Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) recognizes the importance of students in grades PK-12 attending school nearly every day as a key factor in student achievement. Parents/guardians are responsible for their students attending school regularly as required by law.  However, it is important for those students who are ill to stay home when sick.  Students who have a fever or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100 degrees Fahrenheit should not be at school or school activities.

Students are expected to miss no more than ten percent of school days per year to avoid being considered chronically absent. Students who are chronically absent risk falling behind academically. 

Students who are chronically absent due to a significant medical condition will be provided assistance to address attendance barriers and a path for academic success.  A significant medical condition means a severe, chronic, or life-threatening physical or mental illness, infection, injury, disease, or emotional trauma. Any COVID-19 related absences due to a child's medical needs will be considered a significant medical condition.

For students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade, the maximum number of absences during any semester shall be 10 unverified absences.  A student absent from class more than 10 times during a semester may be required, along with the student's parents, to work out an improvement plan with the principal.

A student will not be considered absent from school if:

• The student is not physically present at school but is completing work in a distance learning or online program approved by the school district and is meeting the following attendance requirements:

  • The student has completed instructional activities for no less than ninety (90%) of the time that services were provided in a virtual or distance learning format. 

  • “Instructional activities" shall include instructional meetings with a teacher, completed assignments that are used to record a grade for a student that is factored into the student's grade for the semester during which the assignment is completed, testing and school-sanctioned field trips, and orientation.  Instructional activities may include online logins to curriculum or programs, offline activities, completed assignments, testing, face-to-face communications or meetings with school personnel via teleconference, videoconference, email, text, or phone,

• The student is on pace for on-time completion of the course as required by the school district,

• The student has completed instructional activities within the time that services were provided in a virtual or distance learning format during the academic year; or 

• A medical condition incapacitates the student and precludes participation in instruction in a traditional school setting and the student is able to progress in instruction via alternative education delivery methods approved by the local board of education.

For student safety, the parent/guardian is expected to notify the school as soon as possible, any time a student will be absent. All student absences are classified as either Excused or Unexcused.. Both Excused and Unexcused absences are included in the chronic absenteeism calculation. All absences not excused will be considered unexcused.

However, students will be required to make up any work that has been missed. Student absences due to a severe, chronic, or life-threatening physical or mental illness, injury, or trauma will be exempted from inclusion in the calculation of the chronic absenteeism indicator of the applicable school site so long as the determination of eligibility is made by the district’s medical exemption review committee. The district’s medical exemption review committee will be designated by the superintendent on an annual basis and shall report student absences that are medically exempt to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) Office of Accountability.

For all class work and tests missed due to any absence, students have up to three (3) days for every absence day to make up work and tests for full credit. If teachers are not available for students to receive work or need to schedule tests outside the make-up time frame, students will not be penalized.

High School Student Loss of Credit

High School students may lose credit if they have more than 10 unexcused absences during the

semester. Excused absences are those due to illness or personal injury, medical and dental

appointments, court appearances, religious holiday, and family emergencies. No student shall receive an excused absence without proper documentation. Written or verbal communication from the parent or guardian may be considered acceptable by the principal for the first five (5) absences during the grading period. Additional absences will be considered unexcused unless official written documentation is submitted (i.e.: doctor’s note, verification of a court appearance, memorial service folder, etc.).

If a student has a passing grade in a class but has more than 10 unexcused absences, then the original grade should be entered in the grade book pending an automatic attendance review by the site administrator.

If the automatic administrator review determines the student is still ineligible for credit, the student and student’s parent or legal guardian will be notified in writing of the decision and given an opportunity to appeal and any additional information, documents or rationale for their absences to be considered by an appeal committee for a final decision. The appeal committee should consist of an administrator, a counselor and a teacher. All appeals must be completed and any necessary grade adjustments made prior to when semester grades are due. There are no further appeals. If the committee decides that credit should be given, then the school registrar will enter the grade issued by the teacher. However, if the outcome of the appeal is to enter a grade of “no credit (NC),” then that decision will be timely communicated by the site administrator or designee to the student, student’s parent and/or legal guardian and the student’s teacher(s). The school registrar will enter a grade of “no credit (NC).”

