2. Specific strategies to accomplish these objectives;

3. Excused vs. unexcused student absences and tardiness;

4. Coding system identifying reasons of absence or tardiness;

5. Student attendance and course credit;

6. Incentives and disciplinary sanctions;

7. Notice to parents or persons in parental relation;

8. Intervention strategies to identify patterns of student absence or tardiness;

9. Parties responsible for student attendance in each school; and

10. Annual review of policy by the Board.

All staff will be provided with a copy of the comprehensive attendance policy and any amendment of such policy within ten days following initial adoption or amendment of the policy. New staff members shall receive a copy of the comprehensive attendance policy upon commencement of employment with the District.

The Board of Education shall promote community awareness of this District comprehensive policy by providing a plain language summary of the policy to the parents or persons in parental relation to the students at the beginning of each school year and taking such other steps deemed necessary to promote the understanding of such policy by students and their parents or persons in parental relations. Copies of the complete comprehensive attendance policy shall be available in the District central office and in each school building and will be provided to any member of the community upon request.

1. Overall objectives of the policy

The major objectives of this comprehensive attendance policy in the Greater Amsterdam School District are to:

a. ensure the maintenance of an adequate record verifying the attendance of all children at instruction in accordance with Education Law;

b. establish a practical mechanism for each school in the District to account to the parents or persons in parental relation enrolled in the school for the whereabouts of such children throughout each school day; and

c. ensure sufficient pupil attendance at all scheduled periods of actual instruction or supervised study activities to permit such pupils to succeed at meeting the state learning standards.

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2. Specific strategies to accomplish these objectives

The Board of Education charges the Superintendent or designee to develop a system of pupil attendance recordkeeping in each school in a register of attendance that shall provide an accurate record of each pupil's presence, absence, tardiness, and early departure. The register of attendance shall set forth the following for each pupil: name; date of birth; full names of parents or persons in parental relation; address where the pupil resides; phone numbers where the parents or persons in parental relation shall be contacted; date of the pupil's enrollment; and a record of the pupil's attendance on each day of scheduled instruction.

All entries that are reported in the register of attendance shall be taken by the teacher of the class in which the pupil is enrolled. The attendance clerk of the school in which the student is enrolled shall enter all entries that are reported in the register of attendance. The entries in the register of attendance shall be verified by the oath or affirmation of the individual making the entries in the register of attendance at each school. The principal of each school shall have the responsibility of supervising the keeping of the register of attendance. The principal shall also be charged with reviewing pupil attendance records periodically of the purpose if initiating appropriate actions pursuant to section 9 of this policy to address unexcused pupil absence, tardiness, and early departure.

Beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, attendance in each school building shall be recorded as follows:

a. in the elementary schools, after the taking of attendance once per school day; and

b. in the middle school and high school, after the taking of attendance in each period of scheduled instruction.

Any absence for a school day or portion thereof shall be recorded as excused or unexcused in accordance with the standards articulated in section 3 of this policy. In the event that a pupil at any instructional level arrives late for or departs early from scheduled instruction, such tardiness or early departure shall be recorded as excused or unexcused in accordance with the standards articulated in section 3 of this policy.

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3. Excused vs. unexcused absences and tardiness

The following reasons for pupil absences, tardiness, and early departure shall be considered by the Board of Education to be excused:

a. Illness;

b. Illness or death in the family;

c. Unsafe travel conditions;

d. Religious observance;

e. Medical appointments;

f. Quarantine;

g. Required court appearances;

h. Participation in a school-sponsored activity;

i. Approved college visits; and

j. Parent "take his or her child to work" day.

Any other pupil absence, tardiness, or early departure is considered by the Board of Education to be unexcused. Each absence, tardiness, or early departure shall be accounted for by the teacher in the register of attendance and shall be entered as excused or unexcused.

The school district does not provide advance homework for students going on vacation with the family. Our policy is that students are responsible to make up the work themselves if they have an unexcused absence, i.e. on vacation with the family. Teachers are not responsible for writing out assignments for students with an unexcused absence.

