Attendance Policies
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ABSENCES In the event that a student is absent from school, parents/guardians must call the 24 hour attendance line at 610-359-4336 prior to 8:00 a.m. or send an email to phattendance@mnsd.org. An absent student must be called out for each day of absence from school. This communication helps to ensure the safety of the students. ABSENT/LATENESS/EARLY DISMISSAL NOTES Students, regardless of age, must turn in an absence/lateness/early dismissal note for each absence signed by a parent/guardian. All absences require that a written excuse be submitted to the school within three (3) days of the student’s return to school. Absence/lateness/early dismissal notes may be submitted by a written paper copy given to the main office or electronically as an email attachment to phattendance@mnsd.org with the following guidelines: A written absent/lateness/early dismissal note must contain the following information:
Directions for submitting electronic absence notes:
Please note: Each morning, around 10:00 a.m., an automated call will go out to the parents of all students who have been marked absent and for whom a phone call or written notification has not been received. CATEGORIES OF ABSENCES EXCUSED ABSENCE An excused absence must comply with the aforementioned guidelines. If a written excuse is submitted to the main office or electronically to phattendance@mnsd.org within the allotted three (3) days of the student’s return to school, the absence is recorded as excused. Only 10 days will be excused with a parent note per year. After 10 days, a doctor, court, or educational visit note is required. UNEXCUSED ABSENCE A written excuse documenting an absence is required under the state’s compulsory attendance laws. If a written excuse is not submitted to the main office or electronically to phattendance@mnsd.org within the allotted three (3) days of the student’s return to school, the absence is recorded as unexcused and is deemed by the state to be an illegal absence. MEDICAL NOTES In the event of an absence of three (3) or more consecutive days, the child must return to school accompanied with a note from a licensed health care provider within three (3) calendar days. A doctor’s note will be required for admission to school at any time the school deems it necessary. A student who has been absent from school due to a communicable disease must present a doctor’s certificate before he/she may be readmitted to school. UNEXCUSED/UNLAWFUL ABSENCE An unexcused/unlawful absence is any absence that is not excused. In cases where a student has accumulated ten (10) or more days of absence, parents/guardians will be notified that future absences will require a note signed by a health care professional treating the student. OFFICIAL NOTICE OF CHILD’S UNLAWFUL ABSENCE When a student accumulates a third (3rd) unlawful absence, the state law requires that the school district send a document entitled “Official Notice of Child’s Unlawful Absence” that informs parents/guardians that future unlawful absences will result in a petition to the local District Justice. Included in the Official Notice will be an invitation to participate in a School Attendance Improvement Conference. During this conference, a School Attendance Improvement Plan will be created for the student. Religious Holidays ABSENCES FOR TEMPORARY PERIODS§ 11.21. Religious holidays and religious instruction.(a) Upon written parental request, and in accordance with the policies of the district’s board of school directors, students may be excused from school for religious holidays observed by bona fide religious groups. (b) Upon written parental request, a student shall be excused from school to attend classes for religious instruction under section 1546 of the Public School Code of 1949 (24 P. S. § 15-1546). The excusal shall be limited to a total of not more than 36 hours per school year. (c) A student’s absence from school for religious holidays or for religious instruction shall be recorded as an excused absence. A penalty may not be attached to an absence for religious holidays or instruction. Authority The provisions of this § 11.21 amended under section 1317(a) of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. § 367(a) (Repealed)); and sections 1327, 1330, 1372, 1511 and 2603-B of the Public School Code of 1949 (24 P. S. § § 13-1327, 13-1330, 13-1372, 15-1511 and 26-2603-B). Source The provisions of this § 11.21 amended December 19, 1986, effective December 20, 1986, 16 Pa.B. 4874; amended October 22, 2004, effective October 23, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 5798. