District General Operating Procedures

Attendance

Policy #204

Compulsory school age, beginning with academic year 2023-2024, shall mean the period of a student’s life from the time the student’s person in parental relation elects to have the student enter school, which shall be not later than six (6) years of age, until the student reaches eighteen (18). The Pennsylvania School Attendance Law requires that all residents between the ages of 6 and 18 and those who elect to start school earlier will attend school continuously throughout the entire term.  Absences shall be treated as unlawful until the district receives the absence excuse form in the Sapphire Community Web Portal explaining the absence, to be submitted within three (3) days of the absence. A maximum of ten (10) days of cumulative lawfully excused absences for illness, verified by parental notification, shall be permitted during a school year.  All absences due to illness beyond ten (10) cumulative days shall require a note from a physician.

1. Excused absences include the following: death in the immediate family, illness of the student (not a family member), impassable roads, obtaining a passport or social security card, student-required court attendance, or any other exceptionally urgent reason. Extenuating circumstances causing absences and family emergencies must be communicated to the Attendance Officer.
    
2. The Spring Grove Area School District recognizes that students may have the opportunity to participate in preplanned vacation trips and educational experiences during the regular school year. When a trip or educational experience is planned that will require a student to be absent from school, an Educational Trip Form must be completed in the Sapphire Community Web Portal no later than one week prior to the absence. Neglecting to gain proper approval for the educational trip will result in the recording of unlawful/unexcused daily absences for those dates absent.  Pre-approved excused absences may not exceed five (5) school days in each school year. Pre-approved excused absences may not be granted during the first ten (10) days and the last ten (10) days of school.  Attendance during these times is of utmost importance for continuity and the education of students. To be excused for a trip, a student must be accompanied by a parent or acceptable adult and have a cumulative average of 70% or better, with no failing grade in any subject and a satisfactory attendance record of less than 7% absence for the school year to the date of the application. The District discourages parents from scheduling these trips during the time of State Exams. Timelines for State testing are available through contacting the school office or in the assessment section of this handbook.
    
3. Non-District-sponsored Athletic Competitions that may require exceptions to the pre-approved excused absence procedure must be reviewed by the Attendance Officer. A letter from the coach or organization indicating the student’s involvement in the event, along with dates and location of the competition, must be submitted to the Attendance Officer at least two weeks prior to the proposed absences, along with submitting an Educational Trip Form in the Sapphire Community Web Portal. 
    
4. Students may be excused from school for religious holidays observed by bona fide religious groups (22 PA CODE11.21). (This refers to observance of the holiday only and is not inclusive of travel arrangements to/from an event.) When a religious holiday requires a student to be absent from school, a request from the parent must be submitted using the Educational Trip Form in the Sapphire Community Web Portal one week prior to the absence.
    
5. Absence from school for any reason other than those stated in items 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this section will be considered unlawful as defined by the Pennsylvania School Code.
    
6. When a student must be absent from school during all or any part of the school day for a physician or dentist appointment, the parent must submit a Digital Excuse Card in the Sapphire Community Web Portal, along with a note from the physician excusing the student for the time missed due to the appointment. Failure to provide such documentation will result in the absences being classified as unlawful/unexcused.
    
7. In accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), students arriving more than 90 minutes after the official start of school or leaving more than 90 minutes before dismissal will be charged with a half-day of absence.
    
8. A student must be present by 9:00 a.m. (at the secondary level) during the school day if the student is to participate in any scheduled activity of the school day or evening.
    
9. Students arriving late to school should report directly to the main office, where such tardiness will be recorded. The parent  is responsible for submitting a Digital Excuse Card in the Sapphire Community Web Portal for this tardiness. Minutes of tardiness are cumulative and will convert to half days of absence once 90 tardy minutes have accumulated. These absences will remain unexcused/unlawful.
    
10. Students missing any part of the school day due to physician appointments must, within 3 days, submit the Digital Excuse Card in the Sapphire Community Web Portal, along with a physician note on official office stationery signed by the attending physician, indicating the physician saw the student, the student was unable to attend school, and indicate the date the student can return to school. Lack of an appropriate physician’s note would constitute a tardiness or half-day unlawful/unexcused absence. 
     
11. A student who leaves school without proper authorization will be charged with a minimum of half a day of unlawful/unexcused absence.
     
12. If a school attendance official makes a call to the house of a student during the school day and gets no response, the absence will be counted as unlawful/unexcused, except when a physician’s excuse is submitted in the Sapphire Community Web Portal.
     
13. Students in 11th or 12th grades may submit letters confirming visits from post-secondary institutions to excuse up to 5 days per school year. These letters must be submitted within 3 days of the absence attached to a Digital Excuse Card in the Sapphire Community Web Portal. The letters will excuse the date of visit only. Any days missed due to travel must be requested in advance using an Educational Trip Form. Students in grade K-10 visiting a post-secondary institution, whether for themselves or a sibling, must submit an Educational Trip Form at least a week in advance to have the days missed excused. These days will be counted toward the student’s 5 Educational Trip Days for the year for students in grades K-10.
     
14. A doctor’s excuse is required if a student is out of school due to illness for 3 or more consecutive days. The doctor’s note must be submitted with the Digital Excuse Card in the Sapphire Community Web Portal upon the student’s return to school in order for the absence to be excused.

Chronic Attendance Problems

If a student’s excused absence pattern for purposes of illness becomes excessive, appears questionable, or has reached between five and ten days of absence, school officials will notify the parents of the possibility of a physician’s excuse being required for all future absences.  If the absences continue and reach eleven (11) days, it will be necessary to require that any future absences be explained by a physician’s certificate indicating the student was seen by the health care provider. This will be in effect for the remainder of the school year. Should the student transfer from the Spring Grove Area School District during the school year, the status of the questionable attendance will be shared with the receiving school district.

Students under Age 18

• If a student is charged with three (3) days of unlawful absence, a first notice of unlawful absence will be sent to the parents or guardians.
   
• If a fourth day of unlawful absence is recorded, a Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) will need to be developed with the student, parents, and school representatives. Additional unlawful absences will result in a referral to Children and Youth Services or a complaint will be filed with the District Justice; the state law imposes a fine, which includes court costs.

Students Aged 18 or Older

• If the student is in receipt of three days of unexcused absences, a written notification will be mailed home, and a conference with the school counselor and attendance officer will be scheduled.

Electronic Excuse Cards

Digital Excuse Cards must be submitted through the Sapphire Community Web Portal, the student information system.