Student Attendance Policy

  • Student Attendance Policy

    As directed by the Webster Groves School District Board, the following procedures will be used to implement the district's attendance policy JED.

    Attendance Standards

    The following absences will be excused. Documentation must be provided as indicated.

    1. Illness or injury of the student, with a phone call/written excuse from parent. If the child is absent beyond 3 days then a note from a medical provider will be required.
    2. Medical appointments, with written appointment confirmation by medical provider.
    3. Funeral, with written/phone excuse from parent. The building principal may require a program or other evidence from services as well.
    4. Religious observances, with written/phone excuse from parent.
    5. Other appointments that cannot be scheduled outside attendance hours, such as court appearances, with written excuse from parent.
    6. Out-of-School Suspension.

    All other absences and any absence for which required documentation is not provided are unexcused. (e.g. family vacation, out of town guests, hair appointments)

    Consequences for Violations

    Attendance is crucial to later academic development. In addition, attendance habits are formed in early grades, and many later attendance problems can be averted with intensive family and student interventions in early grades. For this reason building principals, with the assistance of building staff, will closely monitor student attendance and implement intervention strategies and other actions as follows:

    1. Any time a student is absent and the parents have not contacted the school, the building principal or designee will call the home.

    2. When a student has accumulated three (3) unexcused absences, the building principal or designee will send a letter or make a phone call home. The purpose of the letter or phone call is to clarify the school’s expectations regarding attendance and elicit suggestions from the parent on how to improve the student’s attendance, including identifying reasons why the student is not attending school regularly.

    3. When a student has accumulated five (5) unexcused absences, the building principal will schedule a conference with the parents. The purpose of this conference is to determine why the student is not attending school regularly; to examine the student’s academic performance; to communicate district attendance expectations; to provide information about compulsory attendance laws and educational neglect; to elicit suggestions from family members about increasing the student’s engagement with school; and to create an attendance plan that includes specific intervention strategies designed to improve the student’s attendance.

    4. When a student has accumulated eight (8) unexcused absences, the principal and/or a staff member from the district will arrange an in-home visit to discuss the student’s attendance plan and make any necessary modifications to the student’s attendance plan. The principal and/or staff member will again provide information about compulsory attendance laws and educational neglect and that at ten (10) unexcused absences the district will contact the Children’s Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services or a referral to Family Court.

    5. When a student has accumulated ten (10) unexcused absences, the district will determine whether there is reason to suspect educational neglect or whether the parent is violating the compulsory attendance laws. If so, the district will contact the Children’s Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services or a referral to Family Court.

    1. When a student has accumulated a combination of ten (10) excused and/or unexcused absences, a letter will be sent home to clarify the school’s expectations regarding attendance and elicit suggestions from the parent on how to improve the student’s attendance, including identifying reasons why the student is not attending school regularly.

    2. When a student has accumulated a combination of fifteen (15) excused and/or unexcused absences, the principal will schedule a conference with the parents. The district will determine whether there is reason to suspect educational neglect or whether the parent is violating the compulsory attendance laws. If so, the district will contact the Children’s Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services or a referral to Family Court will be made.

    Students are expected to make up assignments from missed classes within the time period established by their teachers. Students who do not complete missed assignments in the required time may be required to attend academic support sessions outside of the regular school day.

    Any conference may be waived by the building principal if the absences were caused by a specific event or long-term illness. In cases where the district is aware that a student must be absent for an extended period of time, the district will arrange for the student to receive instruction by other appropriate means.

    Tardiness

    1. When a student is tardy to school five (5) times, the principal will send a letter home stating the expectation for all students to be on time for school so that educational time is not missed.

    2. When a student is tardy to school eight (8) times, a conference with the parents will be arranged. The principal and/or staff member will again provide information about compulsory attendance laws and educational neglect and that at ten (10) tardies to school the district will contact the Children’s Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services or make a referral to Family Court.

    3. When a student is tardy to school ten (10) times, the district will determine whether there is reason to suspect educational neglect. If so, the district will contact Children’s Division (CD) of the Department of Social Services. If the district determines that there may be residency issues proof of residency could be requested.