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The Board of Education of
the City School District of Albany recognizes that student attendance in
school is an important component of student success. Student interaction
with teachers and other students in class helps to enhance the academic
learning experience and provides a basis by which students can
demonstrate mastery of subject matter.
In this regard and
pursuant to Section 104.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of
Education, the Board of Education adopts this comprehensive attendance
policy, containing the following components:
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overall objectives
of the policy;
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specific strategies
to accomplish these objectives;
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excused vs.
unexcused student absences and tardiness;
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coding system
identifying reasons for absence or tardiness;
-
student attendance
and course credit;
-
incentives and
disciplinary sanctions;
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notice to parents or
persons in parental relation;
-
intervention
strategies to identify patterns of student absence or tardiness;
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parties responsible
for student attendance in each school; and
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annual review of
policy by the Board.
All staff will be
provided with a copy of the comprehensive attendance policy and any
amendment to such policy within thirty (30) school 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
attendance policy by providing a plain language summary of the policy to
the parents or persons in parental relation to 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.
Overall objectives
of the policy
The major objectives of
the comprehensive attendance policy in the City School District of
Albany 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.
Specific strategies
to accomplish these objectives
The Board of Education
charges the Superintendent or designee to develop a system of pupil
attendance record keeping 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
may be contacted; date of the pupil's enrollment; and a record of the
pupil's attendance on each day of scheduled instruction.
All entries in the
register of attendance shall be made by the teacher of the class in
which the pupil is enrolled. 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. 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 for the purpose of initiating
appropriate action 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.
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;
j) approved
cooperative work programs and
k) academic
enrichment.
Any other pupil absence,
tardiness or early departure is considered by the Board of Education to
be unexcused. Each absence, tardiness and early departure shall be
accounted for by the teacher in the register of attendance and shall be
entered as excused or unexcused.
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 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 (5) school days containing the date of the absence,
tardiness, or early departure and reason for such. Lengthy or frequent
absences with notes may be investigated. A doctor's note verifying an
absence is requested after the fifth (5) consecutive day. If not
submitted after five (5) days it will be marked unexcused.
Coding system
identifying reasons for absence or tardiness
The Board of Education
shall charge the Superintendent or designee to design a uniform coding
system that will be used by all teachers in recording pupil absences,
tardiness or early departure in their registers or attendance.
For any absence,
tardiness or early departure that is excused, the coding 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 teacher 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 reason for such, the teacher shall record the time
of entry of a student due to tardiness and the time of exit of a student
due to early departure.
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 a recognition of the vital role
classroom attendance and participation plays in academic achievement.
In order for a student in
the high school to receive credit for a course, it is important that the
student attend regular class meetings. For a full-year course,
twenty-eight (28) absences shall result in a loss of credit. For a
half-year course, fourteen (14) 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 ten (10) days
after the excused absence to be reviewed by the teacher.
A student shall be
regarded as being absent from class under this section of the policy if
he or she misses more than twenty (20) 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 purpose of determining the student's
eligibility for course credit under this policy.
All medical excuses shall
be submitted within five (5) working days of the student's return to
school in order to be considered as a valid excuse for the student's
absence. If written excuse is not submitted within this timeframe, the
absence will be marked unexcused.
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 prior to the denial of course credit to
the pupil for insufficient attendance shall be as follows:
a) On the fourth (4th)
absence from a class in a half-year course, the teacher shall speak to
the student and notify the guidance office and the principal, who shall
then send a letter home, advising the parents or persons in parental
relation of the class and the number of absences.
b) On the eight (8th)
absence in a half-year course, the teacher shall speak to the student,
and notify the principal, who shall then send a second letter home,
advising the parents or persons in parental relation of the class and
the number of absences. The principal shall also meet with the student,
the student's parents or persons in parental relation, and the student's
teacher or teachers.
c) On the fourteen
(14th) absence in a half-year course, the student shall not be allowed
to register to repeat the course in summer school
Exemptions from the
Attendance Policy
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Students on
educational field trips and/or school related activities approved by
the school are counted as present and, therefore, would not be
affected by this policy.
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A student who is
approved for home instruction will not be counted as absent once
home instruction is approved by the Office of Pupil Personnel
Services. Approval requires presentation of a physician's notice
indicating the need for home instruction.
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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.
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:
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Perfect attendance
awards
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Most improved
attendance awards
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On site programs
targeted at chronic offenders
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Classroom teachers'
strategies to improve student 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:
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Alternative
education placement
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Detentions/Saturday
school
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Mandatory school
team meeting with parent and student
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PINS diversion
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Family Court
The Board of Education
shall charge the Superintendent or designee with the task of monitoring
the effectiveness of the use of incentives and disciplinary sanctions in
each of the schools, and the Superintendent shall prepare a quarterly
written report to the Board, at the end of each ten-week grading period,
detailing the use of incentives and disciplinary sanctions in each
school.
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 persons 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 (5) 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.
If proper written excuse
for the pupil absence, tardiness or early departure is not received by
the school from the parent or person in parental relation after five (5)
school days, a telephone call shall be made from the school to the
parent or person in parental relation to the pupil notifying him or her
of the need for proper excuse of their pupil's absence, tardiness or
early departure.
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 information and review, and
such information shall be summarized and provided to the Board as part
of the Superintendent's written quarterly report on attendance.
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 and early departure consistent with the comprehensive
attendance policy of the District.
Annual review of
policy by the Board
The Board of Education
shall annually review overall District pupil attendance and the pupil
attendance records for each school building. Should such records
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 thirty (30) school days
after adoption of the amendment by the Board.
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