ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL
Regular school attendance is an important part of every student’s success and is necessary to gain the greatest benefit from the educational experience. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania law and school policy require regular school attendance. In the event of a school closure students are required to attend a virtual learning platform.
Excused Absences
To assure absences are excused, the parent/guardian must submit a written note within three (3) school days upon return and the note should include:
- Date(s) of absence(s)
- A valid reason for the absence(s)
- A parent/guardian signature
Valid reasons for absence from school include:
- Illness, including if a student is dismissed by designated Intermediate Unit staff during school hours for health-related reasons.
- Obtaining professional health care or therapy service rendered by a licensed practitioner of the healing arts in any state, commonwealth, or territory.
- Quarantine.
- Family emergency.
- Recovery from accident.
- Required court attendance.
- Death in family.
- Participation in a project sponsored by a statewide or countywide 4-H, FFA or combined 4-H and FFA group, upon prior written request.
Parents are asked to call the school office at 610-874-4603 by 8:00 AM the day your child is absent. This phone call does not replace the required written documentation, but it allows school staff to know the whereabouts of your child. If a student is absent, and the parent has not notified us, the school attendance secretary will contact the parent.
Unexcused Absences
An Unexcused (or unlawful) absence will result from failure to provide a written note within three (3) calendar days of the student’s return to school or an invalid reason provided for the absence.
If a student is absent for three or more consecutive days, a doctor’s note may be required for the absence to be marked as excused. The note should be on official letterhead and include the dates of treatment.
A maximum of ten (10) days of cumulative Excused/Lawful absences may be permitted during a school year. All absences beyond ten (10) cumulative days shall require an excuse from a licensed practitioner of the healing arts.
Attendance records are reported to the student’s school district at the end of each month. Subsequent to a third truant absence, a meeting may be convened to discuss the cause of the student’s truancy and to develop a plan to resolve the truant behavior.
Parent/Guardian Requests for Early Dismissals
Students who need to be excused from school early for doctor appointments or other scheduled commitments should bring a written note to the attendance secretary 24 hours prior to the early dismissal request.
Notes are to include:
- phone number for parent/guardian,
- reason and time of dismissal,
- name of adult (18 years or older) to whom child will be release to.
The note must be signed by a parent/guardian.
The adult picking up the student will be required to show photo ID when signing the student out.
