Procedure for Reporting Absences
On the day of the absence, a parent/guardian should call the school attendance office at 513-686-1748 to report the absence before 9:00 a.m. No note is required if the parent calls or emails that the student is absent.
Following the absence, the student must report to the Attendance Office with a note or the Parent Communication Form ONLY IF NO PRIOR NOTIFICATION WAS MADE.
a. Date(s) of absence
b. Reason
c. Phone number where parent/guardian may be reached
d. Signature of parent/guardian
e. Students who are absent due to a doctor’s appointment must provide a note from the physician upon return
Any unexcused absence(s) will be regarded as truancy and may result in disciplinary action.
Excused Absences
A school logged parent/guardian phone call or written notification received by the attendance office (on each day of the student’s absence), for any of the excused absences below, is sufficient to excuse the child’s absence. After the student’s tenth (10th) parent phone call or written notification, upon the student’s return to school, the parent/guardian shall provide documentation from a treating physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant stating the day(s) absent and reason for such absence.
• Written documentation from the parent/guardian/non-doctor may be in the form of an email or fax to the proper school authority or directly from a physician’s office, if permitted by the physician’s office. Doctor’s notes must specify period of time for which excused absence is necessary.
• If written documentation has not been received within 5 school days after returning to school following an absence, the absence will be “unexcused.”
• The parent/guardian (and not the school) maintains responsibility to make certain the telephone call and/or absence note was submitted to the proper school attendance authority in a timely fashion.
• If the parent/guardian fails to contact the school and school personnel have to initiate contact with the parent/guardian via a phone call and they DO NOT make direct contact with a parent/guardian, the absence will be considered unexcused until a parent/guardian makes direct contact with the attendance office to verify the student’s absence.
• The school should be notified in advance by the parent/guardian for any planned absence that includes 3 or more consecutive days. The school should be notified in advance by the parent/guardian for any planned absence that includes 3 or more consecutive days. By law, we can no longer require parents to submit a vacation form for students to be excluded. Instead, we follow the guidelines above. When making decisions about taking students out of school for extended periods of time, parents should consider that truancy protocol will be enacted when the 10-day limit is exceeded. Parents can choose to withdraw their child to avoid such repercussions but will be required to re-enroll their child at the District’s Registrar Office upon their return. Original class placement cannot be guaranteed at the time of re-enrollment.
THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION WILL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION WHETHER AN ABSENCE/TARDY IS EXCUSED OR UNEXCUSED. IN GENERAL, EXCUSED ABSENCES/TARDIES INCLUDE (BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO):
• Personal illness or injury.
• Medical or dental appointments (partial days, in most cases).
• Illness or death in the family.
• Funeral of immediate family member or relative.
• Quarantine.
• Religious holiday (not counted against the ten (10) day rule).
• Appointments for court.
• Any known absences where school notification has been provided will be included in the ten (10) days.
• Head lice. Children excluded from school due to head lice are allowed one (1) excused absence on two (2) separate occasions in a school year. Absences beyond this number are unexcused unless the additional absences are covered within the ten (10) parent/guardian notes or a physician et al. excuse. • Emergencies and other reasons deemed good and sufficient by the principal.
IN GENERAL, UNEXCUSED ABSENCES/TARDIES INCLUDE (BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO):
• Missing the school bus.
• Experiencing transportation problems at home or on the way to school, including traffic.
• Remaining at home to complete school assignments.
• Missing school without legitimate illness.
• Oversleeping. Alarm clock (student’s or parent’s) failed to work.
• “My mom didn’t get me up.”
• Not having suitable clothing to wear to school.
• Working at a job during the school day without a proper work permit.
• Babysitting.
• Any form of recreation (unless included in prior notification days).
• Personal business that can be done after school or on weekends.
• “Helping at home” or “Was needed at home.”
• “I had a game last night.”
• Senior pictures/portraits.
EXCESSIVE ABSENCES
A student who has been absent from school more than ten (10) times within a school year will be required to have a doctor’s note to excuse additional absences. All absences beyond that number (10) without medical verification will be considered unexcused. A student must have a medical note for absences beyond ten (10) per school year. Doctor’s notes will be presented to the main/attendance office. Any student who has an extended period of illness will need to have a doctor’s note on file explaining the chronic illness.
PROCEDURES FOR HAMILTON COUNTY TRUANCY VIOLATIONS
Habitually Truant Student has:
A) 5 consecutive unexcused absences
B) 7 unexcused absences in one month
C) 12 unexcused absences in one school year
Chronically Truant Student has:
A) 7 consecutive unexcused absences
B) 10 unexcused absences in one month
C) 15 unexcused absence in one school year
Excessive absence from school may result in the withholding of credit and loss of driving privileges at the secondary level, or the retention of a student at the elementary level.
