Ironton implements attendance policy
Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 14, 2004
When Ironton City School students return to the classroom next week, they will find a new district-wide attendance policy aimed at keeping kids in school, and specifying what will happen if they miss too many days for all the wrong reasons.
The new attendance policy can be viewed on the district's web site, www.tigertown.com.
The new rules, adopted earlier this year, are aimed at making the attendance policy more uniform and easier to understand.
"There is continuity now between grades and between buildings," Superintendent Dean Nance said. "We have one policy for everyone. What is expected is the same thing for everyone, grades K through 12."
The new policy is also aimed at increasing educational performance.
"We know that there is a direct relationship between school attendance and school achievement," Nance said.
"…Our number one objective is to increase achievement and that was the reason for us tightening our attendance policy - to increase student achievement. And one of the ways to do this is for students to attend school."
One of the most notable changes in the attendance policy is that parents will be allowed to excuse their child from school a maximum of 10 days during the school year.
These excused absences must be for personal illness; illness in the family; quarantine of the home; death of a relative; observance of religious holidays; certain specific emergencies; student is needed at home; vacation trips;
doctor or dental appointments;
and court appearances or appointments.
"It used to be that parents were allowed to excuse their child a certain number of times each nine weeks and that was a nightmare," Nance said. "This is cumulative. It is giving them all their chips up front and telling them to use these chips wisely."
Nance said absences accompanied by a doctor's note will be counted separately from a parent's excused absences. However, these absences are limited as well.
Doctors notes must be presented within five days of the student's return to school.
Other points of the policy:
4Three
unexcused absences in any nine-week grading period will result in failure for that period of time.
4After the second unexcused absence, school officials will refer the student to the truant officer for parent notification.
4After 10 days of absence excused by a parent note, the school principal or assistant principal shall have the right to declare further absences as unexcused unless a doctor or court note is provided.
Nance said if parents have questions they may call their child's school and talk to school officials. School begins in the city district Wednesday.