Students are considered Tardy if they arrive to class after the bell rings or designated class time has begun. Repetitive tardiness results in missed instruction and may be addressed by an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP). Tardies are considered unverified unless students/parents/guardians provide documentation for one of the same reasons as verified absences and require the same written documentation in order to be considered verified.

• Elementary students who arrive at school one (1) or more hours late in the morning or are checked out or leave one (1) or more hours early in the afternoon will be counted Absent for one-half (½) day.

• Secondary students who are less than 15 minutes late are counted as tardy.  Secondary students who are more than 15 minutes late or do not attend are counted as absent.

Pre-K and Kindergarten classes provide a solid foundation for academic success.  Parents/guardians of Pre-K and K students will be provided the same notifications and supports to address attendance issues as any other grade-level student.

While Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) enrollment is not a compulsory grade required by law, it is a grade funded by the Oklahoma Department of Education.  Students who enroll in pre-kindergarten are expected to meet the same attendance requirements as students in grades K-12.  Space for Pre-K is limited to twenty students per class due to state law and schools generally have a Pre-K waiting list. If a Pre-K student is absent more than ten (10) days in a semester with an AIP in place and the school has a waiting list, the pre-k student may be dropped in order for a student on the waiting list to be served.  The parent/guardian of the child dropped for excessive absences can request the child to be added to the school's waiting list for re-enrollment.

The board recognizes that parents/guardians retain certain rights to determine appropriate experiences for their children, including absences for trips and experiences the deem may benefit students. The request is made in writing to the principal at least two (2) days before absences. 

Parents who do not want their children to attend portions of classes because of personal or religious beliefs may submit written request to the principal that children not attend.

When a student reaches five (5) absences, the principal or other persons designated by the principal may convene a team meeting for an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP) for the student.  The person who convenes the AIP team will:   

• Maintain the AIP, with notes, signed by student and parent/guardian. A copy of the signed AIP will be provided to student and parent/guardian.

• Use evidence-based interventions implemented when students/parents/guardians are notified when students reach seven and ten absences, excused and unexcused combined, within the semester. Results of interventions will be documented in the student's AIP. 

• In addition to meeting notes, quarterly attendance reports, and action steps, the AIP includes documentation of follow-up phone calls and/or conferences during each quarter throughout the current and following semesters.

• Parent/Guardian may be invited to participate in a district level intervention meeting, hosted by the Attendance Advocacy Support team, either to initiate the AIP or during the process of the AIP.

When student absences are related to issues such as extended or repeated illness, homelessness, family situations, etc., school personnel such as administrator, counselor, nurse, social worker, attendance officer, truancy specialist or other appropriate school and interagency personnel may be included in the AIP team with student and parent/guardian to identify student/family barriers to attendance and support improving academic success and attendance for the student.

Parents are responsible for ensuring their students attend school each day.  Oklahoma City Public Schools works in partnership with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD Truancy Division).  Oklahoma City police officers are responsible for providing intervention supports and issuing tickets to students and parents who violate compulsory education laws.

Attendance Advocacy Specialists at the district level work as liaisons between schools and OCPD. Attendance Advocacy Specialists assist schools, students, and parents with the Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP), including linking families with internal and external resources.  Attendance Advocacy Specialists attend court weekly and will advocate for students and parents.

Parents, guardians, and students are responsible for compliance with applicable truancy city codes set by the local city government in which they reside, including potential citations, tickets, and monetary fees associated with neglecting, refusing, or failing to compel students to attend school.

The following absences may be considered verified:

• Parent/guardian-requested absences by writing a note to the school signed by a parent/guardian

• Illness, injury, or medical appointments

• Bereavement for family documented by an obituary or funeral program

• Serious illness or immediate family emergency

• Legal matters, such as jury service or subpoena

• Extenuating circumstances deemed necessary by the principal

• Pre-approved college visit

• Observance of religious holidays required by student's religious affiliation

• School bus not running

• State and national levels of school-sponsored contests

• Approved school activities such as science fair, history fair, MATHCOUNTS, and athletic events sanctioned by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, etc.

Disciplinary suspensions per state statute are reported as verified absences for suspension and do not count toward chronic absenteeism when assignments missed due to suspension are provided.