Attendance

The information on this page is a brief summary. For additional guidance, please review Policy 503: Student Attendance.

Regular school attendance is directly related to success in academic work, benefits students socially, provides opportunities for important communications between teachers and students, and establishes regular habits of dependability.

Procedure for Reporting an Absence

Call the school's Attendance Line and include the child's first and last name, spelling of the last name, grade, date, reason for absence and a return name and phone number.

Excused Absences

To be considered an excused absence, the student’s parent or legal guardian may be asked to verify, in writing, the reason for the student’s absence from school. A note from a physician or a licensed mental health professional stating that the student cannot attend school is a valid excuse.

The following reasons are sufficient to constitute excused absences:

1. Parent verified illness: Up to three consecutive days or eight total per year
2. Doctor verified illness: Up to three consecutive days or eight total per year
3. Family emergencies or serious illness in the family: Up to three days per year
4. Death or funeral in the student’s immediate family or of a close friend or relative: Up to four days per year - [Policy 503, pg. 3] 
5. Family vacation with advanced notice: Up to five days per year
6. A student’s condition that required ongoing treatment for any health related issue: Physical or mental health with a note from provider.
7. Medical, dental, or orthodontic treatment or counseling appointment
8. Court appearances occasioned by family or personal action
9. Religious instruction or holiday with advanced notice
10. Physical emergency conditions such as fire, flood, storm, etc. 
11. Serving a suspension
12. Active duty in any military branch of the United States
13. School bus arrived late

Unexcused Absences and Tardiness

All absences and tardies are unexcused by default. Students and families have 48 hours from the time a student returns to school to contact the school or produce a letter, note, or any documentation verifying a valid excuse reason in order to convert an unexcused code to an excused code. In cases of recurring unexcused absences, administration may also request the county attorney to file a petition with the juvenile court, pursuant to Minnesota statutes. Students attending Stillwater Area Public Schools who attain seven or more unexcused absences are considered a habitual truant and may be referred to the county attorney’s office.

Students are expected to be in their assigned area at designated times. Failure to do so constitutes tardiness. Students who accumulate multiple unexcused [Policy 503, page 4] tardies will be subject to the discipline rules found within their school handbook.