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (244457) to (244458). LATENESS LATENESS TO SCHOOL The school day officially begins at 8:00 a.m. Therefore, any student who reports to school after 8:00 a.m. will be marked late/tardy. LATENESS In the event that a student is late or absent from school, parents/guardians must call the 24 hour attendance line at 610-359-4336 prior to 8:00 a.m. or send an email to phattendance@mnsd.org. This communication helps to ensure the safety of students. LATENESS NOTES Students arriving late to school after 8:00 a.m. are required to bring a lateness note to the main office or electronically to phattendance@mnsd.org. The procedure and guidelines for submitting late/tardy notes is provided under the absence/lateness/early dismissal notes section. LATENESS AND EXTRACURRICULAR PARTICIPATION Students participating in extracurricular activities must be present in school in order to participate in after school activities. Specifically, a student athlete/performer must be present in school by 9:30 a.m. in order to participate in a practice/ game/event that day. The building administrator may make an exception if the student has an approved medical appointment, in which case, the student must present to the building administrator a signed statement from the doctor regarding the absence. CATEGORIES OF LATNESS EXCUSED TARDY Doctor and dentist appointments or extreme family emergencies are the only legally accepted reasons for student lateness. An excused tardy must comply with the aforementioned guidelines with a doctor note, court note, or official school form to designate a campus visit. If a written tardy excuse is submitted to the main office or electronically to phattendace@mnsd.org within the allotted three (3) days of the student’s lateness to school, the tardy is recorded as excused. UNEXCUSED TARDY An unexcused tardy includes all other reasons for tardiness. EARLY DISMISSAL Attendance in all classes is considered an important part of the educational process. Therefore, it is recommended that students are not scheduled for appointments during the school day. If a student must leave school prior to dismissal at 2:55 p.m., he/she is required to bring an early dismissal note to the main office or electronically to phattendance@mnsd.org prior to the start of school at 8:00 a.m. The student dismissing early will be given an early dismissal pass. The student will need to present this pass to the dismissing teacher, who will dismiss the student to the main office for his/her early dismissal. EARLY DISMISSAL NOTES Students leaving school early should make every effort to provide written notification 24 hours in advance for an early dismissal. The procedure and guidelines for submitting late/tardy notes is provided under the absence/ lateness/early dismissal notes section. CATEGORIES OF EARLY DISMISSAL EXCUSED EARLY DISMISSAL Doctor and dentist appointments or extreme family emergencies are the only legally accepted reasons for student early dismissal. An excused early dismissal must comply with the aforementioned guidelines with a doctor note, court note, or official school form to designate a campus visit. If a written early dismissal excuse is submitted to the main office or electronically to phattendace@mnsd.org within the allotted three (3) days of the student’s early dismissal from school, the early dismissal is recorded as excused. UNEXCUSED EARLY DISMISSAL An unexcused early dismissal includes all other reasons for early dismissals. These reasons would include any early dismissals where a doctor or court note is not provided, such as travel, non-district sports activities, etc. SIGNING STUDENTS OUT OF SCHOOL Any person who will be signing a student out early from school must report to the main office and sign an early dismissal log before the student will be dismissed. DISCIPLINE FOR LATENESS/EARLY DISMISSAL LEVELS OF DISCIPLINE/CONSEQUENCES Each student is permitted two (2) unexcused tardies and two (2) early dismissals per marking period. Excused tardies/early dismissals are not applied toward discipline/consequences. If a student arrives late to school or leaves early from school three (3) times, for non-legal reasons such as overslept, missed bus, travel, dismissal for non-district sports activities, etc., then he/she will begin to be assigned discipline/consequences. LEVELS OF DISCIPLINE/CONSEQUENCES FOR UNEXCUSED TARDIES/EARLY DISMISSALS
If a student loses campus privileges, he/she must leave school grounds at the conclusion of the school day, unless attending a help class or detention. Students in this situation are not permitted to attend or participate in any extracurricular activities during this time. PARENTAL REQUEST FOR STUDENT EXCUSED ABSENCE PRE-PLANNED EDUCATIONAL TOUR OR TRIP The Marple Newtown School District strongly discourages student absence from school except when illness or other urgent reasons prevent the child from attending. School district officials are aware that it is not always possible to schedule family trips and vacations while school is not in session. In keeping with our guiding philosophy, but also recognizing the importance of the family unit, the school district will approve educational tours or trips up to a maximum of five (5) school days per student per year. A “Parental Request for Student Excused Absence” form has been designed for pre-planned educational tours or trips. This form can be found on the district website or in the main office. The form must be completed and submitted to the student’s building principal at least one week prior to the date of the intended trip. Trips taken during state testing will not be excused. |