ATTENDANCE POLICY
I. Vision for School
Attendance:
The Board of Education (BOE) of the North Babylon School
District recognizes that regular attendance is critical for success in school
for all students. In order to meet the
New York State Regents’ goals of elevating student achievement to increasingly
higher levels and closing the gaps in student achievement, it is imperative
that students regularly attend schools to receive uniform and appropriate
instruction. Consistent school
attendance, academic success and school completion have a positive
correlation.
School attendance is both a right and responsibility in the
State of New York. Children have the
right to attend school between the ages of five and twenty-one. Mandatory attendance applies to children
between the ages of six and sixteen.
Parents are ultimately responsible to ensure that their children attend
school on a regular basis.
Everyday interactions and activities in school should
encourage students to attend and must prevent school failure. Bonding to school, being connected to the
people and to the place is a major factor in determining success. Schools that exhibit the following factors
will enhance student attendance:
A. a positive
physical and psychological environment
B. the
presence of strong adult role models in students’ lives
C. respectful
and nurturing interrelationships between adults and students
D. a high
level of student bonding to the school.
The goal of school attendance policies and programs is to
encourage students to come to school ready to learn. Traditionally, there have been five purposes for attendance in
school:
A. to instill
the ethic of exemplary attendance in all students
B. to know the
whereabouts of every student for safety and other reasons
C. to
determine the district’s average daily attendance for the purpose of generating
State Aid
D. to verify
that individual students are in compliance with Education Law in relation to
compulsory attendance
E. to identify
individual and group attendance patterns in order to provide attendance improvement
programs and services.
Accurate record keeping/data analysis systems, in
conjunction with the creation and maintenance of a positive school building
culture, form the basis for school attendance programs which can effectively
assist all students to meet or exceed the New York State Learning Standards.
II. Notice:
To achieve successful
results as a function of this project, the BOE endeavors to engage all
constituent groups within the school community in the development and
implementation of this policy. Parents,
students, teachers and administrators will be advised of this policy, its
purpose, procedures, and the consequences of non-compliance. To ensure that the BOE is successful in this
regard, the following procedure shall be implemented:
A. the attendance
policy will be included in student/parent handbooks on the elementary school
level and in the student handbooks (Agenda) in the Middle School and High
School. The policy will be reviewed
with students at the beginning of each school year. Parents will be asked to
sign and return a statement indicating that they have read and understand the
policy. A plain language summary will
also be made available to parents at the beginning of the school year. Upon registration, new entrants to the
District will be provided a copy of the policy.
B. When a
student cuts a class or is absent without excuse, the student’s parents will be
notified. Chronic absences or cutting
will initiate an administrative intervention and a review of the attendance
policy with both student and parent.
C. Annually,
during the beginning of the school year, a meeting will be held to explain this
policy and stress the parent’s responsibility for ensuring regular attendance
by their child(ren).
D. School
newsletters and publications will include periodic reminders of the components
of this policy.
E. Initially,
the District will provide a copy of the attendance policy to faculty and
staff. New staff will receive a copy
upon their employment. Annually
thereafter, faculty and staff will receive copies of the components of the
policy germane to their assignment.
Copies of the entire policy will be accessible to faculty and staff, as
well as parent and students in each building in the District. At the beginning of each school year,
faculty and staff will meet with administration in their respective buildings
to review the attendance policy and to clarify individual roles in its
implementation.
III. Excused and
Unexcused Absences:
An
excused absence is defined as
an absence due to personal illness, death in the family, religious observance,
quarantine, required court appearance, attendance at a health clinic, approved
college visit, or for other reasons as may be approved by Education Law, the
Regulations of the Commissioner of Education or the Board of Education.
Any other absence, e.g. class cut,
undocumented absence or tardiness, or unapproved early departure, is considered
to be an unexcused absence.
Parents (or legal guardians) must account
for all absences. It is the
responsibility of the parent/legal guardian to notify the school office on the
morning of the absence or lateness and to provide a written excuse upon the
student’s return to school.
