Attendance Policy

Regular school attendance is mandated by Connecticut state law. The East Haven Board of Education recognizes daily school attendance is a vital aspect of each student's education. The learning experiences occurring in the classroom are essential components of the educational process. Regular school attendance contributes to the development of responsibility, discipline, and good work habits, and improves the student's opportunity for academic and social accomplishment. All students enrolled in the East Haven Public School system are required to attend school on a regular basis. Ensuring attendance is not only the responsibility of the individual student, but also his/her parent or guardian. School personnel regularly monitor school attendance.

Students who are absent more than eighteen (18) days may be subject to retention in grade at the elementary and middle level schools. High school students who are absent more than eighteen (18) days from a class may be denied course credit for a full year course and after nine (9) days of absence for a one-half year course.

The total of eighteen (18) days absence for the year includes reasons for illness or injury (may require a physician's verification); death in the immediate family; a religious obligation; a required Court appearance; a family emergency; and a school-sponsored activity.

Students and their parents will be warned by mail and/or a telephone call after reaching nine (9) days of absence and fifteen (15) days of absence from school or a high school class. For one-half year courses at the high school, parents will receive notification at five (5) days of absence. Furthermore, three (3) unexcused tardies are equivalent to one (1) day of absence. This includes elementary and middle school student who are tardy to school and high school students who are tardy to class.

Upon reaching eighteen (18) days of absence, the student's record of attendance will be verified by the appropriate school administrator. At this time, he/she will notify the student's parents, in writing, of retention in grade or loss of course credit. At the high school level, students must continue to attend all scheduled classes even though loss of credit is determined.

The following is a listing of definitions to this policy:

1. "Absence" - is when a student is absent from an entire school day with or without parental permission. At the high school level, the term absence also refers to absence from a particular class or classes.

2. "Excused Absence" - includes absences from school, or at the high school level, from a class or classes due to:

. Illness or injury (may require a doctor's verification)

. Death in the immediate family

. religious obligation

. court appearance (required)

. A family emergency

. School-sponsored activity

. Suspension or expulsion form school or class

Students who have been absent form school must submit a note from a parent/guardian or have a parent/guardian call to explain the student's absence t o be considered excused; otherwise, it will be treated as an unexcused absence. The administrators will determine whether absences are excused or unexcused. The school does not consider all absences from class or school, which have been explained by parents to be excused.

3. "Unexcused Absence" - is an absence from any regularly scheduled school day, or from a class or classes at the high school level, for which the absence is not excused as defined above. This includes family vacations, which do not occur during designated school vacations.

4. "Tardiness" - is when students arrive at school later than the beginning of school. Tardiness may be explained by a parent, but any absence from class other than excused lateness due to medical appointments will be considered an accumulated tardy. An accumulation of three (3) tardies equals one (1) unexcused absence. Students tardy to school are responsible for all missed work and/or assignments.

At the high school level, tardiness is defined as a student arriving less than five (5) minutes late to class. A student who arrives less than five minutes late to class will be marked "Tardy." An accumulation of three (3) tardies equals one (1) class absence.

5. "Tardy Absent" - is a designation used at the high school when a student arrives to class more than five (5) minutes late. A student who arrives more than five minutes late will be marked Tardy Absent (TA). Every (TA) counts as one (1) class absence.

6. "Cut" - is when a student chooses not to attend a scheduled class or arrives more than ten (10) minutes late to a scheduled class.

7. "Truant" - is any student ages five (5) through eighteen (18) inclusive, who has (4) unexcused absences from school in any one month or ten (10) unexcused absences from school in a school year.

When a student has reached ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year, the student is considered truant. The building principal or his/her designee shall file a written complaint with the Superior Court for Juvenile Matters as required under Connecticut state law.

The law further stipulates that if a parent or guardian of a child who is truant fails to attend scheduled meeting(s) or if the parent or guardian otherwise fails to cooperate with school personnel in attempting to solve the truancy problem, the school administrator or designee is required to file a written complaint for the truant student with the Superior Court for Juvenile Matters.

If a high school student is denied course credit because of poor attendance in a course (s) he passed, the student may use that course to fulfill prerequisite requirements but not to meet graduation requirements.

A student, parent, or guardian may appeal the loss of credit to the high school's Attendance Review Committee. The Attendance Committee will notify the parents, in writing, of its decision.