Board Policy JB Student Attendance

                                                                                                    Board Policy Manual
                                                                                            DeKalb County School District

Board Policy JB: Student Attendance                                                                        Status: ADOPTED

Original Adopted Date: 01/01/1900 | Last Revised Date: 08/01/2011 | Last Reviewed Date: 08/01/2011


STUDENT ATTENDANCE
 A. Mandatory School Attendance
     All children who are between their sixth and sixteenth birthdays and who reside in the DeKalb County School
     District shall enter school on the opening date and attend regularly thereafter or be enrolled in a private school
     or home-study program meeting the requirements of state law. This policy excludes children who are
     specifically exempted according to the rules and regulations of the Georgia Board of Education and/or Georgia
     law.
     If the District is made aware that a child between the ages of six and sixteen is not enrolled in a public school,
     private school, or home-study program, the Superintendent has the authority and responsibility to file
     proceedings in court to enforce the mandatory school attendance law.
 B. Excused Absences

     Excused absences are defined by law and in the rules of the Georgia Board of Education. Students enrolled in
     the District shall be excused from attending school in the following circumstances:
        1. Personal illness;

        2. Death or illness in the immediate family;
        3. Religious holidays;
        4. Instances where attendance by the student will be hazardous;

        5. Tests and physical exams for military service and the National Guard;
        6. Students eligible to vote in a public election may be allowed no more than one day for registering to vote
           or voting in a public election; or
        7. A student whose parent or legal guardian serving in the U.S. military may be allowed up to five days per
           school year to visit with the parent or legal guardian either prior to the parent or legal guardian’s
           deployment or while the parent or guardian is on leave from deployment.
     Additionally, students shall be marked present and not counted as absent in the following circumstances:
        1. Students serving as pages of the Georgia General Assembly shall be counted as present for days missed
           from school for such service; and
        2. Students in foster care shall be counted present when attending court proceedings relating to their
           foster care.
     With proper medical verification, a student may be eligible for hospital/homebound instruction as outlined in
     Georgia Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-.31 governing hospital/homebound instruction.
 C. Admission to Class Following Absence or Tardiness

     No student should be admitted to class after being absent from school the previous day unless the student
     holds a legitimate excuse signed by the parent or guardian stating a reason for the absence. If the student
     does not present an excuse, the principal may use discretion in handling the situation. Admission to class in
     the case of tardiness shall be handled in the same manner.
 D. Unexcused Absences, Tardiness, and Truancy
     The Superintendent or his or her designee shall establish procedures aimed at reducing unexcused absences,
  tardiness, and truancy. Such procedures shall include, but not be limited to, parental notification, and shall be
  set out annually in the Code of Student Conduct.
  School days missed as a result of an out-of-school suspension shall not count as unexcused days for the
  purpose of determining student truancy, and provisions for make-up work shall be provided.
E. Grades and Absences
  Final course grades of students shall not be penalized because of absences if the following conditions are met:
     1. Absences are justified and validated for excusable reasons; and

     2. Make-up work for excused absences was completed satisfactorily.
F. Excessive Absenteeism and Epidemic Control
  Any day that attendance is less than 90 percent at a given school, the principal of each such school shall have
  the number of absences called in to the Superintendent or his or her designee no later than 11:30 a.m.
  If it appears there may be an epidemic or threat of an epidemic, the Superintendent or his or her designee will
  report this information to the DeKalb County Board of Health.
  This information also shall be available for inquiries from local, state, and federal health agencies after noon on
  each day of such reported absences.

G. Withdrawal
  The District shall follow the criteria and procedures for withdrawal of students set forth in the rules of the
  Georgia Board of Education, including withdrawal of students based on consecutive absences. All withdrawals
  shall comply with Georgia and federal law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).