Regular attendance at school is a major factor in determining academic success. Students who are absent for more than thirty days during the academic year may be denied academic promotion.
Absences from school are defined as either Excused or Unexcused according to guidelines from the Pennsylvania School Code. Excused absences include illness, quarantine, impassable roads, recognized religious holidays, and urgent reasons, such as a death in the family or a court appearance. The state guidelines also permit an Excused Absence for Educational Trips, if a request is sent to the school prior to the dates of the trip. If no prior notice is received, the absence is classified as Unexcused.
Parents should call the school office on the first day that a child is absent from school. Give the child’s name, homeroom teacher, and reason for absence. Unless the absence will be for an extended period of time, please make arrangements with another child to have assignments brought home.
Upon returning to school from an absence, a student must submit a written excuse to his/her homeroom teacher as required by state law. If this excuse is not submitted within three days following the absence, the absence will be classified as Unexcused.
A written excuse should be given to the teacher for the following reasons:
According to the Pennsylvania School Code, Section 1332, “The absence of any pupil who remains out of school with or without his parent’s permission, and is not absent because of illness or for other urgent reasons, as defined in the School Code, shall be unexcused. Such absence will be recorded as 'unlawful-unexcused'” for a pupil who is under the compulsory attendance age.” Section 1333, “Any such child who has been absent three days, or their equivalent, during the term of compulsory attendance, without lawful excuse...shall be given written notice. If, after such notice is given..., attendance is again violated by the person, such person shall be liable... for referral to the magistrate.”
Parents and guardians of students who acquire excessive absences may be required to provide documentation from a physician indicating that the absences are relating to an existing medical condition.
A child is considered tardy, if he/she enters his/her homeroom after the second bell at 8:05 am. When a child is late, he/she must be signed in at the school office. Frequent tardiness may be reason for detention. Students who are tardy are NOT considered to have perfect attendance.