Attendance Protocols

Please make every effort to report your child’s absence in a timely manner. Also, please supply your child with a hand written/signed note if the child has been absent, late to school or will need to be dismissed early from school.

Attendance:

New York State law requires regular school attendance. The staff feels strongly that parent efforts to ensure student attendance should be supported. Parents experiencing difficulty in this regard should contact the guidance staff and/or the school social worker.

Absences:

On any day that a student is absent from school, the parent/guardian should call and report the absence as early as possible. Students must bring an excuse note to the Attendance Office upon returning after an absence. In accordance with New York State Department of Education regulations, an absence will be considered unexcused unless a valid excuse note is received.

The following are considered valid reasons for absence or tardiness: personal illness*, death in the family, school-approved educational trips, religious observance, impassible roads or weather, quarantine, court appearance, music lessons, approved college visitation, prior approval by administration for family vacation, military service, emergency doctor or dental appointments, Take Your Child to Work Day, and events outside the control of family or child (e.g. late school bus). Absence excuse notes must be submitted to the attendance secretary within 48 hours of the student’s return to school.

*Absences due to illness of more than one week in duration are considered serious enough for medical attention and require a doctor’s note diagnosing the condition and estimating the date of return to school.

The following are invalid excuses for absence or tardiness:

Periods of vacation during the school year are not encouraged. Should such an absence be necessary, district policy requires parents to obtain prior administrative approval. The student should meet with each teacher to obtain assignments for the vacation period at least one week prior to the absence. In addition, students must notify the attendance secretary of their expected absence prior to the planned vacation.

School officials are obliged to pursue legal action in the case of excessive absences. In cases where the student is at fault, this may result in the filing of a Person in Need of Supervision (PINS) petition with the County Family Court. In cases where the parent is at fault, this may result in the filing of educational neglect charges with the state office of Child Protective Services.

Tardiness:

Students who come to school late must bring a note from home stating the reason for their tardiness. Students who enter the building after 7:55 AM must report to the attendance office to sign in. All students are obligated to see their first period teacher and make up all work missed due to tardiness.

Since absence from class will result in lack of learning, parents/guardians will be contacted if tardiness becomes chronic and a solution will be sought. Excessive illegal tardies will be brought to the attention of the administration. After TEN illegal tardies, the school social worker will contact parents/guardians. Ultimately, educational neglect charges or a PINS (Person In Need of Supervision) petition may result.

Late to Class:

If a student is late to class, the teacher of that class will assign teacher detention. Lateness to a student’s first period class, however, is considered lateness to school and will elicit the consequences for tardiness. Repeated lateness to class will result in parent/guardian contact and disciplinary action.

• Oversleeping
• Missing the bus
• Walking to school too slowly    
• Suspended
• Bus Privileges
• No Alarm
• Baby-sitting

Mid-Day Departures:

Students who have a valid note to be excused before the end of the regular school day should bring it to the attendance secretary before first period. The note must state the date, reason, and time of departure. The student will be given a pass to be excused from class at the time requested. When it is time to depart, the student must go to the Attendance Office to be met by his or her parent or guardian. For safety reasons, parents/guardians are required to enter the building through the main entrance, sign into the visitor log, and sign the student out in the attendance office.

Parents must provide the student with a note if the student is leaving during the school day. Parents are encouraged to schedule appointments after the regular school day. Unnecessary interruptions to students and teaching staff during the school day are a disruption to the learning environment and will not be tolerated when excessive.

Number of Illegal Tardies Per Semester	Action
5	Tardy Letter Sent Home 10th Period with Core Teacher Served Within 48 Hours (Student will have to sign up for Extended Activity)
5 Failure to stay for 10th Period	Administrative Detention
6-9	10th Period with Core Teacher Served Within 48 Hours (Student will have to sign up for Extended Activity)
10	Tardy Letter Sent Home 10th Period with Core Teacher Served Within 48 Hours (Student will have to sign up for Extended Activity) Parent/Teacher Conference Based on Student's History Referral to: - School Attendance Social Worker
10 failure to stay for 10th Period	Administrative Detention(s)
11-14	10th Period with Core Teacher Served Within 48 Hours (Student will have to sign up for Extended Activity)
15+	Tardy Letter Sent Home 10th Period with Core Teacher Served Within 48 Hours (Student will have to sign up for Extended Activity) Home Visit Additional Consequences Based on Student’s History Referral to: -CPS -PINS