ABSENCES WITH ACCEPTABLE EXCUSES
Any student who has been absent is required to present to the homeroom teacher a written excuse signed by a parent/guardian stating the reason for the absence. These excuses shall be kept on file until the end of the school year. Any prolonged absence without prior notification to the school, exceeding 3 days requires a written note to be put in the student file.
If a student has had any contagious or communicable disease, a note from a doctor or health department must be presented before the student is re-admitted to class.
If a student of grades K-8 has been absent or will be absent for a number of days, a parent/guardian needs to clear this in writing with the principal and give teachers adequate time to prepare assignments. These absences should be kept to a minimum since the student misses the instruction that precedes the assignments. Additional work may be required upon the student’s return. Parents and students are responsible for asking teachers for all missed work and working with the teacher to complete all makeup work and tests missed in a timely manner. For every day a child is absent, they have one day to make up the work if it is an excused absence.
Excused absences include illness, medical or dental appointments, funeral services for family members, quarantine directed by city or county officials, or emergencies or special circumstances as determined by the school.
If a student is habitually truant and parents cannot be reached by email or phone, this could affect the student’s academic standing and promotion to the next grade level. This could also signal law enforcement and trigger a call to the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS).
Schools may establish a policy for determining what constitutes excused and unexcused absences. Excessive unexcused absences may result in the loss of academic credit.
