WASHS Attendance 2024-2025
Compulsory Attendance Law
Effective with the 2020-2021 school year, a child must comply with compulsory attendance requirements from age 6 to age 18.Specifically, a child who has attained the age of 6 on or before September 1 must enroll and attend school or begin a home school program that year. Additionally, any student less than 18 years of age must comply with compulsory school age requirements. The term “compulsory attendance" refers to the mandate that all children of compulsory school age having a legal residence in Pennsylvania must attend a day school in which the subjects and activities prescribed by the standards of the State Board of Education. WASD Attendance Policy #204
Attendance
When a child is absent from school, he/she misses a day of learning. Since each day’s learning builds upon previous information, it is essential children attend school regularly. As a parent/guardian, you can help your child to see attendance as an important part of his/her education in the following ways:
Do not keep your child home for minor ailments.
Show an active interest in your child’s activities.
Encourage your child to develop good time management habits.
Compliment your child on his/her accomplishments.
Refuse to write false excuses.
Discuss your child’s school day with him/her.
Encourage your child to be involved in school activities.
Participate in school activities yourself.
All absences will be treated as unlawful until a written excuse explaining the reason(s) for absence is received by the attendance office. State law lists an absence as excused for the following reasons:
Early dismissal by school nurse
Illness, including appointments (medical, dental, mental health)
Death in family
Impassable roads
Exceptionally urgent reasons as approved by the principal
Written documentation of all absences is expected within 3 school days of absence. Excuses should include the child’s full name, grade level, date(s) of absence, and reason for absence. Additional information may be requested by administration and/or the attendance secretary to excuse absences due to family emergencies. All unexcused/illegal absences that total 3 days and beyond are referred to the school principal for a student attendance improvement plan (SAIP) and/or a citation for truancy. Act 29 of the Pennsylvania Public School Code makes the following provisions for any or all of the consequences for unexcused/illegal absence from school:
Payment of fine, plus court costs
Required community service for a period of up to six (6) months (This applies to parents/guardians of 12 years of age or younger.)
Completion of a mandatory parenting education program
Ten days absence will generate a letter home indicating a learner’s attendance status and stating that a doctor’s excuse will be required for future absences to be excused/legal.
Excuse for Religious Reasons
Parents/guardians who desire to have their child excused from school to observe religious holidays, conferences, etc., should make this known in writing to the principal. In addition, parents/guardians who desire to have their child excused from parties, celebrations, etc., due to religious reasons should submit a written statement to have their child excused.
Release from School for Trips
Parents/guardians who wish to obtain the release of their children from school for family trips, family business, or other family activities must request permission from the principal at least ten (10) days PRIOR. This request must be made in writing using the Educational Trip Form which is available in the office or online. Parents/guardians must define the nature of the activity, its duration, and its purpose. According to school board policy, only those activities which are an emergency or which are educational in nature will be excused.
Chronic Absenteeism
Rates of chronic absenteeism will be reported as “Regular Attendance” on the Future Ready PA Index, and will be calculated at the building level, as well as for any group of twenty (20) or more learners in a building. Chronic absenteeism will be calculated based on the number of learners who have missed more than ten (10) percent of school days across the academic year. Learners enrolled for fewer than sixty (60) days of school will be excluded from that school’s calculation, as there has not been sufficient opportunity for the school to apply intervention strategies.
What is the formula for calculating regular attendance?
Number of learners enrolled for 60 or more school days and present 90 percent or more of school days.How will school performance on regular attendance be describes and displayed on the Future Ready PA Index?
The regular attendance indicator will be measured based on norm-referenced performance standards.
Performance at
the 75ᵗʰ percentile (schools with regular attendance rates that exceed those
reported by 75 percent of public schools
statewide) will serve as the 2030 statewide goal.
Tardiness
Learners arriving after 7:35 AM (secondary) will be considered tardy. A child is permitted (3) unexcused tardies per year. An unexcused tardy is defined as one in which a child is not signed in by a parent/guardian, does not have an acceptable written excuse from a parent/guardian, and/or does not have a doctor’s excuse for an appointment that day. If there are an exceptional number of tardies, even with a parent/guardian sign-in or excuse, we reserve the right to begin coding these tardies as illegal at our discretion. Learners will then be subject to the above stated consequences, including referral to the building principals.
Consequences for Unexcused Tardies & Class Cuts
Consequences are assigned for unexcused tardies to school, unexcused tardies to class, and class cuts. Consequences are progressive and vary for learners based on length and frequency of tardies or class cuts. Consequences may include lunch detention, detention, in-school suspension, and unlawful absences.
Early Dismissal
If a parent/guardian comes into the school for an early pick-up without previous notification, we still ask for a note to be provided upon arrival. Additionally, any adult coming to pick up a child before dismissal will be asked to present photo identification. Students will not be released to any individual not listed as an emergency contact without notification, in writing or verbally, to the office. In the case of a learner needing materials for school or after school obligations, items may be brought to the front office and the learner will be notified.
Early dismissals due to illness must be handled through the nurse’s office in order to be excused.
If a student directly contacts a parent/guardian for early dismissal, administration reserves the right to document the early dismissal as unexcused.
WASD Partial School Day Times
Attendance at School-Sponsored Events
If a learner is not in school during the day, they are not permitted at school-sponsored events that evening.
Learners who accrue more than 3 unexcused absences during the semester in which a school dance takes place will not be permitted to purchase a ticket.
Transportation Changes
If there is a need for a learner in regards to a transportation change, please send a note to our attendance office with the learner as soon as possible.
Emergency Closing of Schools
When inclement weather necessitates the closing of school, local radio stations will broadcast the information. A phone call will also be sent out to parents/guardians via the school district’s Boro Blast system.
It is requested that parents/guardians do NOT call the school or district offices. Emergency arrangements should be made by you, and your child should be familiar with what is expected on these days.
Make-Up Days
In the event that school has been closed because of inclement weather, days designated as vacation may have to be used to make-up missed school days. Make-up days will be used in the following order:
February 17th
March 17th
April 17th
These dates will be used unless the date of cancellation is seven calendar days or less from the next snow make-up day.