STUDENTS

These procedures have been instituted to insure prompt parent, guardian or actual custodian notification of unexcused absences and accountability for an unreasonable number of excused absences. Their purpose is to provide for progressive intervention and consistent enforcement.

I. Philosophy

Good attendance is a primary ingredient in gaining the maximum benefit from the educational opportunities offered in the Davenport Community School District. Students who frequently miss school experience great difficulty developing skills, which will prepare them for later life. Many students in these circumstances are not able to achieve the greatest success in their academic programs. In order to obtain the maximum educational benefits for each individual student, consistent attendance is essential.

II. Attendance Expectations

A. Students are expected to attend all classes unless excused by the school’s administration. A student is absent when he/she misses all or part of a school day.

B. Student absences consistent with the Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines are excused absences. In addition, the school administration may excuse students from class to participate in extra-curricular school activities. All excuses are subject to the approval of the principal, who may require written proof of authenticity.

C. The school administration has an obligation to communicate promptly with parent/guardian when students are absent from school and to address the causes of poor attendance patterns.

III. Attendance Procedures for Students Who are 16 Before September 15th

A. Parent’s Responsibility

When a student is absent from school, the parents, guardians or actual custodians are expected to notify the school within 30 minutes after their child is scheduled to be in class and inform school staff of the reason for the absence. If there is no phone available, a note may be sent with a sibling or neighbor child. The principal must know why the child is absent. School personnel must account for every student.

Any absence that has not been excused by the parents, guardians or actual custodians and approved by the school administration within two (2) school days after the student’s return to school may become a truancy.

B. Student’s Responsibility

Attend school as provided by The Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines. Schoolwork missed for absences must be made up in order to obtain credit for classes missed.

C. Excused Absences

An excused absence may be an absence caused by illness, a professional appointment, a bereavement, a mandated court appearance, religious services or instruction, family trips, or an emergency outside the control of the student’s family. All absences are subject to the approval of the principal or program supervisor who may require written proof of authenticity.

D. Truancy Absences

Any student who fails to attend all or part of a school day, as required by the Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines, without reasonable excuse for the absence, shall be deemed truant.

A student committing a truancy may be required by the teacher(s) or principal to make up the absences outside of class time. If the school staff is not able to contact a student’s parents, guardians or actual custodians concerning his/her truancies, a certified letter will be sent after the third day of truancy.

The accumulation of five (5) truancies is considered excessive and students who have 16 or more consecutive truancies may be dropped from school. It shall be the responsibility of the administrators and staffs of schools and programs servicing students who are 16 before September 15th to develop appropriate truancy interventions. An intervention referral can be sent to the Attendance Officer to document interventions.

IV. Procedures for students who are six before September 15th or who are 16 after September 15th (Mandatory School Attendance)

A. Attendance Requirements

The Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines requires that the students of compulsory attendance age within its jurisdiction to attend school every day, all day, schools are in session. Iowa law and The Davenport Community School District’s Attendance Policy requires parents, guardians or actual custodians of compulsory attendance aged students to account for their children’s school absences. Parents, guardians or actual custodians who do not make reasonable efforts to cause their children to attend school could be subject to legal penalties.

B. Parents’, Guardians’ or Actual Custodians’ Responsibility

When a student is absent from school, the parents, guardians or actual custodians are expected to notify the school within 30 minutes after their child is scheduled to be in class and inform school staff of the reason for the absence. If there is no phone available, a note may be sent with a sibling or neighbor child. School officials must know why the child is absent. Iowa law and the Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines require school personnel to account for every student.

Any absence that has not been excused by the parents/guardians or actual custodians and approved by the school officials within two (2) school days after the student’s return to school may become a truancy.

According to Iowa law and the Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines, parents, guardians and actual custodians are expected to make reasonable efforts to cause their child to attend school. Reasonable efforts include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Call school each day their child is absent and communicate with school staff concerning their child’s absences from school.

2. Not allow or cause their child to be tardy to school.

3. Provide necessary medical excuses for absences and provide medical treatment that may be necessary to cause school attendance.

4. Inform their child’s principal of any health or behavioral problem that may interfere with school attendance.

5. Cooperate with school staff in developing and carrying out behavior modification programs designed to cause their child’s school attendance.

6. Attend school (whenever possible) with their child when he/she refuses to attend alone or to stay in class.

7. Seek help for their child from school staff, family members and/or other community resources, if he/she resists attending school.

8. Enroll in parent education classes or join parent support groups.

9. Treat headlice infestations in an appropriate and timely manner.

C. Excused Absences

An excused absence may be an absence caused by illness, a professional appointment, a bereavement, a mandated court appearance, religious services or instruction, family trips or an emergency outside the control of the student’s parents/guardians or actual custodians. All such excuses are subject to the approval of school officials who may require written proof of authenticity.

A physician’s medical excuse must state that the student’s illness was serious enough to keep him/her home from school and include the dates the student was absent due to illness. Physicians’ medical excuses written for children seen after the illness absence that merely say they may return to school are not acceptable. A school nurse’s exam conducted on the day of the absence is acceptable medical excuse.

