5100
ATTENDANCE POLICY
The Board of Education recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success. Through implementation of this policy, the Board expects to reduce unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures and encourage full attendance by all students, maintain an attendance record keeping system, identify patterns of student absences, tardiness and early departures and develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.
Notice
To be successful in this endeavor, it is imperative that all members of the school community are aware of this policy, its purpose, procedures and the consequences of non-compliance. To ensure that students, parents, teachers and administrators are notified of and understand this policy, the following procedures shall be implemented.
- The attendance policy will be included in student handbooks and will be reviewed with students at the start of the school year.
- Parents will receive a plain language summary of this policy in the Parent Handbook distributed at the beginning of each school year.
- When a student is absent, tardy, or leaves early from class or school without excuse, designated staff member(s) will notify the student’s parent(s), by phone and mail, of the specific absences, tardiness and early departures, remind them of the attendance policy, and review absences, tardiness and early departures intervention procedures with them.
- The district will provide a copy of the attendance policy and any amendments thereto to faculty and staff in the Employee’s Handbook. New staff will receive a copy upon their employment.
All faculty and staff will meet at the beginning of each school year to review the attendance policy to clarify individual roles in its implementation.
- Copies of this policy will also be made available to any community member, upon request.
Excused and Unexcused Absences
Excused absences, tardiness and early departures are defined as absences, tardiness, and early departures from class or school due to personal illness, illness or death in the family, impassable roads or weather, religious observance, quarantine, required court appearances, doctor appointments, or such other reasons as may be approved.
All other absences, tardiness and early departures are considered unexcused absences.
All absences, tardiness and early departures must be accounted for. It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the school office on the morning of the absence, tardiness or early departure and to provide a written excuse upon the student’s return to school.
General Procedures/Data Collection
Effective beginning with the 2003-2004 school year, every building principal, along with the designated individuals in charge of reviewing pupil attendance pursuant to §104.1(i)(2)(ix) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, shall review pupil attendance records for the purpose of initiating appropriate action to address unexcused pupil absence, tardiness and early departure.
Effective beginning with the 2002-03 school year:
- Attendance will be taken at the start of each school day.
- By the conclusion of each school day, all attendance information shall be compiled and provided to the designated staff member(s) responsible for attendance.
- The nature of an absence, tardiness and early departure shall be coded on a student’s record. The coding system is consistent with regulations and based on a computerized student management system.
- For students at any instructional level who arrive late for or depart early from scheduled instruction, tardiness or early departure shall be recorded as excused or unexcused in accordance with the individual district’s comprehensive attendance policy.
- Student absences, tardiness and early departures data shall be available to and should be reviewed by the designated school personnel in an expeditious manner.
- Where additional information is received that requires corrections to be made to a student’s attendance records, such correction will be made immediately. Notice of such a change will be sent to appropriate school personnel subject to applicable confidentiality rules.
- Attendance data will be analyzed periodically to identify patterns or trends in student absences.
- Students in the hallways who are absent from a class without excuse shall be referred to the Building Principal’s office.
- Continuous monitoring will be conducted to identify students who are absent, tardy, or leave class or school early.
Register of Attendance
“Register of attendance” is defined as any written or electronic record maintained for the purpose of recording the attendance, absence, tardiness or early departure of a student.
In addition to the child’s name, date of birth, full names of parent(s) or person(s) in parental relation, and address where the pupil resides, the register of attendance must now include the following:
- Phone number(s) where the parent(s) in parental relation nay be contacted;
- Date of the student’s enrollment;
- A record of the student’s attendance on each day of scheduled instruction;
- A record of each scheduled day of instruction during which the school is closed for all or part of the day because of extraordinary circumstances including adverse weather conditions, impairment of heating facilities, insufficiency of water supply, shortage of fuel, destruction of or damage to a school building, or such other cause as may be found satisfactory to the Commissioner.
- The date when pupil withdraws from enrollment or is dropped from enrollment in the school.
Attendance Incentives
The District will plan and implement systems to acknowledge a student’s efforts to maintain or improve school attendance. For example, students with perfect attendance shall be identified and recognized with a certificate for their achievement.
Disciplinary Consequences
Unexcused absences, tardiness and/or early departures will result in disciplinary action consistent with the District’s Code of Conduct. Penalties may include denying students the privilege of participating in or attending extracurricular events.
Designed staff member(s) will notify the student’s parents promptly of their child’s unexcused absence, tardiness and/or early departure. At the discretion of the principal, the school social worker or other appropriate personnel may also be notified. Such staff member(s) shall remind parents of the attendance policy, explain the ramifications of unexcused absences, tardiness and early departures, stress the importance of class attendance and discuss appropriate intervention strategies.
