Attendance

The Board of Education requires the pupils enrolled in the schools of this district to attend school regularly in accordance with the laws of the State (N.J.A.C. 18A:38).  Regular attendance at school is vital and an integral part of the learning process. The educational program that is offered by this district is predicated on the presence of the pupil and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation. All students are expected and required to attend school every day unless some compelling reason makes it necessary to be absent. Student attendance is governed by District Policy and Regulation and requires that every student make all efforts to meet the minimum attendance requirement and provides an appeal process to address emergency circumstances beyond the control of the student or family. 

It is important to understand the nature of an “excused absence.”  Truancy makes reference to the legal obligation (N.J.S.A. 18A: 38-25) for children between the ages of six and sixteen to attend school.  If a student is found to be truant, a school is required to follow legal steps in order to ensure that parents are compliant with state law.  When your child’s absence is deemed “excused” the absence does not count towards truancy. 

The following are the allowable excused absences as per the New Jersey Department of Education and Saddle Brook Board of Education:

• Religious Observance (click here to view the 2026-2027 School Year Observances)

• College Visits (up to 3 school days per year for juniors and seniors)

• Take Your Child to Work Day

• Participation in observance of Veterans Day or district board of election membership activities

• The closure of a busing district that prevents a student from having transportation to the receiving school. 

• Attendance at a Civic Event (only 1 day per school year permitted)

In accordance with Saddle Brook Board of Education Regulation:

• A student returning from an absence of any length of time must provide a written statement that is dated and signed by the parent or adult student listing the reason for the absence. 

• A note explaining a student’s absence for a non-communicable illness for a period of 3 or more school days must be accompanied by a physician’s statement of the student’s illness with medical clearance to return to school.

• A student who has been absent by reason of having or being suspected of having a communicable disease must present to the school nurse written evidence of being free of communicable disease, in accordance with Policy 8451.

• The Superintendent of Schools or designee may require a student who has been absent from school due to a suspension or other reason concerning the student’s conduct to receive a medical examination by a physician regarding the student’s physical and/or mental fitness to return to school.  The Superintendent or designee will notify the student’s parent of the specific requirements of the medical examination prior to the student’s return to school.

Although all of a student’s absences may be considered excused towards truancy, that does not exempt him/her from a loss of academic credit.  

As per Saddle Brook Board of Education Regulation:

“A secondary student may be dropped from a course or denied course credit when he/she has been absent from 10% or more of the class sessions [19 for full year courses, 9 for half year courses, and 5 for quarter courses], whatever the reason for the absence, except that absences for the observance of a religious holiday, absences for those excused in accordance with the reporting requirements of the school register and as per the NJDOE, or absences caused by a student’s suspension will not count toward the total.”

Throughout the school year, we will send letters through both standard and electronic mail if your child’s number of absences reaches five (5), ten (10), and fifteen (15).  If your child’s number of absences exceeds the number of absences allowed, you will receive a notification letter regarding denial of course credit and the right to an attendance appeal.  In order for a student to be eligible for an attendance appeal, he/she is required to continue attending class and completing all assignments.

The SBHS Attendance Appeal Committee consists of the Vice-Principal, the attendance secretary, the school nurse, at least one teacher, the guidance counselor of the student who has submitted the appeal, and a case manager, when appropriate.  In addition to the documentation provided in the appeal by the parent and/or student, the student’s teacher(s) will be required to provide written feedback on the child’s performance in class to determine if mastery of the course material has been achieved.  If the Attendance Appeal Committee determines that three or more of the student’s absences were due to cutting, the student will lose credit for the course.  The Attendance Appeal Committee will notify students and parents by both standard and electronic mail of its decision. 

If a student misses more than one-half a class period, it will be an unexcused absence for the period. 

In order to receive attendance credit for the day, a student must be present for a minimum of four hours of instructional time, not including homeroom, lunch, or passing time. Students must be present for one (1) hour during both the morning and afternoon in order to be recorded as present for a full day. 

Students who have completed a minimum of four hours of instructional time but sign out of school prior to the end of the school day may not participate in, attend, or be involved in any co-curricular programs or after-school activities at Saddle Brook High School School or other localities. 

Parents/guardians are responsible for notifying the school on the first day of a student’s absence. In the event this procedure is not followed by the parent/guardian, assigned school personnel shall contact the parent/guardian by phone. The attendance officer shall be sent to the home if telephone contact cannot be made. If the absence continues unexplained for three days, the principal or their designee shall notify the Saddle Brook Police Department. 

Parents are required to report student absences to the school by calling (201) 843-2880 ext. 1415 between 7:15 and 8:00 a.m. the morning(s) of the absence(s). 

Upon return to school, a student must present a parental note (may be an email), plus any other documentation such as a medical excuse, to the main office personnel. The note must include the following:

Full name of student: 

Date(s) of absence:

Reason for absence :

Parent/guardian’s signature:

Phone number :

NJ Statutes Governing Attendance 

18A:38-25. Attendance required of children between 6 and 16; no exceptions. Every parent, guardian, or other person having custody and control of a child between the ages of six and sixteen years shall cause such child regularly to attend the public schools of the district or a day school in which there is given instruction equivalent to that provided in the public schools for children of similar grades and attainments or to receive equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school. 

