FILE:  JBD

Cf:  JB, JBA, JBH

Cf:  JDD, JGFC, JQA

STUDENT ABSENCES AND EXCUSES

The Lafayette Parish School Board recognizes that the fundamental right to attend the public schools places upon students the accompanying responsibility to be faithful in attendance.  Regular attendance can be assumed to be essential for a student's successful progress in the instructional program.

The parent or legal guardian shall enforce the attendance of the student at the school to which the student is assigned.

The principal of a school or his/her designee shall notify the parent/guardian in writing on or before a student's third (3rd) unexcused absence or third (3rd) unexcused occurrence of being tardy, and shall hold a conference with such student's parent or legal guardian.  This notification shall include information relative to the parent or legal guardian’s legal responsibility to enforce the student’s attendance at school and the civil penalties that may be incurred if the student is determined to be habitually absent or habitually tardy.  The student's parent or legal guardian shall sign a receipt for such notification.

Each school shall attempt to provide verbal notification to a child's parent, tutor, or legal guardian, and, if such verbal notification cannot be provided, then the school shall provide written notification to a child's parent, tutor, or legal guardian when that child has been absent from school for five (5) school days in schools operating on a semester basis, and for ten (10) days in schools not operating on a semester basis.  The accumulation of days absent need not be consecutive.

No public elementary or secondary school student shall be permitted for any reason to absent himself/herself from school attendance during the school day upon his/her own authority, unless legally emancipated.  The principal or designee shall make all reasonable efforts to verbally notify the parent or other person responsible for the student's school attendance of any such prohibited absence by a student.

TYPES OF ABSENCES

The days absent for elementary and secondary school students shall include excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions/expulsion.

1. Excused Absences:  absences which are not considered for purposes of truancy, including absences incurred due to extenuating circumstances. The student is allowed to make up the missed work, tests, receive credit for work completed, and receive credit for a course and/or school year completed.  The absence is not counted against the attendance requirement.  Examples of this type are absences due to extended illness documented by a doctor or absences to celebrate religious holidays.  There is no limit to these absences.
   
   

2. Unexcused:  Any absence not meeting the requirements set forth in the excused absence definition, including but not limited to absences due to any job (including agriculture and domestic services, even in their own homes or for their own parents or tutors) unless it is part of an approved instructional program. The student is allowed to make up the missed work, tests, receive credit for work completed, and receive credit for a course and/or school year completed.  The absence is counted against the attendance requirement.  Unexcused absences are any absences not meeting the requirements set forth in the excused absences above or the extenuating circumstance below.  The number of unexcused absences a student is allowed is a total of ten (10) absences per school year.
   
   

3. Suspensions/Expulsions:  absence in which a student is not in attendance in the regular instructional setting due to disciplinary actions imposed by the school. The absence is not considered for purposes of truancy unless the student was assigned to an alternative site and is not in attendance at the assigned alternative site.  Refers to both in-school and out-of-school suspensions, in addition to Long-Term Suspensions and Expulsions.  The student is allowed to make up the missed work, tests, receive credit for work completed, and receive credit for a course and/or school year completed, provided it is completed satisfactorily and in a timely manner.  Students absent from school as a result of any out-of-school suspension shall be marked absent, but the absence is not counted against the attendance requirement.

A student under out-of-school suspension or expulsion is not allowed on any school campus without permission of the principal nor can he/she attend or participate in any school sponsored activity/function, including graduation, or extracurricular activity on or off the school campus.

A student who is absent, including a suspended student, shall be allowed to submit missed assignments and tests and shall be eligible to receive the same academic credit and grades originally available when work is completed satisfactorily and in a timely manner.

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Exceptions to the attendance regulation shall be the enumerated extenuating circumstances below that are verified by the Director of Child Welfare and Attendance or the school principal/designee where indicated.  These exempted absences do not apply in determining whether a student meets the minimum minutes of instruction required to receive credit.

1. Extended personal, physical, or emotional illness as verified by a physician or nurse practitioner licensed in the state;
   
   

2. Extended hospital stay in which a student is absent as verified by a physician or dentist;
   
   

3. Chronic Medical Conditions in which a student is absent:  Require a letter from a licensed health care provider that states the condition and how it contributes to absences from school.  This letter must be submitted to the school principal by the end of the first three (3) weeks of the session or immediately after the medical condition has been diagnosed.  The student’s medical situation should be discussed with the teacher and/or principal.  Each time a student is absent due to the chronic condition, the parent must send a note that states that the absence was due to the diagnosed chronic medical condition;
   
   

4. Extended recuperation from an accident in which a student is absent as verified by a physician, dentist, or nurse practitioner licensed in the state;
   
   

5. Extended contagious disease within a family in which a student is absent as verified by a physician or dentist licensed in the state;
   
   

6. Quarantine due to prolonged exposure to or direct contact with a person diagnosed with a contagious, deadly, disease in which a student is absent as ordered by the state or local health officials;
   
   

7. Observance of special and recognized holidays of the student's own faith in which a student is absent.
   
   

8. Visitation with a parent who is a member of the United States Armed Forces or the National Guard of a state and such parent has been called to duty for or is on leave from overseas deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting.  Excused absences in this situation shall not exceed five (5) school days per school year.
   
