Norfolk School Board Attendance Policy and Regulation
JED. STUDENTS ABSENCES/EXCUSES/DISMISSALS
Student attendance is a cooperative effort and the school board shall involve parents and students in accepting the responsibility for good attendance.
Each parent/guardian or person having control or charge of a child within the compulsory attendance age shall be responsible for such child's regular and punctual attendance at school as required under provisions of the law.
A reasonable effort shall be made to contact a parent/guardian of each student who has been absent for two consecutive days, and a log will be kept of call attempts.
Students who have been absent must bring a valid note stating the reason for absence upon returning to school. Unexcused absences shall be handled according to regulations issued by the superintendent.
Students shall attend school for a full day unless otherwise excused. Secondary students shall be scheduled for a full school day unless they are enrolled in a cooperative work-study program. All other exceptions to a full day schedule must be approved on an individual basis by the superintendent or designee.
Student attendance shall be monitored and reported as required by state law and regulations.
Dismissal Precautions:
Principals shall not release a student during the school day to any person not authorized by the student's parent/guardian to assume responsibility for the pupil. Students shall be released only on request and authorization of parent or guardian. The superintendent shall provide procedures for release of pupils who are not residing with or under the supervision of a parent/guardian. The burden of proof on the authority of the person to receive the student is on the requesting party. A formal check-out system shall be maintained in each school.
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Legal Refs.: Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, ยงยง 22.1-254, 22.1-258 through 22.1-269; State Board of Education Regulations Governing Pupil Accounting Records, VR 270-01-0010.
Replaced Norfolk Public Schools Blue Book Policy 9-20.
Adopted by the Norfolk School Board: November 24, 1997.
JED-R. STUDENT ABSENCES/EXCUSES/DISMISSALS REGULATION
Under no conditions are any registers to be closed before the end of the last day of the school term. Actual attendance will be recorded in the register through the last day of the school term. However, report cards prepared before closing the teacher's register will not reflect the presence or absence of the student on days subsequent to preparation of these report cards.
Sickness of a student, severe affliction in the family, exposure to contagious disease or extremely inclement weather or religious holidays shall be considered legitimate excuses for absence or tardiness. In all cases of absence or tardiness, the parent or guardian, in person or in writing, shall give an excuse stating the cause. Until notes for absence are received and approved, or a satisfactory excuse given in person by the parent or guardian, the absence shall be unexcused.
Nothing in the foregoing, however, shall be construed as preventing the principal from exercising discretionary power to excuse students from school upon written request from the parent or guardian stating the reason for and time of absence.
A. Attendance--School/Classes. Notification: A reasonable effort will be made to notify parents of their child's absences. After two (2) consecutive days of absence, the principal or his/her designees shall make a reasonable effort to notify the parent/guardian of the student's absence. After a total of five (5) days of absence, the parent/guardian shall be notified in writing of the absences. The written notice shall be specific as to dates of absence from school/class. These absences, when reaching a total of fifteen (15) consecutive days, shall result in said student being dropped from the school roll, (W9), and the parent shall be notified in writing.
Sanctions: Students assigned to a class that meets daily and who are absent ten (10) or more days (excused or unexcused) in a semester course, or twenty (20) or more days (excused or unexcused) in a school year, will not be granted credit or promoted, regardless of their grades; provided, however, that excused absences for religious holidays shall not be counted for the purpose determining a student's eligibility for academic credit or a promotion.
Students assigned to a block schedule and who are absent seven (7) or more days (excused or unexcused) in a semester course, or fourteen (14) days (excused or unexcused in a school year, will not be granted credit or promoted, regardless of their grades; provided, however, that excused absences for religious holidays shall not be counted for the purpose of determining a student's eligibility for academic credit or a promotion.
The elementary school day is defined as a minimum of three hours of school attendance during any regular school day. In secondary schools a student must attend 75% of a class to be considered present in that class for the day.
Students that have an IEP, 504 Plan, Chronic Health Care Plan that contains the statement, "XY (name of student) shall not be accountable for Norfolk Public Schools attendance requirements," will be exempt from attendance sanctions.
If a parent believes there are extenuating circumstances, he or she may seek relief by requesting an administrative review by the school principal.
Absences/Attendance Records. Notwithstanding the requirements of this section, a principal may, upon the filing of a written request for administrative review by a student or parent, consider whether the student should be granted academic credit even though he has failed to meet attendance requirements. Such academic credit may be granted if the principal finds substantial evidence that the student has mastered all the material presented in the course to such degree that he should be awarded a passing grade.
Students who absent themselves from school or scheduled classes, without permission from school authorities, subject themselves to disciplinary action.
Such instances of violations may result in the issuance of a conduct or disciplinary notice; or in after-school, in-school, or Saturday detention.
B. Tardiness--School/Classes. Students who are tardy may be subject to disciplinary action.
C. Legal Action Against Students/Parents. Principals may initiate legal action against students and/or parents who are in violation of the compulsory school attendance laws through the following procedures:
1. School officials will document efforts made by school personnel to get the full cooperation of the parent (letters, phone calls, home visits, etc.).
2. The school principal will call the intake supervisor or the senior intake officer to schedule an appointment convenient with the principal's schedule, also as soon as possible, to file a motion seeking a Preliminary Protective Order ('16.1-253 Code of Virginia). In the absence of the intake supervisor or senior intake officer, the principal should make direct contact with the court services unit director or deputy director.
Absences/Attendance Records.
3. At the appointment, the motion for a preliminary protective order will normally be filed. In aggravated cased, the intake officer will be requested to consult with the office of the commonwealth attorney to see if criminal charges, such as educational neglect or contributing to the delinquency of a minor, would be a more appropriate course of action.
4. Subject to the concurrence of the juvenile court authorities, a court date will be set for the next court day and child/parent summons will be issued and served by the police department that day.
5. In court, the principal will, upon obtaining permission from the judge, explain the school's attempt to get full parental cooperation and difficulties in desired results. Principal will also outline for the court the specific directives that Norfolk Public Schools feels should be included in the Protective Order (cooperate with school authorities, send notes when child is absent, call school when child is sick, meet regularly with school social worker, etc.)
6. If the parent fails to comply with all or part of the protective order, the principal will pursue a motion to show cause (contempt order) with the court.
7. To initiate the motion to show cause, the principal should contact the intake supervisor or senior intake officer (in their absence, the CSU director or either deputy directors may be called). The intake department will be requested to process the necessary paperwork to docket the case and to summon the parents for failure to comply.
8. The commonwealth attorney will be requested to prosecute any case where the parents fail to comply. Accordingly, intake will be requested to notify the commonwealth attorney's office when these cases are scheduled.
9. The senior director of pupil personnel will be notified by the principal so other key school administrators can be alerted.
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Legal Refs.: Virginia State Board of Education, Regulations, "Pupil Accounting Records Generally" (July, 1973), pp. 71-73; Preliminary Protective Order (16.1253, Code of Virginia); Code of Virginia, 22.1-254 (Effective July 1, 1990) B Ages of Children required to attend. "Every parent, guardian, or other person in the commonwealth having control or charge of any child who will have reached the fifth birthday on or before September 30 of any school year and who has not passed the eighteenth birthday, during the period of each year the public schools are in session and for the same number of days and hours per day as the public schools, send such child to a public school or a private, denominational, or a parochial school or have such child taught by a tutor or teacher of qualifications prescribed by the Board of Education and approved by the division superintendent or provide for home instruction of such child, as described in 22.1-254.1."
Regulation for Norfolk Public Schools Policy JED.
Adopted by the Norfolk School Board: November 24, 1997.
Revised by Policy and Planning Board June 29, 2004.
