Attendance
Attendance Matters
Did You Know?
• Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
• Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days, of the school year can drastically affect a student’s academic success.
• Students can be chronically absent even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks.
• Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job
School Attendance Policies
Coming to school every day, ready to learn, is important for your child's success -- and it's required by state law (NC Compulsory Attendance Law) for children between the ages of 7 and 16.
What to do when your student is absent?
-Submit a written note with the date of absence or absences and the reason.
-Note is to be submitted within 2 days of the student's return to school
-Note is to be turned in at the main office, in the box labeled "Absent Notes"
Excused absences include:
illness or injury
a death in the family
health care appointments (you can request the provider's office to provide a note for school)
court appearances
religious observance
natural disasters
outside educational opportunities (you'll need to complete this form in advance)
What to expect:
3 unexcused absences- Teacher will make verbal and/or written contact with the parent
6 unexcused absences- The 6 day 1700 attendance letter will be mailed home
School Social Worker will make contact with the parent to analyze causes of absences and help parent develop a plan for improvement
10 unexcused absences- School Social Worker will discuss attendance contract with the parent or medical documentation may be requested
15 excused/unexcused absences- Determination will be made if it is appropriate so submit a court referral
25 excused/unexcused absences- 25 Day Attendance letter with policy WCPSS 600 R&P-H mailed to parent regarding policy and law violation may result in possible retention
30 excused/unexcused absences- Determination will be made about if student should be retained because of absences per Board Policy 6000.7 & WCPSS 6000 R&P-G
Possible Scenarios:
Medical- If student is out for a prolonged time due to hospitalization or medical condition, please turn in a note from the medical provider or the discharge form given at the end of hospitalization. If the student's medical condition causes he/she to have an excessive amount of absences, nurse will be in touch with the family to help with appropriate steps, develop a plan and for appropriate documentation.
Trips- If student is going to be out of town or the county, please inform the school before the trip and fill out the "Educational Opportunity" form if appropriate. This form must be submitted before the trip and will be reviewed to determine approval.
Family Emergency- Please make sure to give a description of what the family emergency was that took place, instead of just writing family emergency and no other information.
***The most important thing to do is to keep in touch with the school social worker and/or school counselor about any barriers that may arise during the school year