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Attendance Policies

To receive maximum benefit of the instructional program, children need to attend regularly. Occasionally, however, illness or other legitimate reasons necessitate that a child miss school:

Absence

  • Any student of compulsory attendance age as defined in the PA School Code, age 18 or below, after three (3) illegal absences will receive a first offense notice and the absences will be defined as “truancy”. If the student continues to incur additional illegal absences after this notice has been issued, the school will offer a Student Attendance Improvement Conference.
  • Once a student accrues six (6) or more days of illegal absences, the student will be deemed “habitually truant”, and will be addressed as required by the PA School code in the following manner.
  • The school MUST refer the student to either: (1) a school-based or community-based attendance improvement program or (2) the county children and youth agency (CYS) for service or possible disposition as a dependent child under the Juvenile Act. Additionally, the school may file a citation against the parent of a habitually truant student under eighteen (18) in a magisterial district court.      
  • Each morning at 9:15 a.m., parents of children marked absent will receive an automated email and text message. A voice message will be delivered if the text and email fail to send. Parents of students with a known absence (e.g., educational trip, multi-day illness, scheduled appointment) will not receive absence notifications. Please do not call the school to report an absence.
  • Upon returning to school, students must provide a written excuse including the reason for the absence(s), date(s) of absence, and parent or guardian signature.  Excuse cards may be written at home, signed by a parent or guardian, and a photograph of the note may be emailed to ECC-attendance@l-spioneers.org.
  • Absences for which a note indicates the student attended an appointment must be followed up with a note from the provider or the provider’s office within 5 days of the absence.  Without a provider note, the absence will be recorded as unexcused.    
  • Absences for which excuse notes are not submitted within 5 days will be recorded as unexcused.
  • A child who reports after 10:00 a.m. or leaves before 2:00 p.m. will be considered to be absent for one-half day.  

Excused Absences

Reasons for excused absences include illness, death in the family, family emergency, and educational trips. Absences for educational trips will only be excused with prior approval from the building principal upon receipt of the Trip Request form. The necessary Trip Request form is available in each school office and on the school website. A note to the teacher requesting that work be sent along with a child should be received at least one week prior to the trip. 

The maximum number of days absent permitted under this policy is five (5) days per year. Upon accumulation of 15 days of absence, a doctor's note will be required for any/all subsequent absences. 

Tardy

Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. for the AM session or 12:40 for the PM session will be considered tardy and should report to the office with their parent or guardian to sign in before going to their classrooms. 

Excuse Cards

Excuse cards are needed for each absence, even if the absence is a partial day for a doctor or dentist appointment. Since the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires excuse cards for all excused absences, we are forced to mark absences without excuse cards as unexcused, regardless of the reason. Please complete an excuse card and return it as soon as your child returns to school. An excuse card can be written on any piece of paper, and may be submitted electronically as long as there is a photograph of an original signature. Parents are encouraged to write a note with an original signature, take a picture of the note, and email it to the main office.  The only notes that will be accepted via email will be those that contain photos or scans with original signatures.  Please send to ECC-attendance@l-spioneers.org.