Truancy is defined
as the unlawful, unexcused absence of a student during a scheduled school day,
whether for all or for part of the day.
ISS and OSS does not count towards the attendance policy.
IV. General
Procedures / Data Collection:
A. Attendance
will be taken during each class period.
(It is unnecessary to record attendance for each period if the student
does not change classrooms.)
B. At the
conclusion of each class period or school day, all attendance information shall
be compiled and provided to the appropriate individual responsible for
attendance.
C. The nature
of an absence shall be coded on the student’s record.
D. Daily
student absence and class cut data shall be made available as soon as practical
and should be reviewed regularly by the attendance officer or other appropriate
school personnel.
E. The school
nurse on the elementary school level and the attendance secretaries in the
Middle School and High School shall be the individuals responsible for
initiating action relative to attendance concerns. Building principals on all levels are the individuals ultimately
responsible to determine that appropriate follow-up occurs.
F. Where
additional information is received from a student during a student/staff
conference that necessitates corrections to a student’s attendance records,
such correction will be made as soon as possible and notice will be sent to
appropriate school personnel, such as homeroom teachers, attendance officer or
building principal. Chronic attendance
issues will be handled in this manner.
G. Attendance
data will be analyzed periodically to ascertain if there are meaningful
patterns or trends in student attendance.
H. Students
who are absent during a class period without permission shall be detained and
referred to the building principal or designee.
I. Monitoring
of class attendance will be thorough and continuous to identify students who
are cutting class.
V. Attendance
Incentives:
It is the responsibility of every student to attend school
regularly. Fundamental to the beliefs
underlying this policy is that the true
incentive for a student to attend school is to attain the quality education
that is being offered. Other, less
intrinsic, incentives that are recommended (optional):
A. Elementary
School:
1. Quarterly
acknowledgement over the PA system
2. Quarterly-posted
attendance honor roll
3. Quarterly
letter to parent/legal guardian
4. Annual, end
of the year acknowledgement certificate and breakfast
B. Middle
School:
1. Quarterly-posted
attendance honor roll
2. Quarterly
notice to parent/legal guardian
3. Annual, end
of the year acknowledgement certificate and breakfast
C. High
School:
1. Quarterly
notice to parent/legal guardian
2. Annual, end
of the year acknowledgement certificate
3. Perfect Attendance during high school for four
(4) years – student will be presented a framed certificate and be acknowledged
at the graduation ceremony.
VI. Disciplinary
Consequences:
A. Elementary
School:
1. The building
principal will contact the parent/legal guardian of students who are absent for
five (5) or more days within a five-week period.
2. The
building principal will contact the parent/legal guardian of students who are
tardy for five (5) or more days within a ten-week period.
B. Middle
School: See Class Attendance/Grade Policy – Secondary Schools.
C. High School: See Class Attendance/Grade Policy –
Secondary Schools.
VII. Attendance/Grade
Policy:
The Board of Education recognizes an essential relationship
between class attendance/student participation and student performance. Consequently each marking period, a
significant component of the student’s grade will reflect class participation,
as well as the student’s performance on homework, tests, papers and projects,
etc.
Students at all
levels are expected to attend all
scheduled classes. Consistent with the
value of class participation, any absence from class, which is not made up,
shall result in the student’s failure to receive credit for participation on
that day. This, of course, will affect
the student’s participation grade for the marking period and, ultimately, have
an impact upon their final average.
In implementing the policy as set forth above, students who
are unable to attend a class on a given day or period due to participation in
an event or activity sponsored by the school, e.g. music lessons, field trips,
guidance appointments, counseling sessions etc., must arrange with their
teachers to make up any missed assignments.
Educationally-related absences such as field trips, music
lessons, guidance appointments, counseling sessions, etc., will not count as
absences pursuant to this attendance policy.
However, it is incumbent upon the student to inform their class teacher prior to the anticipated absence for any
school-related activity.
