ATTENDANCE & TRUANCY MANDATORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE In the State of Delaware, every child between the ages of 5 and 20 has a right to a free and appropriate public education. Moreover, State law establishes that every parent and/or legal guardian of a child between the ages of 5-18 has the responsibility to assure that his/her child attends school (unless the child has been withdrawn). The District shall comply with all compulsory attendance laws and regulations of the state and has established the following guidelines for student attendance. Students are required to be present for at least 85% of instructional time in any given school year. For grades Kindergarten through Grade 5, attendance is taken for the entirety of the school day. Students who do not attend at least half of the class periods on a given day will be marked absent for that day. For students in Grades 6 through 12, attendance is taken and recorded per course. Thus, a secondary student’s attendance can vary from course to course in any given day. Please Note: Secondary students who are absent for more than fifteen (15) minutes of a class may be considered tardy from the class unless excused by proper authority. Any student whose number of absences (excused or unexcused) exceeds the allowable limits could fail to qualify for promotion to the next grade or fail to receive course credit. For the 2021-2022 school year, the maximum number of absences permitted are as follows: Kindergarten – Grade 5: 25 absences Grades 6-12: 13 absences
TYPES OF ABSENCES Unless an absence is preapproved or caused by a school function, any student not present will be marked as unexcused absence. If the parent/guardian produces a note with a valid reason for the absence (see below), the absence with be coded as excused. Excused Absence: An excused absence is for one of the reasons listed below and for which the required parental/professional note of explanation has been presented. A student’s absence will be marked as unexcused in the Student Accounting System until the parental/professional note is provided. The following conditions only will result in an excused absence: • illness of the student (a physician’s note may be requested after three consecutive days); • scheduled appointments for the student and/or parent to a physical or mental healthcare provider; • death in the immediate family; funerals of other relatives or close friends • contagious disease in the home of the child subject to regulations of the Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Social Services; • legal business requiring the student’s presence; • suspension or expulsion from school; • observance of religious holidays; • remedial health treatment; • absence, preapproved by the Principal, to visit a college or university; • authorized school-sponsored activities; 20
