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Attendance Policy

COMPREHENSIVE ATTENDANCE & TRUANCY POLICY

COMPREHENSIVE ATTENDANCE & TRUANCY POLICY

This policy is to be used with Policy 4100 Compulsory Attendance and 4171 High School Citizenship / Attendance Policy in encouraging regular attendance to maximize the educationalexperience. This policy clarifies the obligations of the student, parent, and school authorities to resolve attendance problems. It further describes when and how a Notice of Truancy, Habitual Truant Citation, Notice of Compulsory Education Violation, referral to Juvenile Court, and a referral to the county or district attorney will be implemented. Each year the Weber School District Board of Education will review this policy and attendance data for the prior year.

DEFINITIONS

Absence means a student’s non-attendance at school for one school day or part of one schoolday.

Valid excuse means an excuse for an absence from school and may include the following:Illness

Death in the family

Approved school activity – as designated by the school principal

Approved absence – any other absence approved according to school policy consistent with

state law and the Weber School District High School Citizenship/Attendance Policy, *Examples may include, but are not limited to:

  • Absences consistent with student’s Individual Education

Plan (IEP) or Section 504 accommodations plans

  • Absences due to family events/activities
  • Other absences approved by the principal
  • Most approved absences will accumulate high school attendance credit loss under the high school attendance policy (Policy 4171).

Truant means absent without a valid excuse.

Minor means a person under the age of 18 years.

School-age minor means a minor who is at least 6 years old but younger than 18 years oldand is not emancipated (legally released from the control of parents or guardian) or married.

School-age child means a school-age minor under the age of 14.

Notice of Truancy may be issued to a school-age minor who is at least 12 years old and hasbeen truant at least 5 times during the school year. This notice shall direct the student and the parent/guardian to meet with school authorities to discuss the student’s truancies and directs them to cooperate with the school district in securing regular attendance by the school-age minor.

Habitual Truant Citation may be issued to a school-age minor who is at least 12 years old whohas either 10 truancies or has failed to cooperate with school authorities after receiving a Notice of Truancy.

Notice of Compulsory Education Violation may be issued to the parent of a school-age childwho is absent without a valid excuse at least 5 times during the school year. The notice shall direct the parent to meet with school authorities to discuss the child’s attendance problem and directs them to cooperate with the school authorities in securing regular attendance by the school-age child.

 

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IMPLEMENTATION

  1. The Attendance and Truancy Policy will be included in registration materials or sent home annually. The policy will also be posted on the Weber School District Website.
  2. The school will work with students and parents to encourage and promote punctual and consistent attendance.
  3. Each school will inform students and parents concerning procedures to excuse absences as defined above.
  4. Each school will monitor, periodically and annually, school attendance and evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs to encourage student attendance.
  5. As described below, Notices of Truancy, Habitual Truant citations and/or Notices of Compulsory Education Violation may be issued when 5 or more truancies have occurred. In addition to positive measures as outlined in Implementation #2 above, a school administrator or designee may impose penalties/consequences on a school-age minor who is truant less than 5 times. Penalties/consequences will be imposed at the school level and may include, but are not limited to, in-school suspension, additional assignments, after-school or lunch detention, attendance credit loss, or community service assignments.
  6. School personnel shall identify school-age minors who have attendance problems and make efforts to resolve the problem using truancy interventions (available on the Student Services Website), by contacting parents, working with the student, and enlisting the help of other school personnel. Interventions will be documented on the student tracker.
  7. Weber School District authorizes school administrators or a designee of a school administrator to issue Notices of Truancy.
    1. A Notice of Truancy may only be issued to school-age minors who are at least 12 years old and have been truant at least 5 times during the school year.
    2. The notice shall direct the school-age minor and the parent to meet with school authorities to discuss the truancies and cooperate with the school administration in securing regular attendance by the school-age minor.
    3. The notice shall be mailed to or served on the school-age minor’s parent by school personnel.
    4. Weber School District authorizes District Coordinators to issue Habitual Truant Citations. Habitual Truant Citation
      1. A Habitual Truant Citation may be issued to a school-age minor who is at least 12 years old, has received a Notice of Truancy, and has been truant 10 times during the school year or after receiving the Notice of Truancy failed to cooperate with school officials in resolving the truancy problem.
      2. Students receiving a habitual Truant Citation shall be referred to Juvenile Court and the parents will be notified.
      3. School personnel shall identify school-age children who have attendance problems and make efforts to resolve the problem using truancy interventions (available on the Student Services Website), by contacting parents, working with the student, and enlisting the help of other school personnel. Interventions will be documented on the student tracker.
      4. Weber School District authorizes school administrators or a designee of a school administrator to issue Notices of Compulsory Education Violation.
        1. A Notice of Compulsory Education Violation may be issued to the parent of a school-age child who has been truant at least 5 times during the school year.
          1. It shall direct the parent of the school-age child to meet with school authorities to discuss the child’s school attendance problem.
          2. It requires parents to cooperate with school authorities in securing regular attendance by the child.
          3. It designates the school authorities with whom the parent is required to meet.
          4. It shall state that it is a Class B Misdemeanor for the parent of the child to intentionally or recklessly fail to meet with the designated school authorities to discuss the child’s attendance problem or fails to prevent the child from being absent without a valid excuse (truant) 5 or more times during the remainder of the school year.
          5. The notice shall be served on the child’s parent by school personnel of by certified mail.
        2. If the parent intentionally or recklessly fails to meet with school authorities designated in the Notice of Compulsory Education Violation, or fails to prevent the child from being absent without a valid excuse (truant) 5 or more times (these are in addition to the original 5 truancies) during the remainder of the school year, a District Coordinator shall report the violation to the county or district attorney and notify parents.
        3. If the student is marked “Truant” or otherwise disciplined under this policy, the student and/or parent has the right to meet with the site administrator to tell his/her side of the story.
        4. If either a Notice of Truancy or Notice of Compulsory Education Violation is issued, an appeal of that action may be made to a District Coordinator after the parents have met with the designated school officials to resolve the attendance problem. The appeal must be made within 5 working days of the meeting with school officials.
        5. If a District Coordinator issues a Habitual Truant Citation and/or a referral to the County Attorney for a Compulsory Education Violation, an appeal of that action may be made to the Director of Student Services or Director of Special Education (for students in Special Education) within 5 working days of notification to parents of that decision. The Habitual Truant Citation and/or the Notice of Compulsory Education Violation will not be sent to the Juvenile Court nor the District Attorney until after the 5 day appeal window.