Attendance Policy

A student’s absences from school shall be considered “excused” if written documentation of the reason for such absence has been submitted within ten (10) school days of the student’s return to school and meets the following criteria:

A. For absences one through nine, a student’s absences from school are considered “excused” when the student’s parent/guardian approves such absence and submits appropriate documentation to school officials. Such documentation includes: a signed note from the student’s parent/guardian; a signed note from a school official that spoke in person with the parent/guardian regarding the absence; or a note confirming the absence by the school nurse or by a licensed medical professional.  Documentation should explain the nature of and the reason for the absence as well as the length of the absence. Separate documentation must be submitted for each incidence of absenteeism.

B. For the tenth absence and all absences thereafter, a student’s absences from school are considered excused for the following reasons:

1. Student illness (must be verified by a licensed medical professional to be deemed excused, regardless of the length of the absence)
2. Student’s observance of a religious holiday
3. Death in the student’s family or other emergency beyond the control of the student’s family
4. Mandated court appearances (documentation required)
5. The lack of transportation that is normally provided by a district other than the one a student attends (no parental documentation required)
6. Extraordinary educational opportunities pre-approved by the district administration and in accordance with Connecticut State Department of Education guidance.

C. A student’s absence from school shall be considered unexcused unless: 1. The absence meets the definition of an excused absence and meets the documentation requirements; 2. The absence meets the definition of a disciplinary absence, which is the result of school or district disciplinary action and is excluded from the State Board of Education approved definitions.

A child is unexcused when student enrolled in school fails to report to school on a regularly scheduled school day, and if school personnel have not been notified of an excused absence.

Two (2) unexcused absences from school in one month or five (5) unexcused absences in a school year may result in a complaint filed with the Superior Court alleging the belief that the acts or omissions of the child are such that the child’s family is a family with service needs

“Truant” shall mean a student age five to eighteen, inclusive, who has four (4) unexcused absences in any one month, or ten (10) unexcused absences in one school year. A student five or six years of age shall not be considered truant if the parent or person having control over such student has appeared personally at the school district office and exercised the option of not sending the child to school at five or six years of age. 

“Chronically absent child” is an enrolled student whose total number of absences at any time during a school year is equal to or greater than ten percent of the total number of days that such student has been enrolled at such school during such school year. “Absence” means an excused absence, unexcused absence, or disciplinary absence, as defined by the State Board of Education, or an in-school suspension that is greater than or equal to one-half of a school day.

Students who have four or more absences in a month or ten absences in one year are considered truant and may be subject to a written complaint with the Superior Court pursuant to Section 46b-149.

A student who does not report to his/her classroom by 8:10 am is tardy. Students that arrive late due to bus transportation are not considered tardy. The classroom teacher holds students responsible for being tardy, takes steps to control it, and refers cases of excessive tardiness to the school administrator.