Student Absences
Student Absences
(Reference: Board Policy 7:70, 7:80, 6:110)
Parents/guardians are expected to notify their child’s school by 9:00 a.m. if the child is to be absent from school on any given day. Parents/guardians can call their child’s school to leave a recorded message regarding their child’s absence or complete the “Report an Absence” form. If calling, please give the following information:
- Student’s first and last name
- Student’s teacher’s name
- Reason for absence
- Length of absence
- A phone number where you can be reached on the day of the absence
The Illinois State Board of Education guidelines for half-day and full-day attendance are based on instructional time with these general parameters:
Full-Day Credits
- Kindergarten: 4 hours / 240 minutes
- First Grade: 4 hours / 240 minutes
- Grades 2-8: 5 hours / 300 minutes
Half-Day Credits
- Kindergarten: 2.0 hours / 120 minutes
- First Grade: 2.0 hours / 120 minutes
- Grades 2-8: 2.5 hours / 150 minutes
If there is no call regarding the absence or form submission by 9:00 a.m., school personnel will contact the parent. Participation in before- and after-school activities on the day of an absence from school is not permitted without approval from the building administration.
Valid Cause of Absence
A child may be absent from school because of:
- Illness (including mental and behavioral health of the student)
- After an illness, a child may not return to school unless they have been fever-free for 24 hours. Also, if your child is on an antibiotic, they may not return to school unless they have been on medication for a 24-hour period and are fever-free for 24 hours. If a child has a contagious illness, i.e., strep throat, pink eye, chicken pox, lice, or Covid-19, please contact the health office as soon as possible.
NOTE: A doctor’s note must be presented to the school if a child is absent for more than three consecutive days due to illness.
- Medical appointment
- Observance of a religious holiday
- Death in the immediate family
- Attendance at a civic event
- Family emergency
- Attendance at a verified medical or therapeutic appointment (including a victim services provider)
- Fulfillment of a parenting responsibility
- Addressing circumstances resulting from domestic or sexual violence
- Situations beyond the student’s control as determined by the Board of Education
- Other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the safety or health of the student
Students absent for a valid cause of absence will be considered excused. The student will be given an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirement in a reasonable timeframe.
Removing students from school for vacation is discouraged. If parents/guardians decide to take the student out of school for a vacation, the following should be considered:
- The child’s building administrators and teacher should be notified before the absence.
- Missed work will be given to students upon returning to school and must be completed.
- Students will be given the same number of missed days to complete missing assignments.
Some assignments may not be able to be completed upon return to school. This may affect the student’s grade.
Late Arrivals (Tardies)
Students are expected to arrive on time for school and for their classes. Any student who arrives late (after 7:55 a.m. for the Middle School and 8:50 a.m. for the Elementary and Intermediate Schools) is considered tardy and must report to the school office to sign in. If a student in grades 6-8 arrives after 8:51 a.m., it is considered a partial day for attendance. If a student in grades K-5 arrives after 9:38 a.m., it is considered a partial day for attendance. Parents or guardians should give a signed note to their child to be turned in to the school office or call to explain the late arrival. Frequent unexcused tardiness may result in disciplinary action. Middle school students receiving three or more unexcused tardies to a class in a one-month period will be issued a major detention.
Truancy
(Reference: Board Policy 7:70)
When a student misses school frequently (unexcused absences), the following steps may be taken to promote better attendance:
- After 5 cumulative days of absence in a school year, a letter will be sent home to the parents/guardian.
- After 7 cumulative days of absence in a school year, the principal will meet with the student and send a letter home to parents/guardians. Parents will be notified if unexcused absences continue to accrue, the child will be referred to ATD (Attendance Truancy Division of the ROE). A parent conference may be scheduled to discuss attendance.
- After 9 cumulative days of absence in a school year, the principal will meet with the student again. The parents/guardians will be called to discuss the problem.
- After 10 unexcused days of absence in a school year, a letter will be sent home letting the parents/guardians know that their child will be referred to ATD. If there is no doctor's note, all absences will now be marked as unexcused.
All chronically absent students, regardless of the reasons for the absences, are reported to the state of Illinois as per the School Code. Parents will be notified periodically if student absences are predicted to equal 10% of the school year.
Make-up Work
(Reference: Board Policy 7:70)
Homework assignments for a student absent due to illness will be prepared and ready to be picked up 24 hours after the initial request is made to the child’s teacher. Students will be given the same number of missed days to complete missing assignments. For example, if a student misses three school days, they will be given three school days to make up the work. Please work with the child’s teacher individually if more time is needed.
Homework
(Reference: Board Policy 6:290)
Homework and daily reading expectations for each grade level will be discussed on Curriculum Night. Assignments are designed to serve one or more of the following purposes:
- Help students develop good study habits.
- Help students assume responsibility for learning.
- Provide practice for students towards mastery of a specific skill or concept.
When homework comes home, parents/guardians can:
- Provide a suitable area to complete homework.
- Set aside an agreed-upon time of day for homework.
- Set aside time with the student to review homework assignments, teacher website(s), textbook websites, and/or assignment notebook/planner.
- Provide encouragement and support.
- Emphasize the importance of homework.
Home and Hospital Instruction
(Reference: Board Policy 6:150)
A student who is absent or whose physician or designee anticipates that the student will be absent from school because of a medical condition may be eligible for instruction in the student’s home or hospital. For information on home and hospital instruction, contact the building-level administration.