Attendance and Tardies

Please remember that absences are detrimental to a student’s education. There is no substitute for the direct and strategic instruction provided in the classroom. There is a clear correlation between student growth and the number of absences!

Students must be present for 3 hours 15 minutes to be counted present.

Absences

As per Board of Education policy, absences are only deemed lawful for the following reasons: illness, injury, death in the immediate family, medical appointments, court/administrative proceedings, religious observations, quarantines, educational absences, and military deployment of family members. If these reasons apply, a note from a parent or a doctor needs to be submitted to the school within 3 days. All absences, tardies, and early leaves are recorded as unexcused until the Data Manager receives the written note AND it meets the Union County Public School Attendance Policy (BOE Policy 4-1), then the absence will be recorded as excused.

If your child is absent for any other reason, it is considered unlawful and the following state law is followed:

3rd unlawful absence - letter sent home
6th unlawful absence - letter sent home, attendance counselor may communicate with family
10th unlawful absence - conference with principal, possible referral to truancy court.
20th unlawful absence - possible retention

Educational Absences

A parent may request that a trip being taken by a student be considered an educational opportunity and therefore be eligible for “excused absence” status. A parent desiring to do this needs to submit a completed Educational Opportunity Request Form to the principal one week prior to the trip, with the purpose of the trip, along with the dates of the trip and the rationale for being considered an “educational opportunity.” An absence will not be considered excused without prior principal approval. Solely notifying a teacher does not constitute a request for an educational absence. Do remember that at the end of the year, all absences are added together in one total, regardless of absence status, and 20 days of absences can result in retention.

Make-up Work

Tardies

Students need to be in their classrooms by 7:25 with instruction starting at 7:30 a.m. Students arriving after this time miss valuable beginning of the day directions. Students arriving after 7:30 a.m., or the conclusion of the car line, will need to check in through the office. All tardies/early sign-outs will be addressed at the school level.

7:00 a.m. – The building opens for students.
7:25 a.m. – Warning bell, signs outside are turned.
7:30 a.m. – Final bell, No student is admitted to class after this without checking into the office.
Parents need to exit their car and sign students into the office, but cannot escort their students to class.

Check-Out Procedures

A student must be present for 3 hours and 15 minutes to be counted present. If it is necessary for your child to be dismissed early, please update School Dismissal Manager with a "Leaving Early" exception in order for necessary assignments to be obtained prior to check-out. The following procedures need to be followed when signing your child out early:

Provide a photo ID. If you do not have a picture ID with you, you will be asked to retrieve it.
Come to the door and ring the bell to contact the office.
The office will call your child's teacher to have him/her sent to the office for dismissal if the teacher has not already sent them up.
Students should not be checked out of school after 1:30 p.m.

BOE Policy

Read the complete Union County Board of Education Attendance Policy 4-1 here.

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Attendance and Tardies