Center for Educational Opportunities and Educational Therapy Center
Operated by Madison County Regional Office of Education #41
Adopted 10-19-22
ATTENDANCE
GUIDELINES
Parents have the responsibility for requiring and promoting their children’s regular school attendance, which is the first step in achieving academic success. Parents are also responsible for notifying the school office of their children’s absences. Parents planning to take students out of school are responsible for making advance arrangements with the school administration. Students arriving late or leaving early must be signed in/out by their parent or guardian in the office.
In the event of an unexcused absence, the school will conduct interviews with the student, his or her parent or guardian and any other school officials who may have information about the reasons for the student’s attendance problem to determine what interventions and/or services are available to support students and families improve attendance. These services shall include but are not limited to parent conferences, student counseling, family counseling and information about existing community services that are available to truant and chronically truant students and relevant to their needs.
COMPLIANCE WITH ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
All students who leave school for a doctor’s appointment must provide written documentation from their health care provider as evidence of attending the appointment for the absence to be considered an excused absence. (Such documentation must be received by the attendance office within 48 hours of the appointment.)
All students who are absent for five or more consecutive days must provide written documentation from a healthcare provider for the absences to be considered excused absences.
A "truant" is defined as a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause, as defined under this Section, from such attendance for more than 1% but less than 5% of the past 180 school days.
Once a student has been absent for 10% or more of the days of student attendance in a semester must provide written documentation from their health care provider stating the cause of the absence for each subsequent day of non-attendance for the absence to be considered an excused absence.
Students who suffer from documented chronic or severe acute health issues may seek a waiver of these requirements from the Building Principal.
Students whose parent or legal guardian has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting may be granted additional excused absences at the discretion of the Superintendent or his designee. The parent or legal guardian should submit written requests related to such absences explaining the deployment or leave for military service to the Building Principal.
The following are considered excused and/or prearranged absences:
1. Death in the student’s immediate family (e.g., parent, legal guardian, grandparent, or sibling) or family emergency
2. Illness, including the mental or behavioral health of the student
3. Doctor or dental appointments
4. Observance of a religious holiday
5. Court appearance
6. College visits for seniors and juniors on track for graduation
7. Other situations beyond the control of the student, as determined by the Regional Office of Education
8. Such other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent for the mental, emotional, or physical health or safety of the student.
The school will regularly collect and review its chronic absence data and determine what systems of support and resources are needed to engage chronically absent students and their families to encourage the habit of daily attendance and promote success.
Parents and students should consider carefully before deciding to participate in an activity that necessitates being absent from school. When students know in advance that they are going to be absent, they should apply for a prearranged absence. This absence must be from the excused list and should be applied for at least three school days in advance. A composed, written request from parent is required and must be: approved by an administrator, signed by all the student’s teachers, and returned to proper administrator or Attendance Office.