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ABSENCES AND EXCUSES
In order for the Board of Education to fulfill its responsibility for providing a thorough and efficient education for each pupil, the complete cooperation of parents/guardians and pupils is required to maintain a high level of school attendance. The frequent absence of pupils from classroom learning experiences disrupts the continuity of the instructional process and limits the ability of pupils to complete the prescribed curriculum requirements successfully. A pupil must be in attendance for 164 or more school days in order to be considered to have successfully completed the instructional program requirements of the grade/course to which he/she is assigned. A waiver of these attendance requirements may be granted for good cause by the school principal upon recommendation of a review committee, appointed by him/her, and consisting of representative staff, including pupil service personnel and classroom teachers. In recommending the granting of a waiver of this attendance requirement, the review committee shall consider the nature and causes of all absences rather than only those in excess of 16 days. Documentation of the nature and causes of these absences shall be the responsibility of the pupil and parent/guardian. Missing Children Morris School District recognizes the safety of its pupils as a consideration of utmost importance. The removal of children from school prior to the end of the school day may constitute a deprivation in itself and could be an indicator of abuse. The Board directs the Superintendent to develop administrative rules, regulations and procedures (ARRPS) which will include provisions for:
The Board will report to appropriate authorities infractions of the law regarding the attendance of pupils below the age of 16. Repeated infractions of board policy requiring the attendance of enrolled pupils over the age of 16 may result in the suspension or expulsion of the pupil. It shall be the policy of the Board to consider the effectiveness and appropriateness to his/her needs of the educational program that is offered each pupil who is habitually and repeatedly absent from his/her assigned program and to consult with the child study team for its recommendations. Excused Absences The Board considers the following as cause for excused absence:
Regular Release of Pupils Before the End of the Normal School Day There are varying situations which may justify release of certain pupils from school before the normal time for closing. Such situations are justifiable only if the release does not jeopardize the pupil's educational program and the reasons for such release can be shown to have positive benefits for the pupil. Late Arrival and Early Dismissal The Board recognizes that from time to time compelling circumstances will require that a pupil be late to school or dismissed before the end of the school day. As the agent responsible for the education of the children of this district, the Board shall require that the school be notified in advance of such absences by written request of the pupil's parent/ guardian, which shall state the reason for the tardiness or early dismissal. Justifiable reasons may include:
Legal Custody A record shall be kept indicating the legal custodian of each pupil. Such custodian shall be responsible for informing the Board of any change in the pupil's custodian. If one parent/ guardian has been awarded custody of the pupil in a divorce settlement, the other parent/ guardian shall present to the principal a letter authorizing him/her to accompany the child from school before the child may be released to him/her. The principal may take such steps as seem necessary to ensure that the child is released only to proper custody. Regulations The Superintendent shall develop procedures for the attendance of pupils which:
September 24, 2001 First Reading October 8, 2001 Approved Legal References: N.J.S.A. 18A:11-1 General mandatory powers and duties N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.9 Pupil promotion and remediation; policies and procedures N.J.S.A. 18A:36-14, -15, -16 Religious holidays; absence of pupils on; effect ... N.J.S.A. 18A:36-19a Newly enrolled students; records and identification N.J.S.A. 18A:36-24 through -26 Missing children; legislative findings and declarations ... N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25 Attendance required of children between six and 16; exceptions N.J.S.A. 18A:38-26 Days when attendance required; exceptions N.J.S.A. 18A:38-27 Truancy and juvenile delinquency defined N.J.S.A. 18A:38-31 Violations of article by parents or guardians; penalties N.J.S.A. 18A:38-32 District and county vocational school attendance officers N.J.S.A. 18A:40-7 Exclusion of pupils who are ill N.J.S.A. 18A:40-8 Exclusion of pupils whose presence is detrimental to health and cleanliness N.J.S.A. 18A:40-10 Exclusion of teachers and pupils exposed to disease N.J.S.A. 18A:40-11 Exclusion of pupils having communicable tuberculosis N.J.S.A. 18A:46-16, -17 Exclusion of pupils pending examination and classification ... N.J.S.A. 18A:54-20 Powers of board (county vocational schools) N.J.S.A. 52:17B-9.8a through -9.8c Marking of missing child's school record N.J.A.C. 6:8-3.1 Pupil attendance N.J.A.C. 6:20-1.1 et seq. Attendance and Pupil Accounting N.J.A.C. 6:29-2.4(c)(d) Attendance at school by pupils or adults infected by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) N.J.A.C. 6A:8-5.1 Graduation requirements N.J.A.C. 6A:30-1.1 et seq. Evaluation of the Performance of School Districts New Jersey State Board of Education Resolution, May 2, 1984, requires local boards to adopt policy on academic eligibility for extracurricular activities. Must address grade point average, attendance requirements and course failure rate. Wetherell v. Board of Education of Township of Burlington, 1978 S.L.D. 794 Wheatley v. Board of Education of City of Burlington, 1974 S.L.D. 851 C.R., on behalf of J.R., v. Board of Education of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District, 1988 S.L.D. (June 22) Manual for the Evaluation of Local School Districts (August 2000) Cross References: 5020 Role of parents/guardians 5111 Admission 5114 Suspension and expulsion 5124 Reporting to parents/guardians 5125 Pupil records 5141.2 Illness 5141.4 Child abuse and neglect 5142 Pupil safety 6146 Graduation requirements 6146.2 Promotion/retention 6147 Standards of proficiency 6147.1 Evaluation of individual student performance 6154 Homework/makeup work 6171.4 Special education 6173 Home instruction Key Words Pupil Attendance, Attendance, Absences and Excuses, Student Attendance |
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