Draft For Public Comment
April 2023

Green Island Union Free School District 
Comprehensive Attendance Policy

Contents 

Beliefs ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................3 

Reporting an Absence…………................................................................................................................................................................... 3 

Absences and Tardiness – General Rules………………………………………………......................................................................................... 4-5

Important Attendance Benchmarks…………………………………………………………………………………………................................................... 6

Incentives…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................... 7

Appeals Process and Attendance Review Board.................................................................................................................................. 7 

District Responsibilities and Notification Process .............................................................................................................................. 7

Objectives

• Close student achievement gap by engaging all learners with meaningful direct instruction
• To know the whereabouts of every student for safety and other reasons.
• To determine the district’s average daily attendance for state aid reimbursement
• To verify that individual students are complying with Education Law in relation to compulsory attendance to determine eligibility for course credit
• To identify individual and group attendance patterns in order to provide attendance improvement programs and services, to improve student academic performance and increase school completion.
• Reduce Chronic Absenteeism 

Glossary of Terms:

• Absence: When student is not present during the instructional day
• Attendance Examiner: Staff assigned to progress monitor student attendance
• CART: Consultation and Response Team
• Tardy: When a student is late to a class or the school day

Beliefs

School attendance is both a right and responsibility in New York State. Children have the right to attend school between the ages of five(5) and twenty-one (21), and are required to attend between the ages of six (6) and sixteen (16). It is the responsibility of the school to provide full-time academic instruction to all eligible students, and the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure that their children attend school on a regular basis.  Here, in the Green Island Union Free School District, we believe that consistent school attendance is a contributing factor in a student's academic success. The interaction between teachers and students in the classroom is a key element to this success. We also believe that those parents who are actively involved in their children's learning are important contributors to their success.  Lastly, our school district believes it is important to be in compliance with New York State Education Department attendance procedures and those of the County of Albany where the district is located.

Reporting an Absence 

For an absence to be considered excused, a written note from a parent or guardian must state a legal reason for the absence(s). The note must also be submitted to the school office within three (3) days of said absence to be considered excused. If a note is not provided within three (3) days, the absence will be considered unexcused. 

Legal reasons for an excused absence and tardies are those due to personal illness, illness or death in the family, religious observance, quarantine, required court appearances, medical or dental appointments, approved college visits, approved cooperative work programs, military obligations or such other reasons as may be approved by the building administrator.

When a parent/guardian has knowledge that a student will be out of school for three or more consecutive days, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school and arrange for work to be sent home. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to contact the school as soon as they are aware that their child will be absent.

Absences and Tardiness – General Rules

1. Students who are receiving school sanctioned homebound instruction shall not be considered absent.

2. Students absent from class shall be permitted to make up assignments, quizzes, examinations and other course work missed due to the absence. Opportunities to make up the work, however, do not alter the attendance record. Work can be made up in a proportionate relationship to the number of days missed. For example, if a student misses one day, they have one school day to make up for the work missed. If they miss three days, they have three days to make up for the work missed. If work is not made up, zeroes may be assigned for the missed work. In the case of a participation grade, only excused absences will be exempt from a grade. 

3. In the case of an extended absence (more than five days), students shall be permitted to make-up, for full credit, any exams (except for State Exams), tests, quizzes, classwork, or labs missed during an unexcused absence, given the following provisions:

a. Ten days prior to the unexcused absence, a signed letter is provided to the school principal, from the student’s parent/guardian, clearly stating the reason for the absence, and that the student intends to make up for the missed exams, tests, quizzes, class work, and/or labs. Furthermore, the letter must clearly state that the parent or guardian acknowledges and accepts responsibility for removing his/her child from school, and that the parent/guardian recognizes that it is the responsibility of the student to seek out the work he/she is anticipated to miss, prior to the unexcused absence.

b. All exams, tests and quizzes are taken within five (5) school days of the student’s return to school from an unexcused absence. Any exams, tests, and quizzes that are not completed within five (5) school days of the student’s return to school from the unexcused absence will result in a grade of zero (0).

c. In the event that there is unanticipated class work, in addition to the class work received by the students prior to the unexcused absence, the student will be granted the opportunity to complete the work for full credit in the same proportionate relation to the number of days missed. 

4. Students with 20 consecutive unexcused absences may be dropped from enrollment after compliance with the procedures set forth in section 3202 (1-a) of the Education Law which states: 

No pupil over the compulsory attendance age in his or her school district shall be dropped from enrollment unless he or she has been absent twenty consecutive school days and the following procedure is complied with: The principal or superintendent shall schedule and notify, in writing and at the last known address, both the student and the person in parental relation to the student of an informal conference. At the conference the principal or superintendent shall determine both the reasons for the pupil's absence and whether reasonable changes in the pupil's educational program would encourage and facilitate his or her re-entry or continuance of study. The pupil and the person in parental relation shall be informed orally and in writing of the pupil's right to re-enroll at any time in the public school maintained in the district where he or she resides, if otherwise qualified under this section. If the pupil and the person in parental relationship fail, after reasonable notice, to attend the informal conference, the pupil may be dropped from enrollment provided that he or she and the person in parental relation are notified in writing of the right to re-enter at any time, if otherwise qualified under this section. 

