Attendance

Attendance and Truancy Policy

Alvaton Elementary School will follow the Warren County Public Schools Attendance and Truancy Policy. The complete policy may be accessed in the student handbook and WCPS policies. Families are encouraged to review the policy carefully.

Regular and punctual attendance is essential to a student’s academic success. Students benefit most from the instructional program when they attend school consistently, arrive on time, and remain at school for the entire instructional day. Attendance is a shared responsibility among students, parents/guardians, and the school.

Chronic Absenteeism

Kentucky defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences.

For Warren County Public Schools students, missing 17 or more school days during the academic year is considered chronic absenteeism. Every absence counts toward a student’s chronic absenteeism total, regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused.

Families are encouraged to schedule appointments outside of the school day whenever possible and to communicate with the school when attendance concerns arise.

Reporting an Absence

When a student must be absent, the parent or guardian should:

1. Contact the school on the day of the absence and provide the reason the student will not be attending.

2. Send a written parent excuse or a note from a doctor, dentist, therapist, or other medical provider when the student returns to school.

If appropriate documentation is not received, the absence may be recorded as unexcused.

An automated notification will be sent each day that a student is recorded as absent.

Parent Notes

Students may use up to five parent notes per academic year for absences that meet the district’s criteria for a valid excused absence.

Each day absent counts as one parent note.

Example: If a student is absent for three days and a parent note is submitted, three of the student’s five permitted parent-note days will be used.

Parent notes submitted for reasons that do not meet the district’s criteria for an excused absence will be recorded as unexcused.

After the five permitted parent-note days have been used, additional absences without approved medical or district documentation will be recorded as unexcused.

Medical Provider Notes

Students may submit up to seven medical provider notes per academic year.

A medical provider note may cover more than one consecutive day when the provider specifically states that the student should remain out of school for those dates.

Example: If a student visits a doctor and the doctor’s note excuses the student for three consecutive school days, the documentation will count as one medical provider note.

After seven medical provider notes have been submitted, additional medically related absences may require completion of the district’s long-form medical documentation before the absences can be excused. Families should contact the school for assistance with this process.

Families should always submit documentation from a doctor, dentist, therapist, or other medical provider following an appointment. Absences related to medical appointments cannot be marked as medically excused without appropriate documentation.

Truancy

Families should carefully review the WCPS Attendance and Truancy Policy for information regarding excused and unexcused absences and what constitutes truancy under Kentucky law.

For questions or concerns regarding attendance, please contact Alvaton Elementary School or the WCPS Director of Pupil Personnel.

Illness and Fever

Students who have a fever must remain fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication before returning to school. This expectation helps limit the spread of illness and protects the health of students and staff.