A student who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse three full days in one school year or is tardy or absent for more than any 30 minute period during the school day on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant and shall be reported to the attendance office or superintendent of the public school district.
In the event that the school suspects that a student is truant (absent from school without an acceptable excuse), the school administration will contact the parent/guardian. If the school suspects that the student is an habitual truant (absent three times in a school year without an acceptable excuse) and all resources at the school level have been exhausted, the school principal will notify the local public Child Welfare and Attendance authorities.
A student who has been reported once as a truant and who is absent again from school one or more days, or is tardy on one or more days, without an acceptable excuse, will be reported again as a truant to the attendance office of the local public school district. A student who has been reported as truant three or more times is considered an habitual truant and is subject to dismissal.
If a student has been absent without excuse, and it is impossible to contact the parent/guardian within 24 hours after repeated attempts, the attendance office of the local public school district, the local police department, Child Protective Services or all of those agencies will be notified.
Students who have been absent, all or any part of a day, must bring a written excuse to the homeroom teacher on the day they return. The note needs to be dated, reason for the absence given, and must have a parent or guardian's signature, even if the parent signed out the student in the office the previous day. This is a state requirement. On the first day of an absence parents are required to call or email the school office by 8:30 a.m. The school will call the parent at home or work to verify any absence. Too many absences may jeopardize the promotion to the next grade, even if the work is done at home. Excessive absences or tardies may jeopardize re-admission to St. Bernardine of Siena School the following year.
Prompt and regular attendance is important. Frequent tardiness indicates a lack of interest in school, disrupts the classroom, and inconveniences the staff. An unusual circumstance can cause an occasional tardiness; however, frequent tardiness will not be accepted. A student, who enters the classroom after 7:50am, must then report to the office to register the tardy.