Attendance/Grade Policy
The Board of Education recognizes an important relationship between class attendance and student performance. Consequently, each marking period a student’s final grade may be based on classroom participation as well as student’s performance on homework, tests, papers, projects, etc.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Consistent with the importance of classroom participation, unexcused absences, tardiness and early departures will affect a student’s class participation grade for the marking period.
In implementing the policy set forth above, students who are unable to attend school or a class on a given day due to their participation in a school-sponsored activity (i.e., music lessons, field trips), may arrange with their teachers to make up any work missed. This also applies to any student who is absent, tardy or leaves early from school or a class due to illness or any other excused reason.
All students with an excused absence, tardiness and/or early departure are expected upon their return to consult with their teacher(s) regarding missed work.
Students with excused absences, tardiness and early departures will be given the opportunity to make up a test or other missed work and/or turn in a late assignment for inclusion in their final grade. Make up opportunities must be completed by a date specified by the student’s teacher.
Students with unexcused absences, tardiness and early departures will be given the opportunity to make up a test or other missed work and assignments, at the direction of the principal.
Annual Review
The Board shall annually review building-level student attendance records and, if such records show a decline in student attendance, the Board shall revise this comprehensive attendance policy and make any revisions to the plan it deems necessary to improve student attendance.
Ref: Education Law §§1709; 3024; 3025; 3202; 3205-3213; 3225
8 NYCRR §§104.1; 175.6
1 st Reading & Adoption 6/24/02
5110
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AREAS
Elementary school students shall attend the school building serving the area in which their residence is located unless it is deemed advisable to assign students to a different school. Such areas shall be fixed by the Board on the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools.
If a student’s family moves to another school area within the district, the student may, upon recommendation of the Building Principal and approval of the Superintendent, complete the year in the present school.
The Superintendent shall maintain a map indicating the approximate attendance areas, and a record of the enrollment of each school.
In the event a parent wishes to transfer his/her child to another school within the District, the parent must provide a written request with sufficient documentation to the Superintendent of Schools. The Superintendent will review the request and may approve or deny the transfer. Each transfer request will be reviewed and renewed annually.
Refer to Policy #8410
1st Reading 5/24/05
2nd Reading and Re-adoption 6/21/05
5150
SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
Students who have been determined to be legal residents, or those who temporarily reside within the district as homeless children in accordance with the Commissioner’s Regulations, and who meet district registration requirements, are entitled to attend the district’s public schools. This policy and any accompanying regulations that regulate student enrollment are intended to ensure that the district’s educational programs and resources remain available for only those students who are legally entitled to benefit from them.
In the event that an application is made for resident student status on the basis of a domicile in the school district with a person other than a parent when a parent is alive and maintaining a residence outside the school district, the law presumes that the student’s residence is that of his or her parent. Accordingly, such applications for enrollment shall be treated as non-resident applications unless sufficient evidence is presented to establish that parental care, custody and control has been severed. In these cases, both parents and all persons claiming a custodial relationship are required to complete a District affidavit form. In appropriate cases, the requirement for an affidavit from a particular parent or parents may be waived for cause upon submission of adequate proof that the parent(s) whereabouts are unknown or that it is unreasonable to require an affidavit under circumstances (e.g. cases of child abuse).
In the event that an application from a parent or person in custodial relationship who is renting or residing with a relative or friend, both the owner and tenant shall be required to complete an affidavit in a form developed by the District administration.
Homeless children shall also be admitted when eligible pursuant to Section 100.2 of the Commissioner’s Regulations. The District Social Worker shall be responsible for the enrollment of homeless children.
A qualified resident child reaching the age of five (5) on or before December 1 of any year will be eligible to enter kindergarten in the preceding September. A qualified resident child reaching the age of five after December 1 will not enter Kindergarten until the following September. An original birth certificate or other acceptable proof of age shall be required.
A qualified resident child reaching the age of six (6) on or before December 1 of any year will be eligible for the first grade in the preceding September. Children reaching the age of six after December 1 will not enter first grade until the following September.
Exceptions: Children who apply for admission to the district on the basis of prior schooling outside the District will be placed in the grade recommended by the sending school if they have completed at least six (6) months in that grade.
Unless otherwise permitted by law, no child may be admitted into any school unless such child has a statement from a physician certifying (s)he has been immunized according to state regulations.
A student will be exempted from the above requirements when either: (a) a physician will testify or certify that administering the vaccine to the child is
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detrimental to his/her health under his/her present condition; or (b) a written statement is subscribed to and affirmed as true by a parent or guardian that the child belongs to a religious denomination whose teachings are contrary to the administration of immunizing agents; or (c) homeless students according to Commissioner’s Regulations.
