Attendance
School Absence
A parent or guardian must call the attendance office at 844-3014 option 2 between 7:00 - 8:00 a.m., when the student will be absent from school and state the reason for the absence. You can also email the attendance line at gmhsabsent@granbyschools.org.
Also call this number to indicate if your student will be tardy or dismissed early from school. A parent must call to verify an absence or the student absence will be recorded as unexcused. The school will only accept reasons that are consistent with the Board of Education Policy. Skip days are considered unauthorized absences from school.
Attendance
Connecticut state law requires parents to cause their children, ages five through eighteen inclusive, to attend school regularly and on time during the hours and terms the public school is in session. Students who arrive late to school are considered tardy. Parents or persons having control of a child five years of age have the option of not sending the child to school until ages six or seven. Mandatory attendance terminates upon graduation or withdrawal with written parent/guardian consent at age seventeen.
A student is considered to be "in attendance" if present at his/her assigned school, or an activity sponsored by the school (e.g., field trip), for at least half of the regular school day. A student who is serving an out-of-school suspension or expulsion should always be considered absent. A student not meeting the definition of "in attendance" shall be considered absent.
Classroom learning experiences are the basis for public school education. Time lost from class is lost instructional opportunity. The District shall maintain accurate records on the attendance of each child. Students should not be absent from school without parental knowledge and consent. In grades 9-12 students are subject to the loss of course credit for unsatisfactory attendance and disciplinary penalties for tardiness in accordance with administrative regulations.
Definitions (related to chronic absenteeism)
Chronically absent child: An enrolled student whose total number of absences at any time during a school year is equal to or greater than ten percent of the total number of days that such student has been enrolled at such school during such school year.
Absence: An excused absence, unexcused absence or disciplinary absence, as those terms are defined by the State Board of Education pursuant to C.G.S. 10-198b.
District chronic absenteeism rate: The total number of chronically absent children in the previous school year divided by the total number of children under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education for such school year.
School chronic absenteeism rate: The total number of chronically absent children for a school in the previous school year divided by the total number of children enrolled in such school for such school year.
Excuses
A student's absence from school shall be considered "excused" if written documentation of the reason for such absence has been submitted within ten (10) school days of the student's return to school and meets the following criteria:
A. For absences one through nine, a student's absences from school are considered "excused" when the student's parent/guardian approves such absence and submits appropriate documentation to school officials.
Note: Such documentation includes a signed note from the student's parent/guardian, a signed note from a school official that spoke in person with the parent/guardian regarding the absence, or a note confirming the absence by the school nurse or by a licensed medical professional, as appropriate. Documentation should explain the nature of and the reason for the absence as well as the length of the absence. Separate documentation must be submitted for each incidence of absenteeism.
B. A student's engagement in remote classes, remote meetings, activities on time-logged electronic systems, and completion and submission of assignments, if such engagement accounts for not less than one-half of the school day during remote learning is excluded from the definitions of "excused absence" and "unexcused absence."
C. Absence resulting from a student enrolled in grades K-12, taking two mental health days during the school year. Such absence is to permit the student to attend to his/her emotional and psychological well-being in lieu of attending school.
D. For the tenth absence and all absences thereafter, a student's absences from school are considered excused for the following reasons:
1. Student illness (must be verified by a licensed medical professional to be deemed excused, regardless of the length of the absence);
2. Student's observance of a religious holiday;
3. Death in the student's family or other emergency beyond the control of the student's family;
4. Mandated court appearances (documentation required);
5. The lack of transportation that is normally provided by a district other than the one the student attends (no parental documentation required);
6. Extraordinary educational opportunities pre-approved by District administration and to be in accordance with Connecticut State Department of Education guidance;
7. Any other reason deemed valid by the school administration.
E. A student's absence from school shall be considered unexcused unless:
1. The absence meets the definition of an excused absence and meets the documentation requirements; or
2. The absence meets the definition of a disciplinary absence, which is the result of school or District disciplinary action and are excluded from these State Board of Education approved definitions.
When the school in which a child is enrolled receives no notification from a parent or other person having control of the child, a reasonable effort shall be made by school personnel or volunteers under the direction of school personnel to notify by telephone and by mail such parent or other person having control of the child.
A required mailed notice must be sent to parents/guardians of students who are absent more than ten days in a school year and/or have two unexcused absences in one month or five unexcused absences in a year. (The letter will be sent at the time of the tenth (10th) absence regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused). The purpose of this letter is to alert them of their child's attendance record and to reinforce the importance of regular attendance. A copy of the letter will be included in the student's cumulative file.
Responsibility for completion of missed classwork lies with the student, not the teacher. Unless a student has an extended illness, all make-up work will be completed within an agreed upon and reasonable time frame (suggest five (5) days) after the student returns to school.
