ATTENDANCE

EAST PENN SD STUDENT ATTENDANCE POLICY

A. Students have the responsibility to comply with the attendance procedures of the school they are attending, in addition to those regulations established by the Board of Education and the School Code.

B. Parents are required to call the school office or submit a written explanation for the legal absence of their child within three school days from the date of child’s return to school. Failure on the parent’s part to provide said explanation does not in itself qualify the absence as excused. The absence must be for a legal reason according to the law.

C. Legal absences include, but are not limited to, illness of student, quarantine, physical or mental incapacity, death in the immediate family, court summons, violent weather, school related work, observances of a religious holiday by bona fide religious groups, religious instruction or a State emergency.

D. The responsibility for making up work missed during legal absences rests with the student.

E. Written notification may be sent to parents of a student who has been absent for ten consecutive days. Absenteeism beyond ten consecutive days may require a doctor’s excuse. After a student accumulates 20 school days of absence, a parental conference will be held. After a student accumulates 30 school days of absence, the parents of the absent student may be scheduled to meet with the Superintendent or designee, and the student may forfeit all credit for courses taken that year, depending upon the number of days absent and the course grade.

F. Illegal absences for students under 17 are those due to truancy, parental negligence and unlawful employment. By Pennsylvania Law, the parents of a student who has accumulated three illegal absences and is within the compulsory age limits are to be served a first offense legal notice. Any subsequent illegal absence then makes the parents liable for a fine.

G. Chronic truancy will be referred to the proper agency for further legal action or, after all reasonable avenues have been explored, expulsion may be initiated.

H. A student 17 years or over has a right to be in school but must obey school district attendance rules. A total of four instances of unexcused absences may be considered as failing to meet requirements of promotion or graduation. A recommendation for expulsion, subject to the degree to which the student reasonably was in control of the circumstances of the absences(s) may be initiated.

I. Upon written parental request, a student may be excused during school hours for the purpose of receiving tutorial instruction by a qualified instructor in a field not offered in the district’s curriculum if the excusal does not interfere with the student’s regular program of studies.

J. Upon written parental request, a student may be excused during school hours to obtain professional health care or therapy by a licensed practitioner if the service cannot be received outside of school hours.

K. In extenuating circumstances, homebound instruction may be provided.

L. Students may be excused to participate in a non-school sponsored educational tour or trip if the student’s parents submit a written request for the excusal on the district trip request form, the trip has been approved by the Superintendent, and if an adult who is supervising the pupils is acceptable to both the parents and Superintendent.

REQUEST FOR EXCUSED ABSENCE

Regulations of the State of Pennsylvania provide that, upon written request from the parents/guardians of the pupils involved, pupils may be excused from school attendance to participate in an educational tour or trip not sponsored by the school when the trip is evaluated by the Superintendent as educational and if the adult supervision is acceptable to both the Superintendent and the pupil’s parent/guardians. In the East Penn School District the building principal has been designated by Superintendent to make the initial decision, based on the information provided. In order to clarify such absences, the following procedure for non-school educational trips/tour is established:

1. The proper form available in each building and online must be submitted to the principal a minimum of five (5) school days prior to the trip (except in an emergency). Parents/guardians will be notified in any case in which the request is denied.

2. Requests will be approved only if it can be determined that such trip/tour is of educational value to the student.

3. Unless there are unusual or emergency circumstances, such requests will NOT be approved for the first ten (10) school days of the year or during the district’s standardized testing period or the state’s testing periods.

4. If more than one child in a family will be taking the trip/tour, one request may be submitted for all children. If separate schools are involved a copy will be sent to the additional schools for approval.

5. No more than ten (10) requests in any school year. (Special requests with unusual circumstances or exceptional opportunities for learning should be discussed personally with the building principal well in advance of requested dates for absence.)

6. Satisfactory academic achievement will be considered in the approval of such a request.

7. All schoolwork missed during the trip/tour must be made up at the initiation of the student immediately upon returning to school.