PARENTS
Skip to content
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance:
Once your child is enrolled in grades K-12, they are subject to attendance laws in Pennsylvania. When a child is absent from school, he/she misses a day of learning. Since each day’s learning builds upon previous information, it is essential children attend school regularly. As a parent/guardian, you can help your child to see attendance as an important part of his/her education in the following ways:
Do not keep your child home for minor ailments.
Show an active interest in your child’s activities.
Encourage your child to develop good time management habits.
Compliment your child on his/her accomplishments.
Refuse to write false excuses.
Discuss your child’s school day with him/her.
Encourage your child to be involved in school activities.
Participate in school activities yourself.
When a child is absent from school, a written excuse indicating the child’s full name, date(s) of absence(s), and reason for being absent and signed by the parent or legal guardian must be presented to the office within 3 days.
If no excuse is received, the absence will automatically be coded unexcused/illegal. All unexcused/illegal absences that total 3 days and beyond are referred to the school principal. Act 29 of the Pennsylvania Public School Code makes the following provisions for any or all of the consequences for unexcused/illegal absence from school:
Payment of fine not exceeding $300, plus costs
Required community service for a period of up to six (6) months (This applies to parents/guardians of a child 12 years of age or younger.)
Completion of a mandatory parenting education program
Ten days absence will generate a letter home indicating a learner’s attendance status and stating that a doctor’s excuse will be required for future absences to be excused/legal.
Attendance at School Sponsored Events:
If a learner is not in school during the day, they are not permitted at school-sponsored events that evening.
Tardiness:
Children arriving after 7:50 AM (Secondary) and 8:50 AM (Elementary) will be considered tardy. A child is permitted four (4) unexcused tardies per year. An unexcused tardy is defined as one in which a child is not signed in by a parent/guardian, does not have an acceptable written excuse from a parent/guardian, and/or does not have a doctor’s excuse for an appointment that day. If there are an exceptional number of tardies, even with a parent/guardian sign-in or excuse, we reserve the right to begin coding them illegal at our discretion. They will then be subject to the above-stated consequences, including referral to the building principals.
Arrival/Dismissal:
Learners arriving by car may be dropped off no earlier than 8:30 for breakfast. For safety reasons, learners are not permitted to arrive prior to 8:40 AM unless they are involved in the breakfast program or a scheduled before-school program. A learner’s arrival at school between the hours of 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM is considered a half-day absence. A learner arriving at school after the hour of 1:30 PM is considered a full-day absence. Learners leaving school for scheduled appointments will be given a Dental/Medical form that will need to be signed by the doctor or dentist and handed in to the office upon return to school. If the form is not returned within 3 school days, the day will be coded illegal or unexcused.