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    New Procedures for Student Absence Reporting

    The Central Bucks School District will be changing the way in which absences are reported, beginning with the start of this upcoming school year on August 30, 2021. The following items are some key points of which to be aware:

    • Parents and guardians will be able to submit absence requests via the Parent Portal. Parents can request a full day absence, early dismissal, or late arrival.
    • Absence requests will be reviewed by School Attendance Staff and approved or denied.
    • Requests made using the Parent Portal will also serve as the excuse for the absence. Parents will not be required to submit an excuse either electronic or written.
    • Parents and guardians can also still call the school to report an absence, but emails will no longer be accepted.

    In addition, when a student is absent from school, but the school did not receive communication from the parent or guardian, the following communication will be sent:

    • A text message will be sent midmorning notifying the parent or guardian of the absence
    • An email will also be sent at the end of the school day reminding the parent or guardian that the student was marked absent. 

    Information regarding how to use the Parent Portal to report an absence can be found here.

     

    • Notifications of absence excuse are due within 3 days after absence. Overdue notification will result in 6 hours detention. Even still, an excuse must be submitted to prevent the absence from being considered illegal.
    • Students may not attend and/or participate in extracurricular school activities on days on which they are absent, whether excused or unexcused.
    • If at any time during the school year a student has been absent 10% or more of school days, s/he is considered to have “excessive absences.” Notices will be sent home. Upon the third notice, the student and/or parent may be cited for truancy.

     

    Lateness to School:

    • Parent/guardian must notify East Attendance of their student's excuse for lateness through the Parent Portal.
    • Every student MUST sign in at the Attendance Office when they arrives to school.
    • As with absences, notifications of lateness excuse are due within 3 days after lateness.

    Appointments:

    • All appointments should be scheduled outside the school day.
    • If an appointment must be scheduled during the school day, parent/guardian must go through the Parent Portal to confirm the early release.
    • Student must stop by the Attendance Office to pick up an early release pass prior to the appointment (during lunch, between classes or during a study hall).
    • Students who will be picked up by parent/guardian can meet parent outside the building after signing out through the Attendance Office.

    College Visits, Vacations/Family Trips, Field Trips, & other Planned Absences:

    1. Two weeks before a planned absence, student should pick up a "Request for Approved Absence" form in the Attendance Office.
    2. Parent/guardian should fill out the form.
    3. Student must have each teacher initial the bottom of the form to ensure that plans are made for student to keep current on class assignments while out of school.
    4. One week before planned absence, student must submit form to Attendance Office to verify that no more than allotted days are taken: Juniors and Seniors are allotted 3 college visit days per year; all students are allotted 5 vacation/family trip days per year.
    5. No trip will be approved during the first or last five (5) days of a semester, or during published state standardized testing dates.

    Missed Work:

    1. Students are responsible for making up all work missed as a result of excused absences. If students will be out for an extended amount of time, parent/guardian should call the student’s guidance counselor.
    2. A student is allowed the same number of days to make-up work as the number of days s/he missed for excused absences and lateness. Students are obligated to discuss and arrange plans for make-up work within that time. Failure to do so will result in failing grades on missed assignments.
    3. Students may not make up work for absences or lateness that are unexcused, unlawful, or truant.

    Definitions:

    Excused Absence (E) is granted for the following reasons: illness, quarantine, death in the family, impassable roads, inclement weather, religious holidays, health care, necessary interviews, special tutorial work which must occur in a field not offered in the curriculum and may not interfere with the regular program of studies, exceptionally urgent reasons, educational vacations*, college visits, and family trips.

    Unexcused Absence (U) may be declared for reasons such as employment, truancy, car trouble, parental neglect, oversleeping, missing the bus, shopping, babysitting, visiting relatives, hunting, fishing, working at home, vacation trips, unauthorized leaving from school, and remaining at home to do school work. In situations where absence is declared unexcused or unlawful, students may be assigned to make up time missed outside regular school hours. Students will not be permitted to make up work for an unexcused absence.

    Consequences for Unexcused Absences:

    Attendance to school is crucial to academic success. As stated above, parents must provide notice of excused absences as allowable by the PA School Code. If a student does not provide an excusable notice within three days after their absence, the following consequences will be applied:

    1. 6 hours of detention
    2. Students may not make up work for unexcused absences.
    3. Missed classes may count toward class cuts.
    4. Parents will receive "notice" letters which state that continued unlawful absences may result in referral to the magistrate.
    5. District Justice will notify parent of truancy hearing date and if found guilty, be subject to fines and penalties prescribed by the School Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania