North Bellmore UFSD
ATTENDANCE POLICY
(AR-5111)

Statement of Objectives

The North Bellmore Union Free School District Encourages all students to attend class on a regular basis. Regular attendance at school is a critical part in assuring that students achieve their maximum potential both academically and socially.

In addition to encouraging students to attend school on a regular basis, the district will monitor, record and report attendance data as required by the regulations of the State of New York. Such monitoring and reporting will also be done to assure that the whereabouts of all students is known for reasons of safety.

Strategies to be Employed to Accomplish the Objectives

All teachers are required to take attendance at the beginning of their class. Such attendance is to be recorded in a manner prescribed by the district. Daily absence reports will be prepared and reviewed by the building principal. Such reports will indicate the children who are absent as well as those who are late arriving.

Parents/guardians will be instructed at the beginning of every school year that they are to notify their child’s school no later than 9:00 a.m. of their child’s absence or lateness. In notifying the school, the individual in the school receiving the message will record who called, the name of the child, the grade, the teacher and the reason for the absence or lateness. In the event a call is made to the school and the call is answered electronically, the parent/guardian will be instructed to leave the above information as well as a telephone number where they can be reached. The school nurse will then make a call to the parent/guardian to confirm the information left as a recoded message.

In the event a child is absent from school and no parental/guardian notification was received, the school nurse will make calls to the parent/guardian’s home and/or work telephone numbers to determine a reason for the absence. Should the nurse not be able to contact the parent/guardian, they will report the situation to the building principal for further follow-up.

It is expected that the parent/guardian will contact the school each day that their child is to be absent unless a prior arrangement is made. The acceptability of such arrangements must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the building principal.

When children are attending a school-sponsored function outside of the building (i.e., field trips) it is the responsibility of the teacher in charge to take attendance upon arrival at the location, as well as prior to departure from the location. Based on factors such as location, length of time, number of students involved, etc., teachers and their building principal should agree on the need and frequency of taking attendance at additional times prior to the date of the function.

All daily attendance data will be recorded in a student administration system. Attendance records of students will be reviewed by teachers as well as the building principal to determine any patterns of excessive absence or lateness.

Upon return to school after an absence, a child must present a written statement from their parent/guardian stating the child’s name, the date(s) absent, and the reason for the absence. The teacher should collect the written statement from the child upon their return to school and forward it to the school office.

Maintenance of Attendance Records

The district is committed to maintaining complete and accurate attendance records for all students. Furthermore such records are to be kept in a standardized form regardless of the school a child attends. Such form will be prescribed by the Superintendent and may change from time to time as necessary.

Definition of Excused and Unexcused Absences

A child will be deemed to have had an excused absence if they were not in school for reasons of:

Any absence for reasons not mentioned above will be deemed to be an unexcused absence.

To assist in assuring that student attendance records are complete and accurate, a standard set of codes for recording the categories of absence or lateness will be prescribed by the Superintendent and utilized throughout all district schools.

Parental/Guardian Involvement in Assuring Student Attendance

A parent/guardian is to notify the school prior to 9:00 a.m. if their child will not be attending school. In the event a child does not arrive at school and no notification was received of the child’s absence, the school nurse will make every attempt to contact the parent/guardian. If the parent/guardian cannot be reached, the matter will be brought to the attention of the building principal. The principal will be responsible for determining an appropriate course of action including but not limited to contacting the emergency contact designated for the child, interviewing siblings and/or visiting the home. In the event no satisfactory explanation is received for the child’s absence, the principal will notify the Superintendent and the matter will be escalated as deemed appropriate.

If, upon reviewing the attendance records of a child, the building principal feels there is excessive absence or lateness and/or an unacceptable pattern of absence, they will contact the parent/guardian.

The first contact will be a verbal contact at which time the parent/guardian will be advised of the concern and requested to assist in rectifying the situation. If there is no immediate and sustained improvement in the attendance of the child, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian advising them of the district’s concern and indicating that the matter has been referred to the Superintendent of Schools.

If the Superintendent, upon contacting the parent/guardian feels that the absence/lateness record of the child is not justifiable, the matter will be brought to the attention of the Board of Education with a recommendation as to what further action the district should take in order to assure that the child’s well being, as well as education are assured.

Communication of the District Attendance Policy

A summary of the district attendance policy will be prepared and furnished to parents annually in conjunction with other pertinent information regarding the district.

Review of the District Attendance Policy

The Board of Education will review the district attendance policy annually and make changes as appropriate.