ATTENDANCE POLICIES & INFORMATION

As educators, we recognize that promoting regular school attendance is a key component in the successful growth and development of all students.  To maximize student learning, we ask that you be mindful of our district attendance policy and school procedures.  The Compulsory Attendance Law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires that an absence excuse submitted by the parent or guardian be on file for every day of the student’s absence. 

Updated attendance reporting procedures: 

Click here for instructions on how to use the portal to report an absence.

Excused Absences and Medically Excused Absences:

Excused Absence (E) is granted for the following reasons: illness, quarantine, death in the family, impassable roads, inclement weather, religious holidays, health care, exceptionally urgent reasons, and family trips.  We recommend that you provide the office with a medical note anytime your child is absent and sees a doctor.  Absences substantiated with a doctor's notes are considered "Medically Excused".  After the 10th absence excused by a parent/guardian, students must submit medical notes for all subsequent absences.  If a medical note is not provided, the absence is considered Unexcused (U).

Unexcused Absences:

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 schoolwork. In situations where absence is declared unexcused or unlawful, students may be assigned to make up time missed outside regular school hours.

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 may be applied:

1.   Detention

2.   Saturday detention

3.   Parents will receive attendance letters which state that continued unlawful absences my result in referral to the magistrate.

4.   District Justice will notify parents of a truancy hearing date and, if found guilty, be subject to fines and penalties prescribed by the School Code of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Appointments:

• If possible, all appointments should be scheduled outside the school day.
• If an appointment must be scheduled during the school day, parent/guardian must either:
• send a note in with the student stating the time of pick up and the reason for the early dismissal.
• The student should submit the note to the main office before 1st period.
• excuse the student for early dismissal using the Parent Portal. (Preferred)
• At the time of dismissal, a parent/guardian must come to door #1 (main office) and present their ID for their student to be released.
• For the absence to be recorded as Medically Excused, a physician's note must be submitted to the front office upon return.

Lateness to School:

• Late students MUST sign in at the Main Office when they arrive at school.
• A note must be provided by the parent/guardian stating the reason for the lateness, or parents must excuse the student using the Parent Portal.  Oversleeping, traffic, car trouble, and missing the bus are considered unexcused lateness’s to school.
• After three unexcused late arrivals to school, students will begin to receive disciplinary consequences.

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

1. Two weeks before a planned absence, parents/ guardians should enter this in the Parent Portal.

• Absences for approved reasons due to family travel shall be limited to two

occurrences each year. The total number of approved days of absence shall not exceed

five days in a given school year. Days exceeding these guidelines may be considered unlawful and/or unexcused.

2. Missed Work:

• 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 (at least 3 full days), parent/guardian should call the student’s school counselor.
• A student is allowed the same number of days to make-up work as the number of days she/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 may result in failing grades on missed assignments.

Automated Attendance Calls:

If a student is marked absent, District Attendance Auto Caller will contact parents/guardians by phone for notification. If you have entered a request for student attendance (absence, early dismissal, appointment, vacation, etc.), you are still likely to receive an automated message notifying you of their absence. Our system is set up so that parents are alerted in the event that a child calls themselves out. We apologize for the inconvenience. 

 Click Below to Read CBSD's Letter to the Community Regarding the Importance of Attendance

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