Attendance

Excused Absence: A child is legally absent from school for the following reasons: sickness, sickness or death in the family, impassable roads or extreme weather; all other absences are unexcused.

Lateness: A child should come to school even though he/she may be late. All lateness is recorded and marked on the report card.

Parents/Guardians will be consulted about chronic lateness, and the child may be required to serve detention or make up time missed.

When the child returns to school, a completed absence form must be given to the teacher. (Download the Form here.) This form is distributed at the beginning of the school year and contains appropriate spaces for the child’s name, date of absence, class, reason for absence, and the signature of a Parent/Guardian.

Doctor or dental appointments should be scheduled for after school or on days when school is not in session. Family vacations are not to be planned for those days when school is in session. The school provides families with an annual calendar to insure that does not happen. If it is necessary for a child to be dismissed during the school day, the Parent/Guardian or adult chosen by the Parent/Guardian MUST come to the school for the child. The school must be informed ahead of time about such occurrences.

In the event of a school absence:

• Parents/Guardians are required to phone the school by 9:00 a.m.
• Absence notes are still required in addition to the phone call.
• An illegal absence will be recorded if a note is not received or if the reason for absence is considered as a unexcused absence as defined by the State
• Excessive unexcused absences will be reported to the NYS Bureau of Attendance.
• In the event of an emergency if a student must leave school early, a note should be sent to the teacher who will forward it to the office for approval by the administration.
• A student may leave school only if accompanied by an authorized adult who should report to the office to follow required sign out procedures.
• A student is never allowed to leave school alone during the school day.
• Students who are absent from school for any reason cannot participate in any after school activity, sporting event, practice, etc. on the day that classes have been missed.

Students are encouraged to achieve a good record of attendance. This includes punctuality each morning. Students may not attend school when they are sick doing so may cause others to also become ill. Students should not be encouraged to achieve perfect attendance at the risk of putting others at risk of illness. Parents /Guardians must abide by the guidelines provided by the school nurse for attendance. This information is listed on our school web-site.