Absence

Every attempt should be made to confine necessary appointments to after school, weekends and vacation periods. When a parent determines that an absence is necessary, parents are requested to contact the attendance line before 8 a.m. on the day of the absence. 

If it is not possible to telephone the school on the day of absence, the parent is requested to send a written excuse to the school on the date of the student’s return. The student should submit the excuse directly to the main office upon arriving on campus. 

Chronic Absenteeism

A student whose total number of absences at any time during a school year is equal to or greater than 10 percent of the total number of days that such student has been enrolled at such school during the school year is considered to be a “chronically absent child.” Such a student will be subject to review by the attendance review team and the chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan developed by the State Department of Education. The District will also collect and analyze data on student attendance, truancy and chronic absenteeism for students with disabilities.

Excused Absence

A student’s absence from school shall be considered “excused” only if a written documentation of the reason for such absence has been submitted within ten (10) school days of the student’s return to school and meets the following criteria:

A. For absences one through nine, a student’s absences from school are considered “excused” when the student’s parent/guardian approves such absence. 

B. Students receive an excused absence for the tenth absence and all absences thereafter, when they are absent from school, and appropriate documentation is submitted to school officials, for the following reasons:

1. Student illness, verified by a licensed medical professional, regardless of the length of the absence.

2. Students observe a religious holiday.

3. Death in the student’s family or other emergency beyond the control of the student’s family.

4. Court appearances which are mandated. (Documentation required)

5. The lack of transportation that is normally provided by the district other than the one the student attends.

6. Extraordinary educational opportunities pre-approved by District administration and in accordance with Connecticut State Department of Education guidelines.

7. Additional 10 days for children of military service members.

A phone call with no written follow-up will automatically be coded as an unexcused absence. The responsibility for makeup of work lies with the student, not the teacher. Unless a student has an extended illness, all makeup privileges must be completed within a reasonable amount of time after the student returns to school. Typically, a student would be given the same amount of time that the student was absent from school to make up work (e.g., a student absent for one day would have until the next class block to make up assignments). The student should make arrangements with his/her teacher.