Attendance and Tardies

Regular attendance is critically important to student success. Students who attend school regularly learn more and are more successful in school. Parent and students should refer to the attendance policies and procedures below in order to ensure students are in full compliance with KCPS expectations as set forth by the Board of Education.

Procedures and Protocol Implementation

In implementing the attendance management policy, attendance data must be recorded in the student information system. In accordance with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), student attendance will be monitored on an academic minute basis. The Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) expects students to attend school and classes on a regular basis (at least 95% or better) to achieve academic success. Regular attendance is essential to the educational success and grade promotion of students. All KCPS policies, local city ordinances (compulsory attendance) and state statutes will be monitored for enforcement, including but not limited to, truancy. In accordance with Chapter 50, Code of Ordinances of the City of Kansas City, Missouri, KCPS will report students in violation of said ordinance.

Compulsory Attendance Requirements

In accordance with Missouri law and district policy, regular and punctual patterns of attendance are expected of each student enrolled in the district. The ultimate goal is for all students to graduate from high school. By law, students may not drop out of school until they are 17 years of age or they have successfully completed 16 hours of high school credit.

Attendance Protocol Policy:

1. Daily Absence Reporting:
   1. Parents/guardians should notify the school by telephone each day a student is absent by 9:30 a.m. If the parent/guardian fails to notify the school, the school will attempt to contact the parent/guardian. The communication can be in a variety of methods, such as electronic communication, telephone call or in person.
   2. Students who are absent without a parent’s or guardian’s excuse may be considered truant.
   3. All absences, including those approved in advance by parents or guardians or school officials, except those for school-sponsored activities, will count against a student’s attendance.
   4. The school encourages parents to schedule doctor and dental appointments after school hours.
   5. Excessive absences may affect a student’s academic achievement.
   6. Parents/guardians may be required to submit supporting documentation in order to excuse the absence of their student if student absenteeism is excessive. For example, in order for 5 of the absence to be excused, parents/guardians may be asked to submit written notification from a licensed physician stating the reasons why a student is unable to attend school.
2. Upon arrival to school grounds: A student arriving late to school must report to the Front Office for a tardy pass to his or her first class. Students must remain on school grounds and in the building until dismissal.
3. Requests to Leave School: Parents/guardians must notify the Front office if their child needs to leave for an appointment. Parents/guardians must check out student through the Front Office for their absence to be considered excused. Students who leave school without prior parental consent and without checking through the office will be considered truant.
4. School Activities: Students represent their schools in a variety of athletic and academic activities. When a student serves as an authorized representative of his/her school, the student is not considered absent (except in summer school). Students who choose to participate in extracurricular activities are to make-up all assignments missed when classes are missed. Students must attend school on the day of an extracurricular activity in order to be eligible for participation.
5. Tardiness: A student is tardy if she or he is not present at the start of class. A student arriving late to class after ten minutes without proper authorization is considered truant. Students who are frequently tardy, either at the beginning of the day or to classes during the day, may be subject to disciplinary measures.
6. Truancy: Students who are absent from school without the consent of their parent/guardians and the administration shall be considered truant. School administration will determine whether the student’s absence is excused or unexcused. Truancy is a violation of state statutes as well as school regulations and may result in suspension or other disciplinary action.
7. Withdrawal for Non-Attendance: Multiple strategies will be implemented before a student may be withdrawn for non-attendance. No student will be withdrawn from the district until the district has documentation of the attempted calls, attempted home visits, copies of letters and documentation of other interventions, when applicable, in the student’s file. Additionally, district employees will report incidences of abuse or neglect to the Division of Youth Services as required by law.
8. Student Recovery Efforts: District personnel will initiate a student recovery process involving calls, letters, and/or home visits. Students will receive individual guidance prior to their re-entry into an educational institution. These sessions will seek to inform as well as encourage students to enroll in the educational program that maximizes their opportunity for success.

Consequences - Students who have an excessive number of unexcused absences as defined in the district’s attendance policy will not earn credit for courses and may be retained in the same grade unless absences are waived in accordance with this policy.

In addition to the policies and procedures set forth herein, the district will report suspected incidents of educational neglect to the Children’s Division of the Department of Youth Services and will report truancy in accordance with the local truancy ordinance. Once a citation is issued by the District representative, the parent and student are mandated to appear in truancy court. Truancy court is held every Tuesday of the month (exclude summer school) at 10:00 am. The warning or citation will be mailed or delivered in person.

