Attendance

ATTENDANCE

 

Submit parent/doctor excuses to attendance@svrcs.org

 

Compulsory School Attendance Law

Children reach compulsory school age once they enter school and must attend school until their 18th birthday or graduation from high school. 

 

ATTENDANCE

The Attendance Policy is available in the Main Office on campus.

School day starts at 7:40am.  Students may begin arrive at 7:30am when being dropped off by a parent/guardian to the MPR breakfast. Before this time parents/guardians are responsible for the care of their child/children.

 

Excused Absences

Every SVRCS day is a valuable day. Interaction with teachers and classmates makes each day a unique learning opportunity. Regular attendance will aid students in successful academic work.  If a student must be absent these procedures must be followed: 

  • A parent/guardian must call the school between 7:40 AM and 8:30 AM if the student is going to be absent from school due to illness, medical or family emergency.   Voicemail is available when the Central Office is closed for the day.
  • SVRCS must have a written parent/guardian confirmation excuse for all absences the day the student returns to school.  (No more than three days after the last date of absence.)
  • Parents/Guardians may photograph the doctor’s excuse and email it to attendance@svrcs.org.
  • If no written excuse is received in the office by the third day after the student returns, the student is considered unexcused.  This applies even if a student has visited a physician or is under a doctor’s care.
  • Following ten cumulative days of absence of any kind, a doctor’s excuse is required for all absences.  Any absence of greater than ten days without a doctor’s excuse will be considered unlawful. 
  • SVRCS may contact appropriate individuals to verify excuses.  Only information related to the absence will be requested during these contacts.
  • The law stipulates that the following reasons are considered to be excused absences:
  • Illness of the student
  • Death in the immediate family (3 days)
  • Quarantine
  • Emergency directly affecting the student
  • Recovery from an accident or surgery
  • Court requirements
  • Religious holidays
  • Educational trips (Educational trips will be approved to a maximum of 7 days within the school year, any requests that exceed 7 days will be and become an unexcused absence. Trips will not be approved during the PSSA for grades 3-8 based on the current year’s testing window and during the Keystone testing window)
  • See below for Educational Trip Form- Print out, fill it out, then return to the school.
  • Out of school suspensions
  • Proof of attendance for PA Driver’s Examination
  • Any student participating in an extra-curricular activity on a given school day must be in attendance by 11:30 am in order to practice or participate. Also, if the activity is on a Saturday (such as Prom) or Sunday, they must be in school by 11:30 am on the Friday prior to the activity.
  • Only those students emancipated by the court may sign their own excuses, permission slips, and departures from school.

 

Unexcused Absences

The Pennsylvania law stipulates that the following reasons are considered to be unexcused absences:

  • Vehicle problems
  • Vacations
  • Missing the bus
  • Oversleeping
  • Helping or caring for family members/ babysitting 

 

Truancy/Habitual Truancy

A student who has accumulated three or more unexcused absences will be considered to be truant and the following consequences will occur:

  • The SVRCS Administration will mail the parent/guardian a letter indicating accrued unexcused absences.  This letter will state a meeting date and time for the parent/guardian to attend.  Outside agencies may attend the meeting.

 

As per ACT 138, a student with six (6) or more unexcused absences will be considered habitually truant.

 

At this point the student will be referred to county children and youth agency.  A possible citation may be filed with the court.

 

Excessive Absences in A School Year

           ·          Any student (K-12) who is absent for the equivalent of 30 or more school days in an individual year will fail all of their full-year classes for that school year. Additionally, students missing the equivalent of 20 or more school days within a given semester will fail all of their semester-length classes for that term.

           ·          The CEO may approve exceptions to this policy for students with extenuating circumstances.

 

Tardiness           

  • A student who arrives in homeroom after the 8:05 AM bell will be marked tardy until 9:00 a.m.
  • From 9:01am – 11:30am the student is marked half day unexcused absence.  From 11:31am to 3:15pm the student is marked full day unexcused.
  • Each student may have no more than three unlawful tardies.  Each time a student accumulates three unlawful tardies, ½ day unexcused absence will be recorded.  
  • If a student accumulates absences stemming from tardiness, the policy for habitual absences/ truancy will go into effect.