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Students are required to bring written documentation for absences within 5 days from the day they return from an absence. Parents who anticipate a student’s absence of more than five consecutive days should apply immediately for homebound instruction.

The principal shall approve or disapprove absences in excess of 10 (5 for semester classes). A medical note or other documentation will be required after a student accumulates 10 absences (5 for semester) in order to assist the principal in making that decision.

Absences with no documentation are automatically considered unlawful.

Students who accumulate 3 consecutive unlawful absences or a total of 5 unlawful absences will be considered truant. Parents/guardians and students (12 years and older) will be contacted to develop a written Attendance Intervention Plan. Failure to participate and/or adhere to the plan will result in a referral to the District Attendance Office and/or Family Court.

Lawful Absence(s)

• The student is ill and attendance at the school would endanger the student’s health or the health of others.
• There is a death in the student’s immediate family. Three absences per occurrence.
• There is a serious illness in the student’s immediate family. Absences of this nature should not exceed
• Recognized religious holiday of the student’s faith.
• Emergencies and/or extreme hardships at the discretion of the principal.

Unlawful Absence(s)

• The student is willfully absent from school without the knowledge of his/her parents.
• The student is absent without acceptable reason with the knowledge of his/her parents.
• The student is absent and fails to turn in an acceptable note within 5 days of the student’s return from an
• The student accumulates more than 10 absences and a medical note is not received.

Chronically Absent/Chronic Absenteeism

• Any student in grades K-12 who misses 50 percent or more of the instructional day for any reason for 10 percent (or more) of the enrollment period. 
• All types of absences (excused absences, unexcused absences, suspensions) contribute to chronic absenteeism. 

Truancy

• Truant: A child from age five until age seventeen years meets the definition of a truant when the child has three consecutive unlawful absences or a total of five unlawful absences. (Suspension is not counted as an unlawful absence for truancy purposes.)
• Habitual Truant: A child, ages 12 to 17, who accumulates two or more additional unlawful absences after an intervention plan has been developed by the school, parent/guardian and the child.
• Chronic Truant: A child, ages 12 to 17, who has been through the intervention process and who has reached the level of habitual truant, has been referred to Family Court and placed under a school attendance order, and continues to accumulate unlawful absences.