Attendance Policy Change for Stoughton Schools Gets Unanimous Support from School Committee

The School Committee unanimously approved a for the Stoughton Public Schools at their meeting Tuesday night.

The policy, in the attempt to create a more uniform set of attendance standards for students grades K-12, limits unexcused absences to no more than 11 per school year, across the district, at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

The revised policy will be in effect at the start of this upcoming school year (2011-2012).

The 11 unexcused absences per school year was derived using a formula set forth in Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 76-1, which limits absences to seven over a six-month period, which equates to roughly 11 absences over a nine-month school year.

This revised attendance policy is more strict than what is currently in place at the O’Donnell Middle School or Stoughton High School, which had allowed for up to 20 unexcused absences per year.

But, the revised policy is actually more lenient than what had been in place at the elementary level, where students were expected to be “present and on time at least 95% of the days school is in session,” which equated to nine absences over a 180-day school year.

School Committee member Allan Mills said the revised attendance policy was “well thought out” and was a “good step forward” for the district.

According to the revised policy, “all absences (even those authorized by parents) are considered unexcused unless the required documentation is provided.”

Examples of excused absences, according to the the policy, include:

• Illness or quarantine (with a doctor’s note)

• Bereavement or serious illness in family

• Observance of major religious holidays

• Legal (with documentation from the court, lawyer etc.)

• Other – a student may be excused for other absences with approval from the school administrator.

The policy makes it clear that “family vacations are not considered excused absences.”

“The School Committee strongly discourages families from taking vacation during the school year,” the policy states. “Teachers will not be required to provide work prior to a student leaving for vacation. The student will be required to make up all missed work upon their return to school.”

The policy also prohibits students from participating in after-school activities if they were absent that school day.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jonathan Ford said that the change in policy does not mean that every time a student is absent he or she needs to get a doctor’s note.

Once a student reaches 11 absences he or she will have to meet with the principal to discuss the situation. Ford said it was not a “strict 11 days” and that students will have the ability to “remediate” the situation and make up days.

Additional stipulations are made for students. For example, students enrolled in a semester course are only allotted five unexcused absences.

High school seniors may be excused up to four days for college visits. “Appropriate documentation from a college visit or college fair attendance will be required in order to receive credit for the days,” according to the policy.

Ford said there will be “no surprises” with this policy; students will be made aware of how many days they have missed from school, before they reach the 11-day threshold.

With the policy change set to take place starting with the school year in September, Ford said the revised policy will be in the school handbooks and will be referenced “over and over again” so that all in the district will be made aware of the revisions.

A full copy of the attendance policy is included below and is posted in the media gallery.

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ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Regular and punctual school attendance is essential for success in school. The Committee does recognize that parents of children attending our schools have special rights as well as responsibilities, one of which is to ensure that their children between the ages of 6 and 16 attend school regularly, in accordance with State law. State law requires the school system to investigate cases of excessive school absence. For this purpose, the Committee defines excessive absence as more than eleven (11) unexcused absences per school year. All absences (even those authorized by parents) are considered unexcused unless the required documentation is provided.

Therefore, students may be excused temporarily from school attendance for the following reasons:

• Illness or quarantine (with a doctor’s note)

• Bereavement or serious illness in family

• For observance of major religious holidays

• Legal (with documentation from the court, lawyer etc.)

• Other – a student may be excused for other absences with approval from the school administrator.

Documentation for the above absences should be provided to the school principal or designee within five (5) school days of the absence. Documentation provided after ten (10) school days may require a meeting with a principal or designee.

Clear communication between parents and the school is imperative to ensure the safety of students and to reinforce a student’s understanding of the importance of day-to-day schoolwork. Accordingly, parents should provide a written explanation for the absence of a child. This should be provided in advance for types of absences where advance notice is possible.

Family vacations are not considered excused absences. The School Committee strongly discourages families from taking vacation during the school year. When children are absent from school for the purpose of family vacations, their learning is interrupted and their progress may be affected. Teachers will not be required to provide work prior to a student leaving for vacation. The student will be required to make up all missed work upon their return to school.

Unexcused absence from school is considered truancy and will be treated as such. This includes absence from any class or activity during the school day for which the student is scheduled. It also includes any after-school special help session or disciplinary session that the student has been directed to attend by a teacher or administrator. Disciplinary action shall be taken in such case, beginning with notification of parents. Continued violation may lead to more serious repercussion, up to and including suspension from school.

If a child is absent, he or she cannot participate in after-school or evening events on the day(s) on which he or she is absent. The principal will have the authority to excuse a student’s absence and allow the student to participate, based on the principal’s understanding of the events surrounding the absence.

Excessive unexcused absences will require assessment and intervention by the school administration. Interventions may include contact with parents, school conferences, case management services and service referral. In situations in which attendance does not improve despite intervention by the school administration, the school may take one or more of the following actions:

• A Failure To Send, Criminal Complaint, against the parent will be sought at the Stoughton District Court

• A 51A for parental neglect will be filed with the Department of Children and Families

• A CHINS petition will be sought at the Dedham District Juvenile Court.

For High School students (in addition to policy stated above):

1. Students enrolled in a semester course (~20 weeks) will be denied credit if they have more than five (5) unexcused absences during the course.

2. Students enrolled in a yearlong course (~40 weeks) will be denied credit if they have more than eleven (11) unexcused absences during the course.

3. Student enrolled in a course other than a semester or year long course will be denied credit when they exceed a number of unexcused absences determined by multiplying the number of days in the course by 0.061 and rounding to the nearest whole number.

Students in the high school may also earn back days of missed attendance by attending Saturday School (a day for a day), or its equivalent, as made available by the high school administration.

Additionally, high school seniors may be excused for up to four (4) days for college visits. High school juniors may be excused to attend one (1) session of the annual NACAC National College Fair or its equivalent. Appropriate documentation from a college visit or college fair attendance will be required in order to receive credit for the days.

LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 76:1; 76:2; 76:16; 76:20; 119:39E; 119:51A