Attendance

Administrative Procedure 330

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Background

Student achievement is affected by attendance. Students are therefore encouraged to attend regularly in order to maximize their educational opportunities.

The Division promotes one hundred percent (100%) attendance. Although some absences are unavoidable, absenteeism is disruptive to students’ learning process and demands that they spend additional time catching up with the rest of their class. School attendance is mandatory under the statutory requirements of the Education Act.

Our goal in addressing attendance concerns is to provide assistance to students, and their parents/guardians, by addressing prevailing issues, thus enabling the student to attend school faithfully and regularly.

Procedures

1. Each Principal, in consultation with the school staff and School Council, shall develop written procedures that will encourage school attendance.

2. The Principal shall follow and implement the Foothills School Division Attendance Protocol and Toolkit in ensuring a continuum of universal, targeted and individualized supports are provided.

3. The Principal shall maintain accurate attendance records, communicate this information to parents, consult and facilitate interventions to address attendance issues. As well, the information will be communicated to the students who are sixteen (16) years of age or older.

4. Principals are asked to report students with chronic attendance issues to the Attendance Officer if the Foothills School Division protocol is followed and no improvement in attendance is seen. This is discretionary given the wide range of issues that may be present (i.e. loss in the family, accident, medical issues, etc.).

4.1 Once notified, the Attendance Officer shall monitor truancy for improvement in attendance.

4.2 If no improvement is noted, the Attendance Officer will refer to the attendance board.

4.3 Plans, agreed to by all parties, shall be closely monitored by the Principal and the Attendance Officer.