Any student who misses a class is expected, upon their
return, to consult with his/her teacher regarding the missed assignment. If the absence is excused (see definition), the student may earn his/her class
participation grade by arranging an alternative assignment to cover the
material that was presented. Only those
students with excused absences will be given the opportunity to make up a test
and/or turn in a late assignment for inclusion into the calculation of their
final grade. Make-up opportunities must
be completed by the date specified by the teachers of the respective classes.
New entrants to the high school and middle school will have
their attendance prorated to reflect the attendance requirement.
VIII. Class Attendance
Grade Policy – Secondary Schools:
All students must maintain satisfactory attendance in each
class to be eligible to pass the course or to receive course credit for high
school courses.
Each lateness of fifteen (15) minutes or less counts as one-half
(1/2) of an absence. A lateness of more
than fifteen (15) minutes counts as a full absence.
For each quarterly marking period a student’s final grade
will be based upon class participation, homework, tests, papers, projects,
etc. Students with excused absences
will be afforded an opportunity to make up missed assignments.
Class cutting and/or unexcused lateness are also included in
the attendance requirement. In
addition, as violations of school rules, they carry additional penalties
pursuant to the District Code of Conduct including but not limited to
detention, supervision and In-School Suspension.
A student who loses credit as a function of unsatisfactory
attendance will be denied the following privileges for the remainder of the
school year:
1. to
participate in any school social event), including proms, banquets, and social
class trips (excluding high school graduation)
2. to
participate in school clubs or on school teams
3. to park on
school property
4. to be
eligible to enroll in a BOCES vocational education program in the future
Credit for these courses may be earned by
repeating the course the following year/semester or by attendance at summer
school, if the course is available.
Attendance at summer school is contingent upon continued attendance in
class.
A. Physical
Education:
A number of
options have been developed to assist students in meeting their Physical
Education requirements.
Students
with medical conditions will be required to attend Medical Physical Education
classes to make up for missed P.E. classes.
Medical excuses are never retroactive.
They must be submitted to the Nurse within two weeks of the onset of the
medical issue that affects the student’s ability to participate in Physical
Education. An “Until Further Notice” medical excuse will be valid for a maximum of
two months. At that time, the excuse
will either be updated or invalidated.
Students who are unprepared for P.E. class three (3) or more times
during a marking period will receive a failing grade for that quarter.
B. Chronic
Illness:
Students who suffer from a chronic illness which precludes their
attendance in school, and wherein the illness has been documented by a
physician’s note on file with the assistant principal and nurse, shall notify
the assistant principal following his/her seventh absence in an Alternating-day
Semester Course, twelfth absence in a Semester Course or twenty-fourth absence
in a Full-year Course. (See
explanations for the respective courses below.)
Reminder: Cutting
will invalidate the chronic illness exemption.
C. Mid-term/Final
Exams:
All middle
school (all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade) students
and high school students are required to take mid-terms and final examinations
in each subject area regardless of the year average. Absences require a doctor’s note, evidence of a required court
appearance, or a specific exemption by the building principal.
D. Transfers:
Students who transfer from one section to another on the same level,
e.g. English 10A, period three to English 10A, period four, will have their class
attendance transferred to the new class.
E. Other
Programs:
Students
attending classes at other facilities, such as Wilson Tech, the Alternative
High School, North Babylon Summer School, etc., will be subject to attendance
policies at that facility, except for that portion of their program for which
they attend North Babylon High School.
Students in In-School Suspension or scheduled for an evaluation by the
school psychologist, are not considered to be absent from class under this
policy.
F. Home
Instruction:
Students placed on home
instruction, and who attend sessions satisfactorily will not be held liable for
absences pursuant to this policy.
However, students who are on Home Instruction as a function of
violations of the Code of Conduct will not be permitted on school property
without prior permission of the building principal. Students who violate this caveat may be considered to be
trespassing; legal charges will be brought accordingly.