Policies and procedures governing students in the English Language Learners department and students with disabilities within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 shall take precedence over this attendance policy where an application of this policy conflicts with the legal rights provided to such students.

Conditions for Withdrawal

Parents of children who are leaving the district or are moving to another school attendance area within the Kansas City Public School District should notify the school a few days prior to the last day of attendance. Materials, Chromebook, and other school property must be returned before the transfer is complete. Failure to follow these procedures may make it difficult for a student to be enrolled and classified properly in another school. Parent/Guardian or student will also be required to pay for books or other equipment that is lost or damaged.

Should all of the above efforts not result in a student returning and attending school, a student may be withdrawn under the following conditions:

• Age 17 and under: Only parents/guardians on record may withdraw children aged 17 or under unless the student and parent or guardian do not respond to the efforts made and documented above. In this case, the principal may withdraw the student after consulting with the Office of School Leadership.
• Ages 18 and over: Adults (age 18 and over) or legally emancipated students may transact their own withdrawals with the local school.
• Reassignment: Students who are reassigned by the district to another district school must complete the withdrawal process at their former school before reassignment is made.

Definitions

Average Daily Attendance (ADA) – the aggregate number of days of attendance of all students during a school year; divided by the number of days school is in session during that year.

Chronic Absenteeism– A chronically absent student is one who is absent 15 or more school days during the school year. A student is considered absent if he or she is not physically on school grounds and is not participating in instruction or instruction-related activities at an approved off-grounds location for the school day. Chronically absent students include students who are absent for any reason (e.g., illness, suspension, the need to care for a family member), regardless of whether absences are verified or unexcused.

Verified Absence – Approved absences at a regularly scheduled class, course, and school. Verified absences count towards the student’s overall accumulated absent minutes reported to the State of Missouri. Examples of verified absences include but are not limited to:

• Illness or injury of the student, with written medical justification from the parent/guardian;
• Quarantine or hospitalization, with written confirmation by a medical provider;
• Illness or death of family or friend, with a written excuse from the parent/guardian;
• Medical or dental appointments, with written appointment confirmation by a medical provider. We encourage medical appointments to occur after school hours, reducing the loss of scheduled school time.
• Court or administrative proceedings, with a written excuse from the parent/guardian;
• Religious observance, with a written excuse from parent/guardian;
• Field trip/school activity-off campus;
• Other absences covered by non-discrimination policies and procedures;
• Visits with a parent or legal guardian who is an active duty member of the military who has been called to duty, is on leave from, or is immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting. This requires permission of the superintendent or designee.

90/90 – Students who are in attendance 90% of the school day and 90% of the calendar school year. Absences, verified and unexcused, and early departures count towards the student’s overall accumulated absent minutes that are reported to the State of Missouri, under the Missouri School Improvement Program MSIP–5 Performance Standards.

Tardy – A student is tardy when the student arrives after the scheduled time class begins, as determined by the district. A tardy may be excused or unexcused. An excused tardy is only recorded with a formal written and timed excuse/admit slip from a school administrator, teacher, or district level employee. All other tardy excuses will be unexcused.

Truancy – Absence from school without the knowledge and consent of parents/guardians and the school administration; excessive non-justifiable absences, even with the consent of parents/guardians; arriving after the expected time for class or school begins as determined by the district.

Unexcused absence – Unexcused absences are non-approved absences from a scheduled class, course, or school. Unexcused absences count towards the student’s overall accumulated absent minutes that are reported to the State of Missouri.

FOR MORE INFORMATION REFER TO ATTENDANCE POLICY JEA

School Closing

Due to inclement weather, the school may be unable to open or may start later than the normal start time. Please listen to all major radio and television stations for announcements. (Please do not call the school or school personnel). In the case of a late start, buses will run later and school dismissal times will remain the same unless otherwise determined.

School Visitors

Anyone other than enrolled students must report to the office immediately upon entering the building. Visitors must sign in and receive a “visitor’s badge, which must be worn at all times while in the building. Parents may visit classes under specific circumstances as determined by, and with prior notification to, building administration. All other visitors (except parents) will not be permitted unless approved by the school administration.