Attendance Procedures

When a student is absent from school, the student’s parent/guardian must contact the school to communicate the student’s absence.

Leaving School Early

Students who need to leave school early for medical purposes (doctor or dental appointments) must bring a note to the office before leaving school. The note should include: (1) the requested dismissal time, (2) the reason the student needs to leave early, and (3) a parent signature.

If a student is ill during the day, the student must check out in the office before leaving the building. Students should not arrange for parents/guardians to pick them up; a school representative will contact the parents/guardians.

Absences

Schools in the Diocese of Belleville recognize three (3) categories of absences: 

• Excused absences
• Unexcused absences
• Truant absences (after the 9th unexcused absence)

EXCUSED ABSENCE
An excused absence is recognized as:

• A student’s personal illness
• A death in the immediate family
• A family emergency
• Medical visits
• Family vacations (up to 5 school days)
• Other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s safety or health
• Other situations beyond the control of the student (such as court appearances)
• Other reasons approved by the principal

A health care provider’s note may be required to excuse a student and/or for returning to school after the third consecutive day of being reported ill. If medical documentation is not provided, the absence may be marked “unexcused.” Students who have 9 or more cumulative days of absences due to being sick may be required to provide a doctor’s note to excuse the absences.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCE

An unexcused absence is defined as an absence from school for a reason other than those listed above as an excused absence and/or an absence not authorized by the student’s parent/guardian or the principal. When a student’s absence is unexcused, the parent/guardian may recognize the absence as being valid or legitimate; however, the school does not. The following are unexcused absences (even with parent/guardian consent):

• Missing the bus
• Family vacations that are 6 or more school days
• Needed at home
• Other avoidable absences

TRUANT ABSENCE

Truancy is defined as absence without valid cause for one or more periods of the student’s school day. Parents/guardians may be notified following 3, 5, and 9 days of absence or tardies within a school year, and a school intervention may be initiated. After the 9th school day (5% of regular attendance days) on which a student is absent without valid cause, he/she is deemed to be truant under Illinois law. Interventions to address truancy may include attendance letters, parent/teacher/principal conferences, student counseling, and/or involvement of the county truancy officer and/or local law enforcement. No punitive action, including out-of-school suspensions or court action will be taken against a chronically truant student unless available support services and other resources have been provided to the student, or offered to the student and refused. Any person who has custody or control of a child subject to compulsory attendance who knowingly or willfully permits the child to persist in truancy, if convicted, is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and may be subject to up to 30 days imprisonment and/or fine up to $1,500.

FAMILY VACATION ABSENCE

Family travel during the school year does interrupt a student’s regular progress; however, we recognize the potential educational value of these trips. Therefore, five (5) vacation days per school year will be allowed as excused. Any days after five (5) school days will be unexcused. Early notice of travel will help school personnel to accommodate parents and students during that period. It will be the student’s responsibility to obtain all missing work from their teachers during their absence. Some assignments may not be available until the student returns to school. All missed assignments will be prepared for the student upon his/her return. Work shall be completed and returned to the teacher.

Tardiness

Students are expected to be at school and in class on time. Students entering a classroom late is a disturbance to the class. Excessive tardiness is now defined as three (3) or more tardies in a quarter, which will result in a parent conference with the principal. If a student is tardy on Tuesdays and Thursdays when children attend mass, they must be signed in by the parent in the school office and escorted to the church. Please note: It is the policy of St. Joseph Parish to lock the church doors at the beginning of mass, thereby providing greater safety and security to the children and parishioners while attending mass.

Make Up Work

Work that is missing, including tests, due to excused absences, may be completed and submitted to the teacher for a grade in the grade book. It is the responsibility of the student (and his/her parent/guardian), not the teachers, to get the assignments, complete them, and turn them in, and to arrange a time with the teacher to make up any missed quizzes or tests. Work that is missing, including tests, due to unexcused absences is work that cannot be completed and, therefore, the work receives a zero (0) in the grade book.