D. Truancy

Any child of compulsory attendance age who fails to attend all or part of a school day, as required by the Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines, without reasonable excuse for the absence, shall be deemed truant.  Absences for which there has been no timely parent's, guardians or actual custodian's contact may be considered truancies.  Tardies are considered truancies unless appropriately excused.  For purposes of student discipline, three (3) unexcused tardies are considered equal to one full day of truancy.  In all instances of truancy, the student shall be subject to standard discipline procedures.  The school/program administrator shall cause to be recorded all student absences which are truancies.

Parents, guardians or actual custodians who attempt to excuse their children for illegal reasons shall be informed by the school officials of the Davenport Community School District Attendance Policy and Guidelines and their responsibility under the laws of Iowa. If the truancy continues the school principal shall attempt to find and document the causes for the child’s absences and use every means available to assure that the child does attend school.

The matter may be referred to the attendance officer for further intervention if the parents, guardians, actual custodians of the child refuse to cooperate with the principal’s or program administrator’s attempts to assure the child’s attendance or otherwise fail to make reasonable efforts to comply with Iowa law and the Davenport Community School District’s Attendance Policy and Guidelines. Five (5) truancies are considered excessive.

The building will document FOUR INTERVENTIONS. A designated staff member will document the interventions attempted to cause student attendance. These interventions shall include at least one conference or home visit with the parents, guardians or actual custodians. One of the interventions will be an official written communication delivered via certified mail, must be sent to the parents, guardians or actual custodians stating the ramifications of continued truancy.

Note: The attendance officer will be available to assist with these interventions.

After the FOURTH INTERVENTION, a complete referral will be sent to the Attendance Officer. The complete referral will include: the Attendance Intervention Form with the four intentions, print out of the students attendance record and a copy of any correspondence sent regarding attendance. The Attendance Officer will document and enter the completed referral and initiate an attendance investigation.

Depending on the case, the Attendance Officer will attempt to stop the truant behavior by contacting the family by phone, letter or during a home visit. The family will be interviewed and an intervention plan will be implemented. Warnings at the Attendance Office, Attendance status Probation, Dept. of Human Services reduction of benefits and mediation are a few of the intervention steps available. An arrest report will be filed for those cases where the intervention did not stop the truancy.

The Attendance office will have record of the status of each referral. Upon a completion of a case, the Attendance officer will contact the school in writing of the disposition of the case.

If school officials’ documented interventions are not successful and if the attendance officer’s involvement does not achieve compliance, the parent may be issued a citation. If the parent pleads not guilty, a principal or designated school staff-person may be asked to testify about school efforts attempted to cause the student to attend school and about the parents, guardians or actual custodians lack of reasonable efforts and cooperation.

 

E. Chronic/Long-Term Illness (Students who do not qualify for home instruction)

Chronic or long-term illness, three or more consecutive illness absence days, will be personally verified by the school nurse or by direct contact with a physician.

Occasionally, a family will develop problems in coping with legitimate chronic illness and the result will be excessive school absenteeism. A school-based health team may be established to more clearly define the student’s health concern with one goal being the improvement of school attendance.

The health team’s interventions (functions) could include parent conferences, home visits, obtaining medical releases, consulting with the family physician, and referral to community resources (helping agencies and volunteer groups).

F. Headlice Absences (New Section)

Headlice infestations, though not health threatening, cause a child to be absent from school. It is the parent’s, guardian’s or actual custodian’s responsibility to treat headlice infestations in an appropriate and timely manner. The Davenport Community School District’s medical consultant has determined that two (2) days are the maximum number needed to eliminate headlice, including nits, from four (4) or less children’s heads.

1. Parents, guardians or actual custodians of a child found to be infested with headlice shall be notified and the child sent home with instructions on how to treat the problem.

2. With prompt and thorough treatment, a child with headlice need only be home from school for one day.

3. If a child is absent for three (3) consecutive days, the school nurse will contact the parents, guardians or actual custodians to assess the progress being made and offer further advice on treatment procedures. The nurse will also inform the responsible adult that the attendance officer will be notified if the child is not nit free and in school the following day.

4. If a child is absent four (4) consecutive days due to headlice infestation, the school nurse shall work with school attendance personnel to document and initiate appropriate action.

5. For any subsequent head lice infestations, the parents, guardians or actual custodians will be expected to have the child(ren) lice and nit free and in school on the third day.

6. Children who are absent more than twelve (12) school days due to headlice infestation will be considered chronic truants and the parents, guardians or actual custodians of said children may be charged with failure to cause their children to attend school, Iowa law 299.1.

7. The school nurse shall maintain a Headlice Episode Form (provided by the attendance officer) on all children infested with headlice. This form will be kept in the child’s cumulative folder until graduation. This form will be submitted (completed) as an attendance referral to the Attendance Officer.

 

• Updated 4/98, 7/99
• Reviewed 3/04