Attendance Policies

Regular attendance is essential for all students and plays a crucial role in achieving academic success. The school must enforce the compulsory attendance laws of the Commonwealth of PA.

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 parents' knowledge

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

Absence Notification

Each morning at 9:15 a.m., parents of students marked absent will receive an email and text message. If the text message fails to send, a voice message will be delivered in its place. Parents of students with a known absence (e.g. educational trip, multi-day illness, scheduled appointment) will not receive an absence notification. Please do not call the school office to report an absence. 

Returning an Excuse Card

A student absence can be reported by sending an excuse card or written note with your child when they return to school or by emailing the school's attendance mailbox (mm-attendance@l-spioneers.org) with information about the absence, including a photo of a signed note. Please ensure that the email is sent to the correct address; otherwise, it will remain unexcused. 

Excuse cards may be obtained from the homeroom teacher or the school 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. 

A student arriving late for homeroom (after 7:30 a.m.) must report directly to the attendance secretary in the Main Office and present a properly completed excuse card. Students who are less than two hours late without a legal excuse will be marked tardy. Some typical illegal excuses are: overslept, alarm failed, car trouble, and missed the bus. Students will be assigned lunch detention when tardy three to six times. The seventh and subsequent tardiness will result in after-school detention and/or other consequences.

Students 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 dismissal, the student should leave the class with all belongings, check out in the attendance office, and wait for someone to come and get them from the office area. Upon returning to school, the student must first report to the attendance office. 

To qualify for such a legal absence, parents should obtain a trip request form from the attendance office and submit the completed form to the assistant principal's office PRIOR TO SUCH AN ABSENCE. The request must include the nature of the trip, identify the adult supervision, and the dates of the trip. If inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances necessitate changing the date/time 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 (Please attach an itinerary as well).
• The student is completely responsible to make-up or make provisions for assignments with the teachers PRIOR to leaving on such trips.
• Failure to abide by this procedure may result in disciplinary action.
• The maximum number of days absent permitted under this policy is five (5) days/year.

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 attendance office. 

Students absent from school (other than for a 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 8:05 a.m. to be eligible to participate. After this time, a doctor's note must be presented for administrative approval for participation or attendance in an after-school activity or event. 

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.

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.