Fayette County School Corporation recognizes that regular attendance is necessary for proper educational growth.  The development of responsibility and punctuality is a worthwhile lifetime habit and attitude.  A student’s academic progress could be affected by unnecessary absences from school.  State laws require punctual and regular attendance of all children.  Below is the attendance policy of the Fayette County School Board (Policy 5.20).

The following are recognized as legal reasons for absence:

I.    Illness or quarantine

II.   Death in the immediate family

III.  Mental or physical incapacity

IV. These absences are authorized, must be pre-arranged, and the student is not recorded as absent.

A.     Service as a page in the Indiana General Assembly

B.     Subpoenaed to appear in court

C.     Attendance at weekly religious instructions with the condition that instruction not be more than 120 minutes per week.  Permission can be granted for only one (1) year at a time.

D.     Attendance at the Indiana State Fair on the day designated by the Indiana State Fair Board as Education Day or for exhibiting projects at the state fair

E.      Religious holidays

V.  These absences must be pre-arranged, and the student is recorded as absent.

A.  Medical and dental appointments

B. Family travel—Students may be absent from school without sanctions for family travel under the following conditions:

     1. The request must be made by the parent/guardian to the principal/director at least one week prior to the absence;   

            2.  All school assignments must be completed within one week after the return to school.  Requests for family travel must be approved by the building principal/designee.  Appeals of the principal/designee’s decision shall be made to the superintendent and the superintendent’s decision shall be final.

VI. The principal/director may consider an absence excused, although not listed above, when, in his/her view, conditions and circumstances so warrant.

In regard to items IV and V, building administrators will determine if siblings from other buildings are involved with a similar request.  If this condition exists, administrators will collaborate in rendering a decision.

Absences fall into one of three (3) categories.

I.    Excused  (Items I, II, III, and V above)

II.   Pre-arranged (Item IV above)

III. Unexcused—any absence not listed above as excused.

Procedure for dealing with unexcused absences will be established by each level: elementary, middle school, and high school.  Students who have excessive tardies or absences will be required to make up schoolwork.

All students must make up work missed during an excused or pre-arranged absence, and it is the student’s responsibility to contact each teacher concerning work missed.  Parents/guardians of elementary students must make arrangements with their child’s teacher.  Students will receive 100% credit for make-up work

In the case of a pre-arranged absence, a written request form the parent/guardian must be presented to the principal/director 7 days prior to the absence.  The proper form may be obtained from the principal/director’s office.

ATTENDANCE RULES

I.   Reporting Absences

Parents/guardians are requested to notify the school of the reasons for the student’s absence according to individual school rules.

II.   Attendance Records

An accurate daily record of the attendance of all students enrolled shall be kept by the teacher and such record shall at all times be open for inspection by attendance officers and school officials.

III. Closed Noon Hours

Continuous sessions (or closed noon hours) are authorized for the high school and middle school.  Students shall remain on school property from arrival until the dismissal of school.

IV.  Extended Absences

If a student is unable to attend school for an extended period of time because of illness or injury, the principal/director should refer to Policy #4.13, Homebound Instruction.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

F.            Parents/guardians are expected to notify the school of the reason for student absences on the day the student is absent or within 24 hours after the student returns to school.

II.           A student who is unable to attend school due to illness is not allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities on the day of the absence.

III.         Students who are present any part of a half day are considered present for that half day.

IV.        When a student accumulates three (3) unexcused absences, five (5) unexcused tardies, or a combined total of five (5) unexcused absences and/or tardies, a letter regarding the matter will be sent by the principal/director to the parent/guardian. 

V.           When a student accumulates a fourth unexcused absence, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian.  A copy will be sent to the Fayette County prosecutor. 

VI.        When a student accumulates a fifth unexcused absence, a final warning from the school will be hand-delivered to the parent/guardian or will be sent by certified mail.  This warning will inform the parent/guardian that prosecution will be requested if a sixth unexcused absence occurs. 

VII.      When a student accumulates a sixth unexcused absence, the prosecutor will be asked to file criminal charges against the parent/guardian. 

VIII.   The parent will be notified when a student accumulates a total of 8 absences if the principal believes a student is absent from school without sufficient reason.  The parent/guardian may be required to furnish a statement from a physician or furnish other acceptable evidence supporting the need for the absence.  A statement verifying a visit to a physician will not be sufficient.  Statements from physicians must state that the student was unable to attend school.  If no doctor’s excuse is provided, the absences will be unexcused and a letter will be sent to the prosecutor. 

IX.         The parent/guardian will be provided a copy of the Fayette County School Corporation Attendance Policy and Procedures when they register their child/children for school.