Attendance is essential to school success, but too often students, parents and schools do not realize how quickly absences - excused or unexcused - can add up to academic trouble. Improving student attendance is essential and a highly effective way for ensuring our students are on-track to learn and succeed.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
- Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
- By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three warning signs that a student may drop out of high school.
- By 9th grade, regular attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
- Missing 10 percent or about 18 days of the school year can drastically affect a student’s academic success.
- Students can be chronically absent even if the only miss a day or two every few weeks.
- Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job.
NEW STATE LAW REGARDING UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
Page County Public Schools are required to comply with the following:
5 Unexcused Absences
Meet with school administration and develop an Attendance Improvement Plan
6 Unexcused Absences
Meet with school administration and review and/or revise Attendance Improvement Plan
7 Unexcused Absences
File a criminal charge against parent for contributing to the delinquency of a minor OR file a Child in Need of Supervision (CHINS) petition on the student with Page County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court
Click HERE for a copy of the Attendance Policy for Page County Public Schools.
Students who are absent must bring a note within three days of their absence stating reason(s) for their absence. If this does not happen, the absence may be considered unexcused, despite the reason.
Examples of an excused absence may include, but are not limited to, the following reasons: funeral, illness (including mental health and substance abuse illnesses), injury, legal obligations, medical procedures, suspensions, religious observances, military obligation, field trips and school-related activities, extenuating circumstances determined by the school administration.