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Absences

Absences

If your child is absent, parents are requested to call the absentee hotline at 364.4440 and report the absence by 8:30 A.M. Please leave your child’s name, teacher’s name, and the reason for the absence. Please be as specific as possible as we report all contagious illnesses to the school nurse. Homework can be requested when reporting the absence. This will enable teachers to gather necessary materials by the end of the school day. The school office has voicemail available 24 hours a day to accept the message for a reported absence. If a child is not at school and the absence is not reported, every attempt will be made to contact you. It is essential that we have current home and work numbers in the office. Make-up work will be allowed for absences. There will be 2 days allowed for make-up work for each day of absence.

 

Attendance & Procedures

You will need to sign your child in (when arriving late) and out (when leaving early) at the school office. If your child has to leave early we can call your he or she down to the office once you are in the office. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

 

Absences: Vacation on School Days

Our goal, as a school, is to provide the best education possible for your child. We want all children who are not ill, to be present at school each day, so they can take full advantage of the curriculum and educational experiences presented by their teachers. As a staff, we notice that classroom lessons and assignments can be adversely affected during prolonged absences. If at all possible, please plan vacations to coincide with the school calendar. However, if it becomes necessary for your child to be absent from school for an extended period of time, please request, complete and sign the vacation notice form and return it to the school office prior to the absence. Please understand that after these absences, students will be expected to make up assignments and tests that were missed.

 

School Day Attendance

The State of Illinois has determined the number of minutes for students in grades K-8:

Arrival between 8:00-9:00am is a full day present.

Arrival after 9:00am is a half-day present.

Departure before 1:30pm is a half-day absence.

Departure after 1:30pm is a full day present.

As you can see, whenever your child is late or leaves early, their attendance will be counted as a half day. You will need to sign your child in or out whenever they arrive late or dismiss early. Please go directly to the school office. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

 

Tardiness     

School attendance is critical for each student to achieve his/her potential. A record of absences and tardiness will be kept on all students.  Assigning work to be completed at home cannot duplicate class activities. Class begins at 8:00 a.m.

Late arrivals cause unnecessary interruptions in instruction for all students. Any students not in their classroom by 8:00 a.m. are considered tardy and will need to report to the office to be signed in before going to their classrooms. Students who arrive late must be walked into the office and signed in.  (STAFF MEMBERS ON DUTY ENTER THE BUILDING AT 7:55). Tardiness may result in a parent conference and if warranted, possibly a truancy report being filed with the State of Illinois.

 

Attendance, Absences, and Truancy

*Guidance for this section is based on Board Policy 7:70, South Cook ISC recommendations, and ISBE attendance guidelines as reported on the Illinois School Report Card. 

The parent/guardian of a student who is enrolled must authorize all absences from school and notify the school in advance or at the time of the student’s absence. The parent or guardian should call the school absentee hotline to explain the reason for the absence.  If notification has not been made to the school on the day of a student’s absence, a school official will call the home to inquire why the student is not at school. If the parent or guardian cannot be contacted by phone, the school may reach out in other ways to ensure that the student is safe.  

 

Excused Absences: A valid cause for absence includes illness (including mental or behavioral health of the student), observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, attendance at a civic event, family emergency, other situations beyond the control of the student as determined by the Board, other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or safety, or other reason as approved by the Superintendent or designee. Students absent for a valid cause may make up missed homework and classwork assignments in a reasonable timeframe.

 

Unexcused Absences: All other absences not listed above, including family vacations,  are considered unexcused.  Students are allowed to make up any missed homework, projects, and tests upon their return to school from an unexcused absence.  If taking a family vacation during school days, please use this letter to notify your school and review additional information. 

Chronic Absenteeism: Student attendance is critical to the learning process. The state of Illinois considers students chronically absent if 10% or more of school is missed; this includes all excused and unexcused absences. Students who show patterns or indications of chronic absenteeism may require intervention. Intervention steps may include but are not limited to written parent notification, attendance contracts and plans, parent meetings, motivational groups, social work support, or other interventions.  Chronic absenteeism, regardless of the reason, is impactful on student ability to demonstrate grade level proficiency of learning standards and can have long-term impact on students. 

Truancy: A truant is any student who is absent from school without a valid cause. A chronic truant student is defined as one who is absent without cause for 5% or more days in the school year (9 days out of 180 days of student attendance).

Truancy is a serious issue and will be dealt with in a serious manner by the school and district. Students who miss 5% or more of the prior 180 regular school days without valid cause (as prescribed by Board policy) are considered chronic truants. Students who are chronic truants will be offered support services and resources aimed at correcting the truancy issue.

If chronic truancy persists after support services and other resources are made available, the school and district will take further action, including, but not limited to referral to the South Cook Truancy Department. This referral may result in notices of non-compliance, return to school deadline dates, and a court summons for a truancy hearing if the truancy persists. A parent or guardian who knowingly and willfully permits a child to be truant is in violation of State law.