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School Policies » Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

 

SCHOOL HOURS

 

School hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Monday - Thursday (Lower/Middle School grades K-8th)

School hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.   Monday - Thursday  (Upper School grades 9th – 12th)

 

School Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 12:38 p.m. Fridays ( Lower/Middle/ Upper School)

 

Attendance Policy

 

  • Students will be considered present in school when they either report to the building or sign into their homeroom.
  • Parents or guardians will be notified after each absence by our automated system. Please maintain up-to-date contact information to ensure the receipt of our important school communication.
  • All excuse notes must be presented within 72 hours after a child returns to school.
  • All absences will be coded “parental neglect” which is unlawful if a note is not provided by the guardian within 72 hours of a student’s return from school

 

EXCUSED

Parents should call the school office and email [email protected] to notify us that their child will be absent from school due to illness. Please notify our school nurse if your child is ill with a communicable disease such as chicken pox, measles, etc.

 

If you call before 7:30 AM, please leave a message. Sankofa may excuse the absences of students under certain circumstances with original documentation.  Those circumstances are for emergency (non-routine) doctors’ appointments, court subpoenas, or funeral notices only.  (Routine medical and dental appointments are to be made after school hours. Families are asked not to schedule vacations during the school year due to vacation during the school year will be coded parental neglect.  If this kind of absence persists beyond a week, the absence will be reported to the appropriate authorities. 

 

UNEXCUSED

Parents/guardians and students are to submit a written explanation of the reason(s) for an absence within three calendar days of the absence.  If they provide a written excuse within three days of the absence, the absence is counted simply as “Unexcused.”

 

Excessive Absences

  • Students will be deemed truant when they have accumulated 3 unexcused (unlawful) absences.
  • When a child attains a 3rd unlawful absence, a letter will be mailed home providing “official notice of the child’s illegal absences” and establishing their classification as truant.
  • When a child attains a 6th unlawful absence, they will be considered habitually truant. A letter will be sent home explaining the school’s requirement to refer the student and parent/guardian to the magisterial district court for truancy and parental neglect, along with a request for both the student and parent/guardian to attend an
  • Attendance Improvement Conference. The student will then be enrolled in the school’s Truancy Elimination Program (TEP).
  • When a child attains a 9th unlawful absence, a letter will be mailed home providing “official notice of the child’s illegal absences” and the student will be escalated to tier 2 of the T.E.P.
  • When a child attains a 12th unlawful absence, a letter will be sent home along with notification of a mandatory Attendance Improvement Conference (AIC) and a continuation of the student’s enrollment in the Truancy Elimination Program. The student and parent/guardian will again be referred to the magisterial district court for truancy and parental neglect.
  • After ten (10) consecutive unexcused absences, students will be dropped from Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School’s enrollment.

Please note the following with regards to chronic lateness or absenteeism:

 

The school will place a scholar who is absent 5 days or displays a pattern of multiple absences under an attendance contract. This contract will indicate to the parent and scholar that he/she is in danger of receiving no credit for the class and/or is in jeopardy or being dropped from roll. 

 

The school will place a scholar who is late 15 times or displays a pattern of frequent or multiple lateness under a lateness contract.

Scholars who incur ten consecutive unexcused absences will be in jeopardy of being dropped from roll and a report will be filed with the proper authorities.



Truancy Policy 

Students are expected to attend school every day. All absences will be treated as unlawful until a written excuse explaining the reason(s) for an absence is submitted. Unlawful absences may adversely impact the student’s academic performance. Excessive unlawful absences constitute truancy. 

 

Definition of “truant.” The new law defines “truancy” as “three (3) or more school days of unexcused absence during the current school year by a child subject to [the] compulsory school attendance [law].” 

 

Definition of “habitually truant.” The new law defines “habitual truancy” as “six (6) or more school days of unexcused absences during the current school year by a child subject to [the] compulsory school attendance [law].” 

 

Students will be deemed truant when they have accumulated 3 unexcused (unlawful) absences. 

 

When a child attains a 3rd unlawful absence, a letter will be mailed home providing “official notice of the child’s illegal absences'' and establishing their classification as truant. When a child attains a 6th unlawful absence, they will be considered habitually truant. A letter will be sent home with a request for both the student and parent/guardian to attend an Attendance Improvement Conference. The student will then be enrolled in the school’s Truancy Elimination Program (TEP). 

 

When a child attains a 9th unlawful absence, a letter will be mailed home providing “official notice of the child’s illegal absences” and the student will be escalated to tier 2 of the RTII process to explore whether the student is in need of additional academic, counseling, or social service supports. 

 

When a child attains a 12th unlawful absence, a letter will be sent home along with notification of a mandatory Attendance Improvement Conference (AIC) and a continuation of the student’s enrollment in the Truancy Elimination Program. After this time, if absence persists, the student and parent/guardian will be referred to the magisterial district court for truancy and parental neglect.



LATE ARRIVAL 

 

EXCUSED

 Scholars are expected to be in the school for Morning Circle by 8:15 AM (grades k-8) and 8:10am (grades  9th-12th) .  In order to be excused, scholars must have a written note from a parent or guardian, except in the case of the school bus being late (all bus tardiness is excused and a note is not required).  If more than 3 hours of school (but not the full day) are missed, it is considered a ½ day absence.  

 

UNEXCUSED

All tardiness unaccompanied by a note from the parent or guardian, other than the bus being late, is unexcused.

 

Consequences for Lateness to School

  

  • Parents or guardians will be notified after each lateness by our automated system. Please maintain up-to-date contact information to ensure the receipt of our important school communication.
  • Excessive lateness to school will result in further disciplinary action and will likely impact academic performance.  
  • Ten (10) unexcused latenesses in one year will result in a letter being sent home to the Parent/Guardian indicating that their behavior is threatening the student’s ability to achieve.
  • Fifteen (15) unexcused latenesses will result in a meeting with the student and their parent/guardian with the Dean/Site Administrator 
  • Twenty (20) unexcused latenesses will result in a conference with the student and their parent/guardian with the Principal.
  • Students with over 20 lateness will result in a conference with the student and their parent/guardian with the C.O.O. Those students who reach 20 latenesses may not be allowed to participate in extracurricular events/trips. 

 

EARLY DISMISSAL

 

  • All students K-12  must have an authorized adult pick them up for all early dismissals.
  • For the safety of all the children we require that parents stop by the office if they are picking up a child before 3:00 p.m. Please send a note or call in advance so that the teacher may make the necessary arrangements for your child to be prepared to dismiss early.  
  • We will need parental permission to release a child to someone other than a legal guardian or a member on the emergency contact form.  
  • The person picking up your child must be on your child’s emergency contact and at least 18 years of age and present a valid form of identification to the main office. 
  • Please limit early dismissals to necessary medical or dental appointments or other urgent matters.  This ensures that each child receives a full day of quality instruction.

 

 

WRITTEN EXCUSES

 

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires that schools receive a written excuse from the parent or guardian when a scholar is absent from school. Please email an explanation of the absences to [email protected] within 3 days upon return to the school following an absence.