It is the responsibility of the parents or persons in parental relation of the pupil to notify the office by telephone on the morning of the absence or tardiness or the time of early departure as to the reason for such absence, tardiness or early departure. As a follow-up to any oral notification, parents or persons in parental relation to the pupil shall provide a written excuse within five school days containing the date of the absence, tardiness, or early departure and reason for such.

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4. Coding system identifying the reasons for absence or tardiness

The Board of Education shall charge the Superintendent or designee to design a coding system that will be used by all teachers in recording pupil absences, tardiness or early departure in their registers of attendance.

For any absence, tardiness or early departure that is excused, the decoding system shall identify the reason for such absence, tardiness, or early departure. An absence, tardiness, or early departure shall be assumed to be unexcused until the school designee receives either oral or written confirmation that such absence, tardiness or early departure is in fact excused with appropriate reason.

Along with coding for whether an absence, tardiness, or early departure is excused or unexcused and, if excused, the reasons for such, the school designee shall record the time of entry of a student due to tardiness and the time of exit of a student due to early departure.

The following codes shall be consistently used by all teachers in the District:

< = Absence

T = Tardy

X = Excused

XN = Excused by Nurse

S = Sickness

F = Death in Family

P = Other Excused Absence

C = Superintendent's Conference Day

SN = Snow Day

O = Unexcused Absence - Truant

OE = Out of School Suspension

I = In-School Suspension

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5. Student Attendance and course credit

The Board of Education recognizes that regular attendance in classes is essential to the total learning process. Although some class absence may be unavoidable, each student is expected to make every effort to attend each assigned class. The underlying rationale for an attendance policy that denies course credit for non-attendance is based on recognition of the vital role classroom attendance and participation plays in academic achievement.

In order for a student in the high school or middle school to receive credit for a course, it is important that the student attend regular class meetings. For a full-year course, thirty absences shall result in a loss of credit. For a half-year course, twenty absences shall result in a loss of credit.

Any pupil absence that is both properly excused and for which the student has performed any assigned make-up work shall not be counted as an absence for the purpose of determining the student's eligibility for course credit under this policy. It shall be the student's responsibility to obtain all make-up work from his or her teacher(s) immediately upon the student's return to school, and all make-up work shall be submitted within five days after the excused absence to be reviewed by the teacher. A student who fulfills the above requirements may not be academically penalized.

A student shall be regarded as being absent from class under this section of the policy if he or she misses more than twenty minutes of class due to tardiness or early departure. Such tardiness or early departure shall be excused and the student shall perform the necessary make-up work within the allotted time, in order for the tardiness or early departure to not be counted as an absence for the propose of determining the student's eligibility for course credit under this policy.

Notice to the pupil's parents or persons in parental relation regarding absences and the potential for denial of course credit and strategies that shall be employed in the high school and middle school prior to the denial of course credit to the pupil for insufficient attendance shall be as follows:

a. On the tenth absence from a class (fifth for a half-year course), the teacher shall speak to the student and remind the student of the attendance policy.

The teacher will be required to document this communication on the approved GASD form.

b. On the fifteenth absence (seventh in a half-year course), the teacher shall speak to the student and notify the parent or person in parental relation to the student, by telephone call or by letter. The parent or person in parental relation will be advised of the number of absences. The teacher will be required to document this communication on the approved GASD form.

c. On the twentieth absence (tenth in a half-year course), the teacher shall speak to the student and notify the guidance counselor, who will arrange a parent conference.

The teacher will be required to document this meeting on the approved GASD form.

d. On the thirtieth absence (twentieth in a half-year course), the student shall receive no credit for the course. The principal shall so notify the student's parents or person in parental relation by letter. The student shall not be able to sit for examinations, with the exception of a New York State examination. In addition, per State Education Department requirements "in the case of a science Regents examination, only those students who have also met the laboratory requirement (1200 minutes) may be admitted."

e. On the thirtieth absence (twentieth in a half-year course), the student shall not be allowed to register to repeat the course in summer school per Board of Education Policies # 4332 and # 4332-R..

f. A summer school student must be present in class for twenty-seven days of the thirty possible days of summer school to receive credit for the course.

