Attendance Policy K-12 ( continued ) Excused Absences for Children of Service Members
P 5113
An enrolled student , age five to eighteen , inclusive , whose parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the armed forces , as defined in section 27-103 , and has been called to duty for , is on leave from , or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting , shall be granted ten days of excused absences in any school year and , at the discretion of the Board of Education , additional excused
absences to visit such child ’ s parent or legal guardian with respect to such leave or deployment of the parent or legal guardian . In the case of such excused absences such child and parent or legal guardian shall be responsible to obtaining assignments from the student ’ s teacher prior to any period of excused absence , and for ensuring that such assignments are completed by such child prior to his or her return to school from such period of excused absence .
Chronic Absenteeism
The Board of Education , in compliance with statute , requires the establishment of attendance review teams when chronic absenteeism rates in the District or at individual schools in the District meet the following circumstances :
1 . A team for the District must be established when the District chronic absenteeism rate is 10 percent or higher .
2 . A team for the school must be established when the school chronic absenteeism rate is 15 percent or higher .
3 . A team for either the District or each school must be established when ( a ) more than one school in the District has a school chronic absenteeism rate of 15 percent or higher or ( b ) a District has a District chronic absenteeism rate of 10 percent or higher and one or more schools in the District have a school chronic absenteeism rate of 15 percent or higher .
Each attendance review team shall be responsible for reviewing the cases of truants and chronically absent children , discussing school interventions and community referrals for such truants and chronically absent children and making any additional recommendations for such truants and chronically absent children and their parents or guardians . Each established attendance review team shall meet at least monthly .
The District shall utilize the chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan developed by the State Department of Education when it becomes available . ( SDE to develop by 1 / 1 / 16 .)
The District shall annually include in information for the strategic school profile report for each school and the District that is submitted to the Commissioner of Education , data pertaining to truancy and chronically absent children .
The Principal or his / her designee of any elementary or middle school located in a town / city designated as an alliance district may refer to the children ’ s truancy clinic established by the Probate Court serving the town / city , a parent / guardian with a child defined as a truant or who is at risk of becoming a truant . ( An attendance officer or a police officer shall deliver the citation and summons and a copy of the referral to the parent / guardian .)
9