*Please note; no student will be dropped from enrollment without exhaustive interventions and final approval from the Superintendent.

5. Students who are tardy to school for the day must report at the Main Office and receive a Tardy Slip.

6. Students who are tardy to school due to a doctor or dentist appointment are required to provide a note from the doctor or dentist's office. The student will be recognized with an excused late and will be able to participate in after- school activities that day.

Important Attendance Benchmarks: Absences

Number of Absences / Action to Be Taken by the School District if the Rule is Violated

• 5 Total Absences (grades 1-12) (Daily Attendance) / Students will be referred to the MTSS/Attendance Committee. A member of the committee will send an attendance letter.
• 10 Total Absences (grades 1-12) (Daily Attendance) / Students will be referred to the MTSS/Attendance Committee and intervention recommended is through the Tiered system. Attendance letter will be mailed home. A Parent/Teacher meeting may be requested and scheduled.
• 15 Total Absences (grades 1-12) (Daily Attendance) / Students will be referred to the MTSS/Attendance Committee and intervention recommended is through the Tiered system. Attendance letter will be mailed home. A meeting with the Principal  will be requested and scheduled. The committee will make a referral to Albany County for possible educational neglect*.
• 20 Total Absences (grades 1-12) (Daily Attendance) / Students will be referred to the MTSS/Attendance Committee and intervention recommended is through the Tiered system. Attendance letter will be mailed home. A meeting with the Superintendent will be requested and scheduled. The committee will make a referral to Albany County for possible educational neglect*. 
• 25 Total Absences (grades 1-12) (Daily Attendance) / Student will be referred to the MTSS/Attendance Committee and intervention recommended  is through the Tiered system.  Attendance letter will be mailed home. A meeting with the Superintendent will be requested and scheduled. The committee will make a referral to Albany County for possible educational neglect*. 

*Please note: Some credit bearing courses, that end in a Regents exam, may be subject to the loss of course credit due to State Education Regulations. 

Important Attendance Benchmarks: Tardies to School

Number of Tardies / Action To Be Taken by the School District if the Rule is Violated 

• After 2 Total Unexcused Tardies (grade 7-12) / Lunch Detention will be assigned.
• 2 Unexcused tardies (Grades 1-6) / Lunch Detention will be assigned.
• After 2 (Total 4 Unexcused Lates) Lunch Detentions (grade 7-12) / After School Detention will be assigned. MTSS/Attendance Review

*In the event a student has an unexcused absence for 10 consecutive days, or 20 days total of school, the school district is mandated to contact local authorities. The district will share this policy with local Child Protective Services (CPS) to ensure a common understanding of excused and unexcused absences and to work toward identifying and addressing cases of educational neglect. Additionally, a Superintendent’s conference may be scheduled to address any barriers and discuss interventions.

Incentives

Incentives employed to encourage pupil attendance will be determined by the school district. Incentives may include: weekly student recognition receptions/assemblies, awards, or special privileges as determined by faculty and staff.

Appeals Process and Attendance Review Board

For catastrophic or extenuating circumstances only, a parent/guardian has the right to file a written appeal for review by the Attendance Committee. This appeal should be submitted to the Principal and within a week’s time, a meeting with the Attendance Committee will be scheduled. If the parent/guardian is not satisfied with the Committee’s ruling, the parent may also appeal to the Superintendent of the Green Island UFSD. If they are still not satisfied, they may appeal to the Green Island UFSD Board of Education and then to the NYS Commissioner of Education.

Annual Review and Dissemination

The District will provide a plain language summary of the Attendance Policy within the Code of Conduct dissemination. The Board will annually review building-level student attendance records and, if such records show a decline in student attendance, the Board will revise this comprehensive attendance policy and make any revisions to the plan it deems necessary to improve student attendance.

District Responsibilities and Notification Process 

Teachers in grades 7 - 12 will take attendance period by period via the computer (or by written slip when the computer system is not available). Teachers in grades K - 6 will take attendance at the start of the school day. Each absence will be coded on the student’s record as to the reason and whether it is excused or unexcused. If corrections are needed, they will be made in a timely fashion.

The Attendance Committee will meet regularly to discuss attendance concerns, analyze data, and identify patterns or trends in student absences. If patterns emerge, district resources will be targeted to understand and eliminate barriers to attendance. 

To encourage good attendance, it is recommended that teachers make class participation part of a student's overall grade.  Also, see our Incentives section of this policy.

Parents are also encouraged to monitor their children’s attendance through SchoolTool. Attendance is also viewable on progress reports and report cards.  Lastly, parents are also strongly encouraged to reach out to the school for assistance.