Students entering from another school must present proof of age by an original birth certificate, a health certificate with proof of immunization, (including dates), a report card, and evidence of having passed the grade previous to the one he/she wishes to enter. Transcripts will be obtained from the school previously attended. The District’s policy for Kindergarten entrance will take precedence over a transfer. Moreover, all entering students must meet residency criteria as established by district policy.
Upon registration, all new students shall be required to present:
1. proof of date of birth,
2. record of immunizations and a health certificate from a licensed physician, and
3. proof of residency as listed below:
OWNER
• Original house deed and mortgage statement (current) or tax bill (most recent)
PLUS one of the following:
• LIPA bill, water bill, cable bill, telephone bill, bank statement, homeowner’s insurance policy, or the following three proofs: driver’s license, registration and insurance card.
PLUS
• Affidavit Form “A” attesting that the individual is the legal owner of the property.
RENTER
Lease or Rental Agreement
• Lease or rental agreement
• Affidavit Form “B”
PLUS
• Affidavit Form “A” (1) completed by the landlord including deed and either mortgage statement (current) or tax bill (most recent)
PLUS two of the following:
• LIPA bill, cable bill, telephone or cell phone bill, bank statement, renter’s insurance policy, voter’s registration card or the following three proofs: driver’s license, registration and insurance card.
No Lease or Rental Agreement
• Affidavit Form “B”
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PLUS
• Affidavit Form A(1) completed by the landlord including deed and either mortgage statement (current) or tax bill (most recent).
PLUS two of the following:
• LIPA bill, cable bill, telephone bill, bank statement, renter’s insurance policy, voter’s registration card or the following three proofs: driver’s license, registration and insurance card
PLUS two of the following:
• Social Services check
• Social Services correspondence
• Credit card bill
• Pay stub
• Health insurance documentation
• Current W-2 Form from employer
• Driver’s license, registration and insurance card
NON OWNER/NON RENTER
• Affidavit Form (B)
PLUS
Three of the following:
• Bank statement
• Voter’s registration card
• Social Services check
• Social Services correspondence
• Credit card bill
• Pay stub
• Health insurance documentation
• Driver’s license, registration and insurance card
PLUS
• Affidavit Form A(1) completed by the landlord including deed and either mortgage statement (current) or tax bill (most recent)
All enrollments shall be subject to verification of the facts of eligibility through, but not limited to, home visits by the district’s Registrar or other designated personnel. Upon determination that an application has been falsified or that residency within the district has terminated, the enrollment shall be immediately discontinued and appropriate tuition charged for such services that have been inappropriately rendered. The Assistant Superintendent for Business shall notify the School Attorney of all cases when such payments are not made in order that further actions for recovery can be instituted in a timely fashion. The school attorney shall send written notice to the parent(s) or guardian demanding payment for services rendered to non-resident student(s).
Ref: Education Law §§903; 904; 3202; 3208
Public Health Law §2164
1st reading 10/25/05
2nd Reading & Re-adoption 11/22/05
5150-R
SCHOOL ADMISSIONS REGULATION
The following regulations have been developed in order to regulate student enrollment within the district and to provide a mechanism to ensure that the district’s educational program and resources are provided to only those students who are legally entitled to benefit from them.
Student Registration
1. Every parent, guardian or person in custodial relationship shall complete the form entitled “School Registration Form” which will be available in the office of each school. The parent/guardian will submit the completed form, along with any other required proof to the Registrar (or designee), as outlined in this regulation.
2. The following documents, or their equivalents, as determined at the sole discretion of the Superintendent of Schools or designee, MUST be presented in order to have a student considered for enrollment within district schools:
A. Proof of Residence: All students MUST meet legal residence eligibility criteria in order to be considered for registration. These criteria are listed in the policy.
OWNER
- Original house deed and mortgage statement (current) or tax bill (most recent)
PLUS one of the following:
- LIPA bill, water bill, cable bill, telephone bill, bank statement, homeowner’s insurance policy, or the following three proofs: driver’s license, registration and insurance card.
PLUS
- Affidavit Form “A” attesting that the individual is the legal owner of the property.
RENTER
Lease or Rental Agreement
- Lease or rental agreement
- Affidavit Form “B”
PLUS
- Affidavit Form “A” (1) completed by the landlord including deed and either mortgage statement (current) or tax bill (most recent)
PLUS two of the following:
- LIPA bill, cable bill, telephone or cell phone bill, bank statement, renter’s insurance policy, voter’s registration card or the following three proofs: driver’s license, registration and insurance card.
No Lease or Rental Agreement
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