In- school suspension, for which the student is doing work related to his or her particular classes, and out-of-school suspension, where the student takes advantage of alternate educational services provided by the District, shall not count as absences from class under this section of the policy.

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6. Incentives and Disciplinary Sanctions

The Board of Education recognizes that pupil attendance may be positively affected by the use of incentives to encourage pupil attendance and disciplinary sanctions to discourage unexcused pupil absences, tardiness and early departures from school.

In this regard, each school shall make available to pupils the following incentives to promote pupil attendance:

1. Quarterly Perfect Attendance Awards

2. Full- year Perfect Attendance Awards

3. Participation in special activities, to be determined by the principal, for students with outstanding attendance

Where it is determined by the school that disciplinary sanctions are necessary to discourage a specific instance of an unexcused pupil absence, tardiness, or early departure or a pattern of unexcused absences, tardiness, or early departures by a pupil, the following sanctions shall be available for use by the school:

1. After-school detention as per the code of conduct

2. In-school detention as per school code of conduct

3. A student will be denied participation in extracurricular activities if the student has an unexcused absence or an unexcused tardiness for that day as outlined in the Athletic/ Extracurricular Document.

4. The principal may revoke a student's employment certification or permit (section 3215 of Education Law) if the student has six or more unexcused absences in any one quarter.

5. A referral may be made to the Probation Department for a person in need of Supervision (PINS).

The Board of Education shall charge the principal with the task of monitoring the effectiveness of the use of incentives and disciplinary sanctions in each of the schools.

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7. Notice to parents or persons in parental relation

As noted in section 3 of this policy, any pupil absence, tardiness, or early departure other than those specified in the policy is considered by the Board of Education to be unexcused. It is the responsibility of the parents or person in parental relation of the pupil to excuse such absence, tardiness, or early departure by notifying the office by telephone on the morning of the absence or tardiness or at the time of early departure as to the reason for such absence, tardiness, or early departure.

As a follow-up to any oral notification, parents or persons in parental relation to the pupil shall provide a written excuse within five school days which shall include the following: date of the absence, tardiness, or early departure and reason for such. The Board of Education shall charge the Superintendent or designee with developing a form to be provided to pupils upon their return to school or return to class that will allow parents or persons in parental relation to the pupil indicate the date(s) of the absence, tardiness, or early departure, the reason for such absence, tardiness, or early departure, and the signature of the parent or person in parental relation to the pupil.

The school may accept the form completed by the parent or person in parental relation or a handwritten note from the parent or person in parental relation containing information about the pupil absence, tardiness, or early departure similar to that found on the District form.

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8. Intervention strategies to identify patterns of student absence or tardiness

The Board of Education understands that in order to increase overall District attendance and pupil attendance in each school building, it is important to develop a process by which teachers and other school employees can readily identify patterns of unexcused pupil absence, tardiness, or early departure and can employ specific intervention strategies in an attempt to change such patterns.

Each school building shall establish a committee which shall be charged with monitoring overall pupil attendance and determining and addressing specific patterns of unexcused pupil absence, tardiness, or early departure. The committee shall be comprised of the building principal, nurse, and teachers and other support staff as determined by the principal.

The committee shall meet monthly, and shall identify specific pupils with patterns of unexcused absences, tardiness, or early departure and the intervention strategies to be employed by teachers and other school staff to address these patterns. Minutes of each meeting of this committee shall be kept and shall be sent to the Superintendent for his/her information and review, and such information shall be summarized and sent to the Board of Education.

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9. Parties responsible for student attendance in each school

The principal of each school building shall be charged by the Board of Education to be the person responsible for reviewing pupil attendance records and initiating appropriate actions at the building level to address unexcused pupil absence, tardiness, or early departure consistent with the comprehensive attendance policy of the District.

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10. Annual review of policy by the Board of Education

The Board of Education shall annually review overall District pupil attendance and the pupil attendance records for each school building. Should such reports demonstrate a decline in pupil attendance, the Board shall have the opportunity to amend the comprehensive attendance policy and make any revisions to the plan deemed necessary to improve pupil attendance. Any such amendment to the comprehensive attendance policy shall be provided in writing to each staff member no later than ten days after the adoption of the amendment by the Board.

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