As is usually the case within the first few weeks of school, illnesses begin moving throughout our student population. This year has been no different. Please take a moment and read through this section concerning the implications of student attendance. I have also provided a checklist of when you may want to keep your student home from school and when it's safe to send them.
When students miss too many days of school, they fall behind and struggle to keep up with their
classmates. Whether the days missed are due to illness, truancy or for any other reason, the end result for the student is the same — learning time is lost. Students will get sick at times and may need to stay at home, but we want to work with you to help minimize the number of days your student misses school.
Missed Days Add Up Quickly!
Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation. Both excused and unexcused absences can make it more difficult for your student to keep up with other students. Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic
success.
What You Can Do
Make School Attendance a Priority:
As the parent/guardian, be strong with your student and don’t let your student stay home when it is
not necessary. This will help your student succeed. If your student must stay home because they are sick, make sure they have asked teachers for resources and materials to make up for the missed learning time in the classroom. If your student has a chronic disease (Asthma, Diabetes, etc), make sure that the school staff is aware of the disease so the staff can assist your student if he or she becomes ill. Information about your student’s chronic disease should be noted on the school emergency or health information card. Monitor you student’s academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you. Keep an open line of communication with school staff and teachers. The more the school knows about your student’s health, the better prepared everyone will be to work together.
Helpful Ideas:
- Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties.
- Make appointments with the doctor or dentist after school hours so your student misses as little school as possible. If your student must miss school, make sure you get his or her homework assignments and follow up to see if the work is completed and turned in.
- Call the school as soon as you know your student will be absent, and tell school staff why your student will be out and for how long.
- Check on your student’s attendance to be sure absences are not adding up.
- Seek help from school staff, other parents or community agencies if you need support.
