• Additional Information about the Updated Attendance Policy and COVID Rules

    September 8, 2023

     

    Dear Parents,

     

    On September 6th I sent you a link to the updated district attendance policy and I summarized the key points of the policy.  I hope this information was useful to you and that you now have a full understanding of what the changes are and why we are intent on focusing our attention on improving student attendance.

     

    Over the past couple of days I have received some questions about the new attendance policy so I would like to share the questions and answers with you now.

     

    Q:   If my child misses classes due to school related functions, will this count toward the 20 day limit?

     

    A:  We want students to participate in school related activities such as sporting events and field trips.  So, if a student misses classes because they have to travel to a school sporting event or if they go on a school field trip, these absences will be recorded as”school related absences” and they will not count towards the 20 day limit.

     

    Q:  My child is a senior and they want to do a college visit.  Will this count toward the 20 day absence limit?

     

    A:  We want senior and/or junior students to explore educational opportunities after high school.  Going on an official tour at a college or vocational school is a great way to find out what options exist for them.  So, if a student tours a college or vocational school and brings back signed confirmation from the college confirming that the student participated in the tour, this will be counted as a “school related absence” and it will not count towards the 20 day limit.

     

    Q:  Do the changes to the attendance policy mean that you want us to send our children to school when they are sick..

     

    A:  We do not want parents to send students to school when they are sick.  We will send students home when they are sick.. However, we do require that students come to school whenever they are well enough to do so. This is also required by law.  We also want students to know that coming to school is very important and that we notice when they are not here and that we miss them when they are not here.  This is the purpose of the changes to the attendance policy.

     

    I also received the following question about our COVID practices:

     

    Q:  Are we encouraging the CDC's recommendation for COVID positive individuals to wear a mask through day 11?

     

    A:  We do encourage all COVID positive individuals to follow CDC guidelines.   Here are their recommendations on this topic:

     


     

    I appreciate the questions I have received on these topics.  Please let me know if you need any additional information.

     

    Regards,

     

    Stephen Gratto - Superintendent