Excused Absences for Children of Service Members
An enrolled student, age five to eighteen, inclusive, whose parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting, shall be granted ten days of excused absences in any school year and, at the discretion of the Board of Education, additional excused absences to visit such child's parent or legal guardian with respect to such leave or deployment of the parent or legal guardian. In the case of such excused absences such child and parent or legal guardian shall be responsible for obtaining assignments from the student's teacher prior to any period of excused absence, and for ensuring that such assignments are completed by such child prior to his or her return to school from such period of excused absence.
Chronic Absenteeism
The Board of Education, in compliance with statute, requires the establishment of attendance review teams when chronic absenteeism rates in the District or at individual schools in the District meet the following circumstances:
1. A team for the District must be established when the District chronic absenteeism rate is 1- percent or higher.
2. A team for the school must be established when the school chronic absenteeism rate is 15 percent or higher.
3. A team for either the District or each school must be established when (a) more than one school in the District has a school chronic absenteeism rate of 15 percent or higher or (b) a District has a District chronic absenteeism rate of 10 percent or higher and one or more schools in the District have a school chronic absenteeism rate of 15 percent or higher.
The membership of attendance review teams may consist of school administrators, guidance counselors, school social workers, teachers, chronically absent children, parents or guardians of chronically absent children, and representatives from community-based programs who address issues related to student attendance by providing programs and services to truants.
Each attendance review team shall be responsible for reviewing the cases of truants and chronically absent children, discussing school interventions and community referrals for such truants and chronically absent children and their parents or guardians. Each established attendance review team shall meet at least monthly.
The District shall utilize the chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan developed by the State Department of Education when it becomes available. (SBE to develop by 1/1/16.)
The District shall annually include in information for the strategic school profile report for each school and the District that is submitted to the Commissioner of Education, data pertaining to truancy and chronically absent children.
The Principal or his/her designee of any elementary or middle school located in a town/city designated as an alliance district may refer to the children's truancy clinic established by the Probate Court serving the town/city, a parent/guardian with a child defined as a truant or who is at risk of becoming a truant. (An attendance officer or a police officer shall deliver the citation and summons and a copy of the referral to the parent/guardian.)
Dismissal
No school, grade, or class may be dismissed before the regularly scheduled dismissal time without the approval of the Superintendent or his/her designee.
No teacher may permit any individual student to leave school prior to the regular hour of dismissal without the permission of the Principal.
No student may be permitted to leave school at any time other than at regular dismissal without the approval of the student's parent/guardian. If a court official with legal permission to take custody of a child, or if a police officer arrests a student, the parent/guardian should be notified of these situations by the administration.
Make Up Work and Tests After Absences
The responsibility and initiative for making up missed work rests with the student. Decisions on work to be completed and the time limit to complete work are at the discretion of the teacher. A one (1) week limit is considered reasonable.
Prolonged Absences
Prolonged absences are three (3) or more days of continuous absence. If a student is able to study at home, the parent should call the school office and home assignments will be prepared. These assignments may be picked up the following day after 2:30 p.m. in the office. Please allow one (1) working day for the collection of these assignments. Parents must notify the administration of any planned or unforeseen prolonged absence. Parents or guardians must also utilize extreme discretion when planning family vacations other than during scheduled school recesses. The school does not condone removing a student from classes for an extended period of time for such reasons. Students who are approved to miss school will be responsible to secure all assignments one (1) week prior to leaving.
Truancy From School
Students who are truant will be assigned a "zero" for all class work. All provisions of the Attendance Policy will apply to truancy. (See Attendance Policy).
Tardiness to Class
Three (3) tardies to class will be assessed a class cut and students who accrue 3 tardies will be assigned a detention. Students will incur academic consequences per the Board of Education Attendance Policy. When tardiness exceeds one-half (1/2) the class period, the student will be charged with a class cut and will incur the appropriate academic and disciplinary consequences.
Tardiness to School
Students arriving tardy within the first half of a class period will receive a class tardy (please see acceptable excused absences/tardiness). Students arriving to school more than halfway through the class period will receive a class cut and receive the appropriate academic and disciplinary consequences. After three (3) unexcused tardies (see policy on Excused absences/tardies) to school, students will be assigned a PM school for each subsequent tardy. This is in addition to any academic consequence that might occur as a result of the attendance policy.
Leaving School
Medical, and Dental appointments SHOULD NOT be scheduled during school hours. When this is impossible, an early dismissal will be arranged only when the parent or guardian has called the school prior to the appointment and has explained why the early dismissal is required. Students may NOT leave school without prior permission from an administrator. Driver education classes can not be scheduled during academic class time. This is considered an unexcused absence.
A student leaving school without permission from an administrator will be assigned Saturday school upon the first offense and unexcused tardiness will be recorded in all classes missed.
Subsequent infractions will result in suspension. Any student who must leave school during school hours, MUST SIGN OUT AT THE OFFICE BEFORE DEPARTURE.