In February 2024, the district adopted a thorough set of rules on attendance. Their new emphasis on attendance is slightly different from those in the past, but they address the same issues as before.
One of the rules they implemented was mailing attendance letters to students and their families who have missed 10 percent or more days of school at a midterm or quarter. These chunks of time are often referred to as attendance blocks. These letters can help students, families and teachers make the right decision for the student. Their purpose is also to increase the overall attendance levels throughout D303.
When missing school, there are two options for your attendance: excused and unexcused. An excused absence is an absence that is justified by a parent for a valid reason. A few examples of excused absences are illnesses (which include five days for mental/behavioral health), religious holidays, a family emergency, death in the immediate family, circumstances that cause concern for the student’s mental, physical or emotional state and more. Overall, they are valid reasons for missing school.
An unexcused absence, on the other hand, is not valid or legitimate enough to be interpreted as excused. Some examples of unexcused absences include working, missing the bus, personal appointments, a car not starting and more. To avoid some of these unexcused absences due to appointments, a note from a student’s healthcare provider may be needed.
When interviewing Principal Richter, we were able to gain more insight into these larger enforced rules. He said that it was necessary to put a larger emphasis on the importance of attendance because it improves the “overall success” as a student. “When students are present to access the instruction and support we provide at East, their individual outcomes improve.”
Now for the real question: do these rules on absences really reduce student’s time off of school? From Richter’s perspective, it does seem like these efforts are making a difference. “Overall, we have seen a decrease in the number of letters sent home during the second phase of letters as opposed to the first phase. While we cannot guarantee it has been the letters that have solely contributed to that, it is at least a correlation we are pleased with,” said Richter.