Attendance Policy

Introduction

Newlon believes that students who come to school consistently will succeed academically and will graduate from high school and have the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their dreams. Our objective is to:

• track attendance so that we know the student is safe, healthy and thriving
• have a tool to improve student outcomes
• be able to develop strategies to support positive attendance, our goal is 95% attendance
• better ensure that students are meeting Colorado and Denver Public Schools requirements.

Definitions

• Excused: Any absence, tardiness or early departure for which the student has a valid school-approved excuse. These include: personal illness, illness or death in the family, religious observance, quarantine, required court appearances, attendance at health clinics or other medical visits, approved college visits, approved cooperative work programs, military obligations, absences approved by the Principal, and other reasons as may be approved by the Board of Education.
• Unexcused: Any absence, tardiness or early departure for which the student has no valid school-approved excuse. These include: shopping, oversleeping, truancy, hunting, fishing, babysitting, hair cut, and any other absence that is not excused.
• Tardy: The student arrives later than the starting time of the scheduled instruction or supervised activity. At Newlon, the school day starts at 8:00am.
• Early departure: The student leaves prior to the end of the scheduled instruction or supervised activity. At Newlon, the school day concluded at 3:00pm
• Chronic Absenteeism: The student is considered chronically absent when they are missing more than 10% of the school days during a given school year.
• Truancy: Truancy is the unexcused absence by a student from school. Students that exceed 5 or more days truant will be directed to intervention by the Newlon attendance team. Students that exceed 10 or more days truant will be directed to more formal interventions and can include a formal filing with the courts.
• Register of attendance: Any written or electronic record maintained for the purpose of recording a student’s attendance, absence, tardiness or early departure.

Essential Partners

STUDENTS

All students are expected to:

• Emphasize the importance of on-time attendance in school, class and supervised activities.
• Get a good night’s sleep (10-11 hours per night for elementary-aged students) and eat breakfast.
• Be prepared to attend on time and participate every day. Attend all scheduled classes and supervised activities by:

• Being physically present in the classroom or working under the direction of the classroom teacher during the scheduled class time;
• Receiving approved alternative instruction, or
• Participating in a school-sponsored activity.
• Bring in an excuse – written by a parent/person in parental relation with a phone number to verify the written information – for each absence, tardy or early departure.
• Notify teachers whenever there is a need for early departure.
• Make arrangements with your teacher(s) to make up missed work, assignments and/or tests upon return to school. (Families for Grades E-3, Students for Grades 4-5)
• Make up most tests and quizzes the day you return to school. Complete other missed work within four school days unless the teacher or principal extends the time. (Families for Grades E-3, Students for Grades 4-5)
• Help develop and follow the plan for improved attendance that will be developed if necessary. (Families for Grades E-3, Families and Students for Grades 4-5)

PARENTS

All parents are expected to:

• Emphasize the importance of on-time attendance in school, class and supervised activities.
• Send your child to school every day prepared to participate and learn by providing a good night’s sleep.
• Make personal appointments for your child outside of the school day or during vacations as much as possible. 
• Schedule family vacations/travel to coincide with school breaks.
• Call the school when your child is absent.
• Provide a written excuse* for every absence when your child returns to school.
• Provide a written excuse* for every early departure.
• Provide correct current addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts, work numbers, emails and updates of this information as needed.
• Help develop and implement the individualized plan for improved attendance that may be developed for your child.
• Provide consistent and timely incentives and consequences for attendance.

*Written excuses should include supporting documents (doctor or dentist note, etc.) whenever possible. Families should send a physical note or clear communication to the attendance office for ALL absences.

