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 will be consulted about chronic Lateness and the child may be required to make up time missed. Lateness also affects report card grades for Character Development and Honors.

In the event of a school absence:

• Parents/Guardians are required to phone the Main Office 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.

• Early pick-ups will not be permitted after 2:40 p.m. This disrupts the class/school dismissal process.

• 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.

When the child returns to school:

• a completed absence form/note must be given to the teacher. (See Appendix.)

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. Our school follows NYS attendance policies. The State dictates that any absence not followed by a note from the Parent/Guardian will be listed as an illegal absence. 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, please refer to the section on “Release of Children.”

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.

Lateness Policy

Students in grades 1-8 should report to the yard or the cafeteria, depending on weather conditions, between 8:00- 8:10 a.m. each day. Students who enter the building after their class line has left the yard or cafeteria are considered late (8:10) and are required to enter through the main door and report to the Main Office for a late pass. Students may not enter class while Morning Prayer and Announcements are in progress.

Punctuality is important. Students who arrive late to school/class disrupt the educational flow of the classroom. Arriving late demonstrates a disregard for school and class rules and will be reflected in the Character Development portion of the Report Card.

An accumulation of 6 times late during a quarter will result in the student’s conduct grade dropping a full grade on the Report Card. For example: If a student earns the Conduct Grade of ‘B’ for the 1st Quarter, but the student has been late 6 times, the Conduct Grade will become ‘C’. This change in the Conduct Grade will prevent a student from receiving honors.

Parents/Guardians will be consulted about chronic lateness.