Attendance & Truancy Information

LETTER TO PARENTS REGARDING ATTENDANCE/TRUANCY/HOME SCHOOLING

August 2009

Dear Parents,

Below is a summary of the policy “ATTENDANCE/TRUANCY/HOME SCHOOLING”.

Included to the left of this letter is the complete policy in its entirety.

Please pay special attention below to;
“Parents/Guardians and the Student Responsibility”,
“Excused Absences”,
 “Unexcused Absences/truancy”,
“Tardiness to School and Early Dismissal from School”,
“Make Up Work".
 

Students must be in school every day of the school year and attend scheduled classes every time they meet in
accordance with the General Laws of the State of Rhode Island 16-19-1 and/or 16-19-6 unless students are excused for the reasons recognized by the school district.

School districts are required by law and regulations to monitor student daily attendance and to "investigate" absences as needed. Detailed student attendance reports are provided to the Rhode Island Department of Education and are used for individual student review as well as district and state comparisons.

Regular and punctual attendance is essential to the overall academic, personal and social development of students.  Classroom activities are purposeful and essential to the learning process.  The daily exchange between and among students and teachers is essential to student learning.  Parents, students and school personnel must work together to help students take advantage of their educational opportunities. 

Parental influence is critical to supporting regular school attendance. It is a joint responsibility of the parents/guardians of students and the teachers/administrators of the North Smithfield Public Schools to convey to students the importance of regular and punctual school attendance. The North Smithfield Public Schools actively monitors student compliance with the district attendance policy.

School District Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the school district to establish regulations governing tardiness, early dismissal from school, excused absences, unexcused absences and truancy including but not limited to:

  1. Reporting procedures
  2. Recording, tracking and investigating attendance and attendance issues
  3. Reporting of student attendance information to state and federal authorities in accordance with state and federal law, mandates and school department regulations
  4. Establishing a system of criteria, consequences and referral for investigating and addressing excessive absences, truancy, tardiness and dismissals and the failure to notify the school of the reason for the absence/tardiness/dismissal
  5. Establishing guidelines (by school) that provide reasonable opportunity for the student to make up work

Parents/Guardians and the Student Responsibility.  We really need your help with both the phone call and the note.

The responsibility to follow the law and regulations referenced above lies with the parents/guardians and students. Parents/guardians and students are ultimately responsible for regular and punctual school attendance.

Procedures to Report Absences

  • Phone Call Required

Parents/Guardians of all North Smithfield schools are required to call the school on the day of their child’s absence to inform office personnel of the absence.  The phone call must be followed with a note from the parent upon the student’s return to school.

**E-Mail is not an acceptable method of reporting a child’s absence or providing an excusal note.

  • Documentation Required for Absentees

A written note for any absence must be provided by the parent/guardian must include

The student’s name

  • The date(s) the student was out of school
  • A clearly stated reason for the absence
  • A parent/guardian signature
  • A doctor’s note is required after 5 or more days of consecutive absence.

If acceptable written documentation is not provided upon the student’s return to school, the absence will be considered an unexcused absence.
 

Please, make every effort to:

  • Plan vacations when school is not in session;
  • Schedule personal appointments for their child after school hours;
  • Arrange for make up work in a timely manner;
  • In cases of long-term illness, notify the school (teacher, school nurse, and principal) as soon as possible so that provisions may be made for appropriate instruction.

 

Excused Absences

An excused absence occurs when a student is not present at school or at a school-endorsed activity, but is temporarily excused from attendance (must be with a written parental note provided when the student returns to school) because he or she:

  • Is ill and attendance in school would endanger his or her health or the health of others; (including medical or dental visits that can not be scheduled after school hours);
  • Is absent for five (5) or more consecutive days due to illness (a doctor’s note and a visit to the school nurse may be required upon the student’s return).
  • Has a medical or dental appointment that cannot be scheduled outside of school hours (a doctor’s note is required).
  • Has a health emergency within an  immediate family member;
  • Has a death in the immediate family
  • Is observing a recognized religious holiday of his or her faith; and,
  • is participating in a verified legal court obligation
  • is participating in a college visit/military appointment  (prior approval required)
  • Is otherwise excused from school in accordance with NSSD policies.  Examples include; field trips, athletic contests, school assemblies, and nurse or guidance appointments.

*Again, for all of the aforementioned situations, upon the student’s return to school, students must have a written parental note or a doctor’s note where indicated.

*If no note is received within 48 hours after student returns to school, the absence will be considered unexcused.

Unexcused Absences/ Truancy

An unexcused absence occurs when a student is not present at school or at a school-endorsed activity, without acceptable cause. An unexcused absence is counted toward identifying a student as truant when it meets the local definition of unexcused.

  • Any absence from school without a parent/guardian’s knowledge and permission and/or when the required written documentation is not received/provided.  SEE * ABOVE.
  • Any student leaving school grounds without a school administrator’s permission – truant.
  • Family vacations (parents/guardians need to inform the school of a child’s absences due to vacation prior to their absence.)
  • A student is considered habitually truant if he/she has accumulated ten # (10) or more unexcused absences

# This threshold distinguishes between students who rarely have an unexcused absence and students who have a persistent or chronic pattern of unexcused absences.  Truancy is not a single event, but a pattern of incidents of unexcused absence from school.

Attendance Investigation

Any student who has accumulated 5 or more absences in any given quarter will be investigated.  The parent of any student who has accumulated ten (10) absences over the course of the school year will be notified in writing of this occurrence by the building principal/assistant principal. These situations will be investigated by the building principal/assistant principal.

Elements of this investigation will be documented and dated and may include:

  • notification in writing of the occurrence by the building principal/assistant principal
  • Review of the student’s attendance record
  • Phone call to parent
  • Parent conference
  • Filing of truancy petition
  • Referral to Superintendent { district’s Attendance Officer} or his/her designee

The results of such investigation may result in:

  • Referral to Truancy Court/Family Court

Tardiness to School and Early Dismissal from School
Tardiness and early dismissals disrupt the learning process. Students who are tardy miss important instruction and information.

Tardiness to School

Students are considered tardy when they arrive after the start time of school.  Parents must provide a written, clearly stated reason for tardiness.

 

Early Dismissal from School

Early dismissal occurs when a student leaves before the end of the school day. Parents must provide a written, clearly stated reason for the dismissal.

Tardy/ Early Dismissal Investigation

The parent/guardian of any student who has accumulated seven (7) or more instances of tardiness/early dismissal in any given quarter will be investigated by the building principal/assistant principal.

Elements of this investigation will be documented and dated and may include:

  • notification in writing of the occurrence by the building principal/assistant principal
  • Review of the student’s attendance record
  • Phone call to parent
  • Parent conference
  • Filing of truancy petition
  • Referral to Superintendent { district’s Attendance Officer} or his/her designee

 

The results of such investigation may result in:

  • Referral to Truancy Court/Family Court
     

Make Up Work

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian and student to arrange with his or her teacher to make up all academic work missed.  Reasonable - within 5 school days - make-up opportunities shall be offered.  Failure to do so can result in adverse academic consequences.


Thanks,

Stephen Lindberg

Superintendent