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Attendance
Attendance Procedures
Attendance on a daily basis is a mandatory requirement for all students. The Code 搂22.1-254, requires that all children
who have reached their fifth birthday on or before September 30th and who have not yet reached their eighteenth
birthday must attend school. This requirement does not apply to any child who has obtained a high school diploma, its
equivalent, or a certificate of completion or who is exempted pursuant to the provisions of the law.
The attendance officer/superintendent's designee will enforce the provisions of state attendance laws by engaging in
the truancy intervention process described in the Code 搂22.1-258 which includes (1) filing a complaint with the Juvenile
and Domestic Relations Court alleging the pupil is a child in need of supervision in circumstances in which the student
is resisting parental efforts to comply with compulsory attendance requirements or (2) instituting proceedings against
the parent for contributing to the delinquency of a minor in circumstances in which the parent is intentionally
noncompliant with compulsory attendance requirements.
Absences
Students are expected to attend school every day. Parents are expected to contact their child鈥檚 school on the day of the
child's absence to inform the school of that absence. Parents are encouraged to notify the school of pre-arranged
appointments as soon as the date of such appointments is known. When such notification is made, the Parent need not
contact the school on the first day of the absence. For any reason, a written note providing the dates of and reasons for
the child's absence is required from the Parent within five days of the child's return to school. Parents/Guardians can
provide their child鈥檚 school with a note via the school鈥檚 website. The purpose of this note is to determine whether or not
the student's absence is excused or unexcused. This note will be maintained until the end of the school year for
documentation purposes.
Excused Absences
In support of the mandatory attendance law, Newport News Public Schools defines the following conditions as the only
acceptable reasons for a student's absence from school.
Illness - When a student is unable to attend school due to an illness, a note written by the Parent or a physician
documenting the illness will provide evidence of the illness for the school.
Mental or Behavioral Health - Consistent with Virginia Department of Education guidelines, students will be granted an
excused absence from school due to the student鈥檚 mental or behavioral health.
Chronic/Extended Illness - For students who are absent because of chronic or extended illnesses, the Parent must
complete a Chronic/Extended Illness Notification form annually and submit it to the principal at the beginning of each
school year or upon the onset of the student condition that affects regular attendance. The notification form must be
accompanied by documentation from a physician. This documentation will only support the absences related to the
child鈥檚 medical/mental health reason(s) and will be reviewed throughout the school year. The parent will still be required
to submit a note upon the student鈥檚 return.
Students who have excessive excused absences due to illness (over 15 days) are required to have a completed
Chronic/Extended Illness Notification Form on file with supporting documentation from a physician. If the Parent does
not complete the form or does not provide documentation from a physician or other mental health professional of a
chronic or extended illness, the principal will review the child's attendance for needed services and/or applicable
sanctions of the attendance law (Code 搂22.1-258). Failure to provide documentation may result in the absences being
unexcused.
Prearranged Appointments - For appointments with the court, social services or other state agencies and appointments
with health care providers, official documentation must be presented to the school.
Family Death or Emergency - For absences because of a death in the family or an emergency beyond the family's
control, the Parent must notify the school and provide documentation for the absence.
Religious Observances - Absences as a result of observances of religious holidays should be prearranged by the Parent,
who is responsible for notifying the child's school of the religious holiday(s) to be observed. If the Parent is unable to
prearrange the absence, a request for exemption must be received no later than the second day after the student's
return to school from the absence occasioned by the religious observance.
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