New Attendance Policy

New WCPS Attendance Policy For 2018-19

The progress of a student at school depends greatly on the punctuality and regularity of attendance.  It is desirable that every student should be in the designated area five minutes prior to the beginning of school. Also, each student should be in each class on time. To secure such attendance, we ask your hearty cooperation. We firmly believe that attendance is a student-parent/guardian responsibility. The intent of this attendance procedure for the Warren County Public Schools is to provide a structure within which students can gain maximum benefit from the instructional program. Regular attendance in class is necessary if students are to receive adequate guidance through their class work and benefit from the discussions. All students are expected to attend class, on time, every day that school is in session. When a student must be absent from school, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to call the school where the child is enrolled on the date of the absence to inform the school of the reason for the absence.  The parent/guardian must send a written excuse or doctor’s note with the student when he or she returns to school. If a note is not received by the school, the absence will be counted as unexcused. Up to 5 days of valid absences for which parents/guardians have sent written excuses giving valid reasons for the absence will be excused. Invalid absences will be considered unexcused. Five parent notes will be excused for valid reasons (see below). Parent notes submitted for invalid reasons will be considered unexcused.

KENTUCKY COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE LAWS

Except as provided in KRS 159.030, each parent, guardian, or other person residing in the state and having custody or charge of any child between the ages of six (6) and eighteen (18) shall send the child to a regular public day school for the full term that the public school of the district in which the child resides is in session, or the public school that the board of education of the district makes provision for the child to attend. Any parent or guardian who elects to send a child five (5) years of age to school shall keep the child in regular attendance. Every child actually residing in this state is subject to the laws relating to compulsory attendance, and neither he nor the person in charge of him shall be excused from the operation of those laws or the penalties under them on the ground that the child’s residence is seasonal or that his parent is a resident of another state.

EXCUSED ABSENCES (requires written statement)

1. Illness - Medical Excuse

2. Death in family

3. Medical appointment of student

4. Student sent home from school sick

5. Religious holidays

6. Reporting to court

7. Driver’s license test or examination (1/2 day-2 times)

8. Military leave, deployment, or training

9. Other circumstances as approved by principal

NOTE - Students with medical appointments during the school day will be given an unexcused absence until a statement is brought from the doctor. All absences due to illness will require a doctor’s statement for the absence to be counted as excused. Written statements must be received within a week of a student’s return to school to be counted as excused. Excuses brought in after the week period will remain unexcused.

NOTE - A maximum of five (5) parent/guardian notes are allowed per year.   A parent/guardian note is only valid for one day of absence/tardy. A doctor’s note will be required to cover a health event of consecutive days.  Once a student uses all their parent notes for the year, only a third-party note, document, or other information requested by the school will excuse the absence or tardy.  Otherwise, all absences and tardies after the 5 excused ones will be unexcused.

Any absence event due to medical reasons in excess of seven (7) will require the presentation of the Warren County Schools Medical Excuse Form before the absence will be excused. The form will be available at all schools, central office, and some medical facilities upon parent request.

TRUANCY, WHAT CONSTITUTES: Any student who has attained the age of six (6) years but has not reached his or her eighteenth birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) days, or tardy on three (3) days, is a truant. Any student enrolled in a public school who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, but has not reached his or her twenty-first birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) or more days, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) or more days, is a truant. Any student who has been reported as a truant two (2) or more times is an habitual truant. A tardy is defined as missing no more than 35% of the regularly scheduled school day. A tardy can occur in either the morning or afternoon.

TRUANCY PROCESS – Elementary, Middle School, High School

STEP 1—Upon the third (3) unexcused absence and/or tardy, the principal/designee will contact the parent/guardian in writing concerning the student’s absences.

STEP 2—Upon the fifth (5) unexcused absence and/or tardy, the district’s Delinquency Prevention Services Worker will be notified and will make contact in an attempt to avoid any court action.

STEP 3—When the sixth (6) unexcused absence and/or tardy occurs, court action may be pursued.