Parent Information

The law in Michigan governing compulsory attendance requires a parent, legal guardian, or other person having control or charge of a child age six (6) to eighteen(18) to send the child to school during the entire school year, except under very limited circumstances specified in MCL 380.1561. The Board of Education (“Board”) as an agency of the State of Michigan is required to enforce the regular attendance of students. The Board recognizes that presence in the classroom enables students to participate in instruction, class discussions, and other related activities. Educators shall encourage regular attendance of students, maintain accurate attendance records, and follow reporting procedures prescribed by the Superintendent or his/her designees. As such, regular and timely attendance, and classroom participation are integral to instilling incentives for the student to excel. The classroom experience is of unique value and it cannot be duplicated by make-up work. Student interaction and the development of ideas through discussion are lost when a student is absent, tardy, or is dropped off late or picked-up early by a parent/guardian. A student's enrollment in a course is his/her commitment to attend all class sessions. Therefore, it is the intent of this policy to disallow students from being absent from class unless a situation exists which makes their absence absolutely necessary. The purpose of this attendance policy is to foster responsibility and reliability on the part of District students to attend all classes. Students will acknowledgegreater emphasis on attendance at school because credit in their classes will be contingent upon their presence.

A. School Attendance -Students are to be counted in attendance only if they are actually present for any portionof theschoolday or engaged in a school-approved educational activity which constitutes a part of the instructional program for the student.

B. Class Attendance -Students are to be counted in attendance if they are physically present in class for at least half of the class period, have been excused by the teacher on a class-related assignment, or have been requested by a member of the school support staff for an approved school activity.

C. Tardiness -A student is considered tardy if they are not present at the moment the school bell rings for the class assigned. NOTE: If a student is not present when attendance is taken but is present later in the school day, that student must be considered in attendance, but tardy, and the absence should be changed. A student who is tardy should never remain on record as being absent.

D. Early Sign-outs –Early release is discouraged within the final thirty (30) minutes of the school day.

Attendance is required of all enrolled students during the days and hours that the school is in session.

The Principal or his/her designees shall require, from the parent or legal guardian of each student or from an adult student who has been absent for any reason, a written statement confirmation of the cause for such absence for excused reasons. The student's parent or legal guardian shall inform the school when a student will be absent for excused reasons as soon as possible. Failure to report and explain the absence(s) shall result in an unexcused absence(s). The Principal shall have the final authority to determine the acceptability of the reason for the absence(s). The Superintendent and his/her designee(s) reserve the right to verify such statements and to investigate the cause of each:

A. single absence;

B. prolonged absence;

C. absence of more than two days duration;

D. repeated unexplained full and partial day absences and tardies;

E. repeated explained and unexplained early student pick-ups; and

F. repeated explained and unexplained late student drop-offs.

The Superintendent or his/her designees shall report infractions of the law regarding student attendance for students below the age of eighteen (18) to the proper internal and external authorities.

Excused Absences Brief illness, appointments, and family business are considered absences for purposes of meeting attendance policy requirements. An absence will be considered an "excused absence" if a parent/guardian contacts the school, and provides a reason for the absence. The absence, as well as the reason for the absence, will then be documented in our attendance system. Excused absences may include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. Personal illness of the student (medical evidence may be required by the Principal for absences exceeding five (5) consecutive days). The written statement must include all days the student has been absent from school. If a student is continually sick and repeatedly absent from school due to a specific medical condition, s/he must be under the supervision of a healthcare provider in order to receive excused absences from school;

B. Medically verified chronic illnesses –a statement signed by a physician;

C. Family emergency;

D. Recovery from accident;

E. Legally documented court subpoena, a required court appearance, or placement in detention at a juvenile center in which the student continues his/her education;

F. Professional appointments;

G. Death in the immediate family;

H. Observation or celebration of a religious holiday or service when it is mandated for all members of a faith that such a holiday or service should be observed, or for pre-arranged religious instruction (documentation of the religious affiliation of the student may be required by school officials);

I. Academic activity or school sponsored field trip directly related to the instructional outcomes of one (1) or more course;

J. Approved student activities such as Student Council, National Honor Society, class meetings, and academic/athletic competitions;

K. A short-term family commitment with prior notification of the absence being provided to the school administrator;

L. College visits;

M. Out of school suspension from school; and/or

N. Other individual student absences beyond the control of the parent or student, as determined and approved by the Principal (requires support documentation).

Long-term absenteeism, including excused absences, may lead to the failure of a course, the necessity to repeat a course, the possibility of retention, and/or the filing of a truancy petition.

Chronic absenteeism and habitual truancy are important predictors of school performance, including high school graduation. Average daily attendance rates often mask the number of students who are chronically absent -which equates to missing at least ten percent of the school year or approximately eighteen (18) school days for any reason.

Chronic absenteeism can be determined by comparing the number of absences in relation to the number of school days. Chronic absenteeism can be defined as excused, unexcused, and suspension days. These categories correlate to the multi-tier systems of support, and provide the recommended strategy to make positive impacts on chronic absenteeism.

Chronic absenteeism in the school district indicates the presence of a much larger salient issue. Thus, addressing chronic absenteeism will resolve other issues in the district as they relate to ensuring students have the resources to be successful, increasing student-family engagement, data-driven resource interventions, and enabling college-career readiness.

Levels of Chronic Absenteeism

1. Students who miss 5% or less of total school days are considered to have satisfactory attendance.
2. Students who miss 5%-10% of school days are at risk of becoming chronically absent.
3. Students who miss 10%-20% of total school days are considered chronically absent.
4. Students who miss 20% or more of total school days are considered severely chronically absent.