   

9. Death in the immediate family in which a student’s absence is verified by the principal or his/her designee:  Documentation regarding the death of a family member, i.e., death certificate, obituary (not to exceed five (5) days);
   
   

10. Natural catastrophe and/or disaster in which a student’s absence is verified by the principal or his/her designee, i.e., flood, fire, etc;
    
    

11. Documentation regarding personal-social occurrences, i.e., domestic violence, serious family illness in the student’s home, etc.;
    
    

12. Prior school system-approved travel for education in which a student’s absence is verified by the principals or his/her designee, i.e., college visitation, university testing;
    
    

13. Legal commitments in which a student is absent.  Court ordered subpoenas or other legal business documentation are required;
    
    

14. Head lice in which a student is absent.  Absences require appropriate documentation from the school nurse or physician (maximum two (2) day absence per occurrence);
    
    

15. Minors engaged in artistic or creative services.
    
    

16. Expectant and parenting high school students shall be granted excused absences as delineated in policy JQA, Expectant and Parenting Students.

For any other extenuating circumstances, the student’s parents or legal guardian must make a formal appeal in accordance with the due process procedures established by the school system.

Students who are verified as meeting extenuating circumstances, and therefore eligible to receive grades shall not receive those grades if they are unable to complete makeup work or pass the course.

MENTAL OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ABSENCES

A student may be absent for up to three (3) days in any school year related to the student's mental or behavioral health, and such absences shall be excused if certification is provided in writing in accordance with the student handbook.  The student shall be given the opportunity to make up any school work missed during such absences.  Following the second day of absence in any school year, the student shall be referred to the appropriate school support personnel for help addressing the underlying issue, which may include referral to medical services outside of the school setting.

SCHOOL-APPROVED ACTIVITIES

Students participating in school-approved field trips or other instructional activities that necessitate their being away from school and are under the supervision of authorized personnel shall be considered to be present and shall be given the opportunity to make up work.

CHILD PERFORMERS

Minors employed to perform or render artistic or creative services under a contract or employment arrangement for two (2) or more days within a 30-day period must receive instruction pursuant to statutory provisions.

WRITTEN EXCUSES

All excuses (e.g., electronic, digital, paper) must be provided to school personnel or the Director of Child Welfare and Attendance, within five (5) school days of the students return to school.

All make-up work should be completed and handed in within a reasonable time as recommended by the student’s teacher.

REPORTING ABSENCES

The attendance of all school students shall be checked each school day and at the beginning of each class period and shall be verified by the teacher keeping such record, which shall be open to inspection by the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance or duly authorized representative at all reasonable times.  All schools shall immediately report to the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance any unexplained, unexcused, or illegal absence, or habitual tardiness.

The Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance shall, after written notice to the parent or legal guardian of a child, or a personal visit of notification, report any such child who is habitually absent or who is habitually tardy to the family or juvenile court of the parish as a truant child, there to be dealt with in such manner as the court may determine.

APPEAL OF ABSENCES

When a student exceeds the maximum number of absences allowed, the parents or student may make a formal appeal to the principal by presenting required written documentation for any of the absences he/she feels are because of extenuating circumstances.  In grades K-8, appeals shall be initially determined by the School Building Level Committee (SBLC).  If the appeal is denied, the parents may request a review of the decision by the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance.  The appeal decision of the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance is final and no further appeals shall be allowed.

No appeals and/or documentation shall be accepted for any absences in excess of the minimum attendance requirements after ten (10) school days at the end of the first semester for a semester course or after ten (10) working days at the end of the school year for a two- semester course.

High school students in danger of failing due to excessive absences may be allowed to make up missed time in class sessions held outside the regular class time in an attendance recovery program.  The make-up sessions must be completed before the end of the current semester and all other applicable policies must also be met.

TARDINESS

A student shall be considered tardy to school if the student is not in his/her homeroom/first period class when the bell to begin homeroom/class ceases.

When transferring from one class to another during the school day, a student shall be considered tardy to class if the student is not in the classroom after the tardy bell ceases, but shall not be considered violating the attendance requirements.  Students who exhibit excessive tardiness shall be subject to disciplinary action according to the school district’s Student Code of Conduct.

A student shall be considered habitually absent or habitually tardy (truant) when either condition continues to exist after all efforts of any school personnel, truancy officer or other law enforcement personnel have failed to correct the condition after the fifth (5th) unexcused absence or fifth (5th) unexcused occurrence of being tardy within any school semester.  The principal or his/her designee shall notify the parent/guardian in writing before or upon a student’s third (3rd) unexcused absence or third (3rd) unexcused occurrence of being tardy, and shall hold a conference with such student’s parent/guardian.  The student’s parent/guardian shall sign the letter as receipt of notification and shall return it to the school within five (5) school days of receipt.

In addition, the parent/legal guardian may be subject to court fines or community service, and attendance in parenting classes and family counseling and/or other consequences, such as the loss of recreational licenses, for violating the Louisiana Compulsory Attendance Law.

A student shall have his/her driver’s license or driver’s permit denied or suspended by the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Department until his/her eighteenth birthday, who fails or refuses to present appropriate documentation that he/she has complied with mandatory school attendance or if the Motor Vehicle Department receives written notification from his/her school that he/she is a dropout or is habitually absent or habitually tardy (truant).

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:221, 17:221.8, 17:226, 17:226.1, 17:230, 17:232, 17:233, 51:2134

Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators, Bulletin 741, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 7-22-97, 8-4-78, 8-6-80, 7-22-81, 7-7-83, 8-3-83, 6-6-84, 7-24-85, 7-15-87, 8-2-89, 5-30-90, 8-5-92, 5-17-95, 6-17-98, 6-22-99, 6-7-00, 3-19-03, 5-5-04, 7-21-10, 10-6-10, 10-7-15, 6-10-20, 8-10-22, 8-9-23, 1-3-24, 7-31-24

Lafayette Parish School Board