G. Summer
School:
Every student is required to
attend a minimum of twenty-one (21) class sessions out of twenty-three (23)
days of instruction. Each lateness of
fifteen (15) minutes or less counts as one-half (1/2) of an absence. A lateness of more than fifteen (15) minutes
counts as a full absence. Absences for
special events, e.g. previously scheduled vacations, sporting events, camps,
court appearances, etc., are not excused absences. These absences will count as regular
absences. Note: In order to
receive a participation grade, the student must attend 21 out of 23 days.
H. Procedure:
1. Ten Week
Course ( Meeting
every day for ten weeks)
a) Seventh
Absence: A loss of credit
letter is sent home to the parent. The
students loses credit for the course.
b) Fourth
Absence: A letter will be
sent home by the classroom teacher with a list of the dates absent. Contact by telephone will be made by the
teacher indicating that a final warning letter will be mailed home. A conference with an administrator is
required.
2. Alternating-day Semester Course (Meeting
every-other-day for one semester):
a) Fourth Absence:
The teacher reports the absence with dates of prior absences to the
grade level Dean and a final warning letter is sent home. Copies of the letter will be sent to the
Dean and Guidance Counselor. Contact by
telephone will be made by the teacher indicating to the parent/legal guardian
that a final warning letter has been mailed.
A conference with an administrator is required.
b) Seventh Absence: The student loses credit for the course. Students who continue to be absent will be
denied privileges as prescribed for full-year courses. A letter will be sent to the parent/legal
guardian by the building principal verifying that the student will be unable to
pass the course or will be denied course credit.
3. Semester
(Half-Year) Course (Course meeting every day for one semester):
a) Seventh Absence: A letter will be sent home
by the classroom teacher with a list of the dates absent. Copies of the letter will be sent to the
Dean and the Guidance Counselor.
b) Tenth Absence:
A second letter will be sent home by the classroom teacher with an
updated list of dates absent. Telephone
contact by the classroom teacher with the parent/legal guardian is
required. Copies of the letter will be
sent to the grade level Dean and the student’s Guidance Counselor. Student will be seen by the Dean. A conference with an administrator is
required. Final warning letters will be
sent.
c) Twelfth Absence: Student loses credit for
the course. Students who continue to be
absent will be denied privileges as prescribed in a full-year course. A letter will be sent to the parent/legal
guardian by the building principal verifying that the student is unable to pass
the course, or will be denied course credit.
4. Full Year Course (Meeting every day for two
consecutive semesters):
a) Fourteenth Absence: A letter will be sent home to the parent/legal guardian by the
classroom teacher with a list of the dates absent. Copies of this letter will be forwarded to the grade level Dean
and Guidance Counselor.
b) Nineteenth Absence: A second letter will be
sent to the parent/legal guardian by the classroom teacher with an updated list
of dates absent. Telephone contact by
the classroom teacher with the parent/legal guardian is required. Copies of the letter will be sent to the
grade level Dean and Guidance Counselor.
The student will be seen by the Dean.
A conference with an administrator is required. Final warning letter is sent.
c) Twenty-fourth Absence: Student loses credit for the course. Students who continue to be absent will be denied
privileges such as class dances, parking privileges, class prom(s), social
class trips, participation in extra-curricular activities, etc. A letter will be sent to the parent/legal
guardian by the principal verifying that the student will be unable to pass the
course and/or will not receive course credit.
If it becomes necessary for the principal to remove the student from
class for disruptive or insubordinate behavior, the student may be referred to
the Superintendent of Schools pursuant to Section
3214 of the Education Law with an accompanying recommendation for
additional consequences.
5. Appeals
concerning this policy may be made to the
Building Level Attendance Committee. This
committee is comprised of a building
administrator, classroom teacher, Guidance Counselor, Dean of Discipline and parent.
6. To discuss
your child’s attendance, a parent may contact his/her classroom teacher or
grade level Dean of Students.