Attendance Policies

Excuse cards may be obtained from the homeroom teacher or office. Cards will not be sent home by the school after each absence. 

A completed excuse card signed by the student's parent or legal guardian MUST be presented to the homeroom teacher upon returning to school. Students are not permitted to sign excuse cards.

The mere fact that a parent or guardian has sent a written excuse to school does not necessarily mean the absence is excused. An absence becomes excused only when approved by a designated school official. 

The following are considered legal absences:

• Illness
• death in the family
• impassable roads
• quarantine
• exceptionally urgent reasons

The following are considered not legal absences:

• unapproved trips (hunting, fishing, shopping)
• absence without parent's knowledge

Failure to return an excuse card after five school days will ultimately result in the absence being recorded as unlawful.

Phone call home system will be activated each day to notify parents that their child is not in school. Parents may call into the school instead, but should not consider this call acceptable in lieu of a written excuse to be turned in to the school.  

Three unlawful absences result in a first offense notice. Additional unlawful absences result in referral to the District Justice for prosecution as required by the PA school code. Act 29 of 1995 stipulates fines of up to $300 and potential delay in applying for a drivers license up to one year.

 

Student in need of an early dismissal must go to the attendance office with a parent-signed excuse card or note the morning of the dismissal. Their dismissal time will appear on the daily bulletin. At the time of the dismissal, the student should go to the main office and leave via the front door. Upon returning to school, the student must first report to the office.

To qualify for a legal absence, parents should fill out a trip request form and submit it to the office prior to the absence. The request must include the following: the nature of the trip, adult supervision, and dates of the trip. If inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances necessitate changing the dates/times of the trip, this must be cleared by the school official. 

• The educational value of the proposed trip or tour should be clearly stated if approval is to be granted. 
• The student is completely responsible to make up or make provisions for assignments with teachers prior to leaving on the trip. 
• The maximum number of days absent permitted under this policy is five days per year. No absences will be permitted during the first and last five school days. Exceptions to these provisions will be granted by the superintendent only under exceptional extenuating circumstances. 
• Special circumstances, such as "take your child to work day" may be considered legal absences. Prior request and notification must be made to the school office. 

After an excessive number of excused absences (10), a letter will be sent to parents. If absences continue to occur, attendance, state guidelines stipulate notification be made requiring a medical excuse for all future absences.

A student arriving late for homeroom (after 7:45 a.m.) must report directly to the attendance/guidance office and present a properly completed excuse card. Students less than two hours late without a legal excuse will be marked tardy. Some typical illegal excuses are: overslept, alarm failed, car trouble, missed the bus. Students will be assigned lunch detention when tardy three to six times. The seventh and subsequent tardies will result in other consequences.

Students absent from school (other than for an pre-approved reason) are not permitted to attend or take part in any after school activities. Students involved in athletics, after school activities, or school productions must arrive by the start of third period (9:30) to be eligible for their participation.