18A:38-27. Truancy and juvenile delinquency are defined. Truancy means 10 or more cumulative unexcused absences. Any child between the ages of six and sixteen years who shall repeatedly be absent from school, and any child of such age found away from school during hours whose parent, guardian, or other person having charge and control of the child is unable to cause him to attend school and any pupil who is incorrigible, actually vagrant, vicious, or immoral in conduct, shall be deemed to be a juvenile delinquent and shall be proceeded against as such. 

18A:38-29. Warning and arrest of vagrants or habitual truants. The attendance officer shall examine all violations of this article, shall warn any child violating any of the provisions of this article and the parent, guardian, or other person having charge and control of the child of the consequences of the violation if persisted in, and shall notify such person in writing to cause the child to attend school within five days from the date on which notice is served, and regularly thereafter. The attendance officer shall have full police power to enforce the provisions of this article and may arrest without warrant any vagrant child or habitual truant or any child who is habitually incorrigible or who is vicious or immoral in conduct or illegally absent from school. 

18A:38-31. Violation of article by parents or guardians; penalties. A parent, the guardian, or other person having charge and control of a child between the ages of six and sixteen years, who shall fail to comply with any of the provisions of this article relating to his duties, shall be deemed to be a disorderly person and shall be subject to a fine of not more than $25.00 for a first offense and not more than $100.00 for each subsequent offense, at the discretion of the court. 

In any such proceeding, the summons issued therein, or in special circumstances warrant, shall be directed to the alleged disorderly person and the child.

Removal from Roll: As a reminder, The Saddle Brook Board of Education mandates that the following will apply when a student is absent for an extended period (10 or more consecutive days) of time during the school year over a consecutive calendar period:

• A student who is out of school for ten (10) consecutive days will be marked absent. 

• On the eleventh (11th) day the absence will be changed to a withdrawal from school dated back to the first day of absence. 

• Once the withdrawal is completed the Department of Children Protection and Permanency (DCPP) will be notified that the student is no longer enrolled in Saddle Brook Public Schools.

• As a courtesy, parents, guardians, and students will be notified of excessive absences prior to withdrawal and will be provided the opportunity to appeal and/or provide supporting documentation to prevent withdrawal and bring the student back to good standing.

Assignments

Pupils absent from school for any reason are responsible for the completion of assignments missed. No student excused for a religious holiday shall be deprived of an award, eligibility to compete for an award, or the opportunity to make up a test given on the religious holiday. 

When a student does not complete assignments due to an extended absence or other reason, he/she will receive an “incomplete” for the marking period. Students will be given ten (10) school days following the end of the marking period to make up the missed work. If work critical to the pupil’s understanding of the subject is not made up by the end of the next marking period, the grade for that subject area may be an “F.” 

If work is missing during the final marking period of the school year, the grade will be left to the discretion of the teacher with the approval of the principal. The teacher who has given an incomplete is responsible for reporting to the pupil the work he/she has missed and citing the consequences mentioned above. 

Course Credit 

Awarding of credit shall be dependent upon a student not accruing more than (18) unexcused absences for each full year course or a proportionate number of days for courses less than a full year. The limit set on the maximum number of days a student may be absent before being denied course credit should not be perceived as a license to be absent for inappropriate reasons. 

Course Credits   Absence Limit

5 Credits (Full-Year) 18

2.5 Credits (Semester course)         8

1.25 Credits (Health/Driver's Ed)         4

Arrival at School 

Students are permitted to enter the building at 7:50 AM. The exceptions to this are students purchasing breakfast, who may enter at 7:30 AM, or those involved in morning tutoring, who may enter at 7:15 AM. Students may not loiter in the parking lot or on school grounds before or after school. All students are required to check in at the front desk kiosks using their student ID. The kiosks are available at each entrance

All students must report to Period 1 by 8:00 a.m. A warning bell will sound at 7:50 a.m. Any student who arrives after 8:00 a.m. must scan in at the computers set up in the front lobby. Every 5 tardies counts as 1 absence. (See disciplinary guidelines for tardy offenses.) 

Leaving School 

During the school day, students are not permitted to leave the school grounds without permission (see disciplinary guidelines). In the event that it becomes necessary for a student to leave school early, they can only do so if their parent/guardian contacts the school in advance and reports to the school to pick them up. Students must also sign out at the computers set up in the front lobby/main office. After school, students must be under the direct supervision of a staff member or must leave the premises.  Any student wishing to be dismissed early should present a parental note to the main office before homeroom. S/he must also arrange to be picked up by his or her parent. 

Students who become ill during the school day may only be excused by the school nurse. A parent/guardian will be contacted in such cases and asked to pick up the student. 

While 18-year-old students are legally allowed to sign themselves out of school, this can only be done with approval from Administration when there are extenuating circumstances. Parents/Guardians will be contacted in all instances.