TEACHERS

All teachers are expected to:

• Emphasize the importance of and encourage on-time attendance in school, class and supervised activities.
• Promote a safe and stimulating learning environment.
• Accurately record daily/period-by-period attendance in the attendance register and the electronic format. Record each student’s presence, absence, tardiness and early departure.
• Review class attendance records.
• Notify appropriate building staff (administrator, school counselor, social worker, attendance teacher) of inconsistent attendance patterns (i.e. once a week, absent three days in a row, always absent on a particular day, etc.).
• Notify parent/person in parental relation of attendance problems. Make frequent contacts to parent/guardian by phone, writing or electronic means when a student is absent; document each contact. Comment about attendance on progress reports, interim reports and report cards.
• Verify the accuracy of the attendance register. Work with the building principal and attendance team to review attendance records at the end of each term to identify individual and group attendance patterns.
• Work with the building principal and attendance team to address the problem of unexcused absences, tardiness and early departures. Help develop and implement individualized plans for improved attendance that may be developed for your students.
• Refer truant students to the MTSS process. Provide evidence indicating student absences.
• Provide reasonable deadlines for late work and/or missed evaluation opportunities, tests, quizzes, lab work, projects/reports and other similar assignments. Extended deadlines are at the teacher’s discretion.

Building Leaders

All administrators are expected to:

• Emphasize the importance of on-time attendance in school, class, and supervised activities.
• Communicate expectations for attendance to parents, students, counselors, teachers and the community. Explain the attendance policy to all during orientation meetings.
• Provide consistent and timely incentives and consequences for attendance.
• Maintain lists of individuals who are authorized to pick up students in attendance at school.
• Utilize building attendance and MTSS teams to review daily/weekly attendance 
• Deal with truancy in accordance with the DPS Board Policy.
• Work with teachers, counselors and social workers to review attendance records to identify individual and group attendance patterns.
• Work with teachers, counselors and social workers to address the problem of unexcused absences, tardiness and early departures.
• Notify parent/person in parental relation of attendance problems. Make frequent contacts by phone, writing or electronic means when a student is absent; document each contact.
• Implement the intervention systems for the Attendance Policy and the MTSS Intervention Services Plan
• Help develop and implement individualized plans for improved attendance that may be developed for your students.

SCHOOL COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS, ATTENDANCE TEACHERS

All school counselors, social workers and attendance teachers are expected to:

• Emphasize the importance of on-time attendance in school, class and supervised activities.
• Notify parent/person in parental relation of attendance problems. Make frequent contacts by phone, writing or electronic means when a student is absent; document each contact.
• Notify appropriate building staff (administrator, school counselor, social worker, attendance teacher) of inconsistent attendance patterns (i.e. once a week, absent three days in a row, always absent on a particular day, etc.)
• Counsel students and families individually when they receive a notification of excessive absences at any grade level in any subject area.
• Encourage students to see their teachers for missed assignments during the period of their absence.
• Help develop and implement individualized plans for improved attendance that may be developed for your students.

EXCUSED ABSENCES, TARDINESS AND EARLY DEPARTURES FROM SCHOOL

Absences, tardiness and early departures from school that are considered to be excused:

• Personal illness
• Illness in the family
• Death in the family
• Religious observance
• Quarantine
• Required court appearance for student
• Attendance at health clinics or other medical obligations
• Administrative approval/emergency situations. This covers unexpected events that keep a student from attendance. Such cases will be considered individually by the building principal
• Other such cases as may be approved by the DPS Board of Education

Note:

• Any other reason for an absence, tardy, or early departure is considered unexcused.

NOTICE OF STUDENTS WHO ARE ABSENT, TARDY, OR DEPART EARLY WITHOUT PROPER EXCUSE

A designated staff member will be responsible for notifying parents or persons in parental relation of unexcused absences, tardiness or early departures as follows:

For pre-kindergarten through grade 5, notice whenever a student is absent, tardy or departs early without proper excuse for each school day.

Notification will be communicated to parents or persons in parental relation at 5, 10, 15 and 20 absences. Each notification will include options for intervention/incentives to improve attendance outcomes.

ATTENDANCE INCENTIVES AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

Newlon develops incentives to improve attendance. Designated educators will take action to improve a student’s attendance – including, but not limited to, home visits, parent conferences, phone conferences, counseling and other instructional strategies to meet the needs of the student.

RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TOOLS

DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS ATTENDANCE GUIDANCE

ATTENDANCE WORKS: 10 FACTS ABOUT SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

DPS SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TEAM GUIDE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR