence carries with it a privilege of making up academic work under teacher direction and assistance. After such an absence students are expected to see their teacher to arrange to make up their work.

PO (Present Other): Student present in a non-swipe area (e.g. counselor, dean, social worker, etc.) during their study hall. The swipe system will automatically mark them absent and the absence will be converted to PO (present other) by the staff member meeting with the student (counselor, dean, student services member, attendance office) and work will be able to be made up.

NH (Nurse Home): Student went home via the nurse.

NS (Nurse School): Student with nurse.

Make-Up Work

If a student’s absence is excused or if a student is suspended from school, he/she will be permitted to make up all missed work, including homework and tests, for equivalent academic credit.  Students who are unexcused from school will not be allowed to make up missed work.