Attendance
Attendance Guidelines and Procedures - 2023-2024 School Year
Attendance Procedures:
At the beginning of each block, the teacher will take attendance for all students in PowerSchool and will use the following codes:
PRE or BLANK – The student is physically present in class. It is the default in PowerSchool. This means that if there is no entry listed in the system, the student was physically present in class.
UXP – The student was absent from class. If this code appears, the student was marked absent from class by the teacher.
Absence Procedures:
When students are physically absent from school, they will be marked absent (UXP) by their teacher. Students arriving after 11:00 a.m. is considered a full day of absence. EHS Excuse Blanks, parental notes, or doctor's notes for tardiness will be accepted and honored at the time of the student's arrival to school.
When a student is absent from school for legitimate reasons, they must have a parent or guardian complete one (1) form of documentation listed below, and submit it to the Main Office or to their Assistant Principal's office:
Parental note, which must be signed by the parent or guardian and include the student's name, grade level, student ID, date(s) and reason for the absence
Students or parents may also scan or take a photo with a smartphone of the EHS Excuse Blank or signed parental note and email it to EHSAttendance@eastpennsd.org or fax the documentation to the Main Office fax at (484) 519-3932.
Excuse Blanks or notes must be submitted within three (3) school days of said absence. Failure to return an excuse blank will be handled per district policy and applicable state law regarding unexcused absences.
Legitimate reasons for absences include:
Personal illness
Death or serious illness in the family
Observance of religious holidays of the student’s own faith
Educational activities pre-approved by the district and/or building administration, which is to be completed on the EPSD Trip Request Form - links to the form are provided below:
Vacation Request Form (Spanish)
Special circumstances such as a court summons, doctors’ appointments, or other emergencies that the school principal deems appropriate
Once a valid excuse has been received, the attendance code will be changed by our office staff from UXP to EX (excused).
Students who are absent or late for twenty (20) days or more, regardless of the reason, must bring in a physician’s note for each additional day or period of absence. Parents and students will be notified by certified mail after the 20th occurrence.
Any student who misses ten (10) consecutive days of school may be automatically withdrawn from school. This includes students who will be going on trips for more than ten (10) school days. In such cases, students may be dis-enrolled and parents are required to re-enroll the student upon their return from the trip. Please refer to the Emmaus High School Discipline Code (will be released in mid August) for information on penalties for unexcused absences.
Tardy to School Procedures:
Students arriving late to school at any time during the day will enter the building at the Main Office entrance. Students will sign in and be provided a pass to their designated class.
When a student is late to school for legitimate reasons, they must have either a signed EHS Excuse Blank or a signed note from a parent or guardian and submit it upon arrival, following the same protocol for absences. Failure to return an excuse will be handled per the student discipline code regarding unexcused/illegal absences.
Legitimate reasons for tardiness include:
Tardiness due to late transportation provided by the school or other school related actions which will be considered excused and not recorded against the pupil’s tardy record
Medical appointments with doctors, dentists, or other medical staff, if accompanied by a note on medical office letterhead stationery
Illness of the pupil, if accompanied by a valid parental excuse blank.
Special circumstances such as a court summons or other emergencies that the school principal deems appropriate.
A student will be considered tardy if reporting to school anytime after 7:23 a.m. Refer to the Emmaus High School Discipline Code for more information on penalties for lateness.
DISMISSAL REQUESTS
No student may leave the building at any time during the day without permission, including lunch period. Students leaving the building will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the EHS Discipline Code. A student wishing to be dismissed for any part of the day must submit either an EHS Excuse Blank or a note, signed by a parent or guardian, to the main office before their first block class. In the case of scheduled Late Arrival students, the request must be brought to the Main Office immediately upon arrival at school. The Excuse Blank or note must state the specific reason, date and time for dismissal, and must be signed by a parent or guardian.
In order to ensure student safety, telephone requests for a student dismissals cannot be accepted. Should a parent wish to pick up their child during the school day when an excuse blank has not already been submitted, they will be required to enter the building, show identification, and sign their child out of school.
Students are required to be picked up and/or dropped off at the Main Office entrance (Door #1) and must sign out and/or in at the Main Office front desk.
ILLNESS – FIRST AID
Students who become ill during the day will secure a pass from their teacher and report directly to the health room. A nurse will assess the student and determine whether it is necessary for the student to leave school early. The nurse's office will then contact the parent to pick up the student. Students should not contact their parents for pickup due to illness without following this process.
If a student is injured or becomes seriously ill while at school, the student will receive immediate medical attention in the school building and the parent or guardian will be contacted as soon as possible. If necessary, school staff may contact emergency medical personnel and (if appropriate) arrange for the student to be transported to the hospital. This will be done in coordination with the parent or guardian when they can be reached. If a student is transported to a hospital before a parent or guardian can arrive at the school, a school official will accompany the student and remain with them until the parent or guardian arrives. The parent or guardian will then be responsible to arrange for further care as may be needed.
EDUCATIONAL TRIP FORMS
Students who will be absent due to a family vacation or trip must obtain the EPSD Trip Request Form, which must be completed and returned to the Main Office or to their Assistant Principal's office. The same rule applies to college visitations. Students may not use more than ten (10) trip or vacation days per school year.
LATE ARRIVAL/EARLY DISMISSAL PRIVILEGES
Late Arrival and Early Dismissal privileges may be granted at the discretion of the administration with the student’s full compliance to the rules governing them. Schedule change requests for the purpose of obtaining early dismissal privileges will not be honored.
Students with late arrival and/or early dismissal privileges who wish to be in school occasionally for counseling or tutoring, to take tests, to do research work in the library, etc., must have a pre-signed pass from a teacher, counselor or administrator to report to their appropriate destination.
Students with late arrival and/or early dismissal privileges must have transportation from and to their homes or places of employment at the time of release from school.
Students who are granted a late arrival must arrive at their second block class on time. Students granted an early dismissal must leave campus at the conclusion of third block. Loitering on the parking lot or remaining on campus without prior permission is prohibited and may result in the revocation of the early dismissal privilege. Students with an early dismissal may not return to Emmaus High School at 2:25 p.m. to board a bus to their homes.
Excessive absences, tardiness, deviation from approved school regulations, conduct not acceptable for an Emmaus High School student, or any breach of the above regulations may nullify these privileges.
Privileges will be activated after the appropriate paperwork including parent signature has been completed.
Did you know that we send a phone call, email, or text message when your child is absent from school?
Any time a student is absent without a prior excuse, we send out attendance alerts to the parent/guardian contact information that we have on file. Your information may be outdated or flagged incorrectly. Please call our main office or your child’s grade level office and someone can check this for you to ensure that you do receive these notifications in the future.
Would you like to use your smartphone to monitor your child’s attendance?
If you download the PowerSchool app on your smartphone, each time an absence code is entered into PowerSchool by a teacher or office staff member, you will receive a push notification. Information about PowerSchool and instructions for downloading the app are available on our website at https://www.eastpennsd.org/powerschoolhelp/
Are your child’s absences due to health or behavioral concerns?
We are here to help. If your child is struggling, support and resources are available. Please contact your child’s counselor or grade level office to learn more.