SUPER School follows the Indianapolis Public Schools ATTENDANCE POLICY:
The Indiana Department of Education requires accurate and consistent reporting of student attendance by the
Indianapolis Public Schools. The problem of truancy in the district is compounded when student absences are
not reported or responded to in a consistent manner. This policy is intended to ensure that all attendance
reports generated by the district and used by the Indiana Department of Education and the juvenile justice
system will be correct. It also sets forth a districtwide policy aimed at reducing truancy.
COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE
Indiana's Compulsory School Attendance law requires students to attend school each year for the number of
days that schools are in session. Regular school attendance is important if students are going to achieve at
high levels.
EXCUSED ABSENCES
The following types of absences are generally recognized as excused, subject to requirements set forth in I.C.
20-33-2:
A. Documented illness or emergency
B. Health care and social services appointments
C. Pages in Indiana General Assembly
D. Death in the immediate family
E. Religious instruction commitments
F. Subpoena as a witness in a judicial proceeding
G. Participation in Election Day activities
H. Active Duty in the Indiana National Guard
I. Detention in Juvenile or Criminal Justice System
If a student is absent because of illness or emergency, the parent must contact the school the morning of the
day the student is absent, and/or in the case of an elementary school student, provide a note on the day
following the absence. In those cases where a student is absent for five (5) or more consecutive days as a
result of illness or injury, a doctor's statement shall be required as a condition of classifying the absence as
excused.
A pattern of excused absences may be an indication that the student's attendance is not in alignment with
district policy and may be treated as unexcused if there is doubt as to the legitimacy of the excuses and the
principal makes a determination that the absences are unexcused after an investigation by the principal. In
such case, the student's parents shall be given notice of the principal's determination and afforded an
opportunity to contest that determination.
UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
With the exception of absences resulting from suspension, all absences other than those listed above
generally shall be classified as unexcused unless extenuating circumstances, as determined by the principal,
warrant that the absence be classified as excused.
The following procedures will be implemented to help ensure student attendance:
A. Students who miss up to three (3) unexcused days within a school year will have
their parents contacted by the classroom teacher. This contact should be
documented by the teacher.
B. The social worker will also contact the student's parent after the student has missed
three (3) unexcused days. An additional parent contact will be made by the social
worker after the student has missed a fourth unexcused day. The social worker will
work with the child's parents to identify barriers to the child's attendance and
possible strategies to remove these obstacles, and to develop a plan to improve the
student's attendance.
C. When a student has had five (5) unexcused absences in a school year, the student is
identified as a Chronic Truant and the student's attendance records will be flagged
(CT). The social worker will continue to work with the student to correct the
attendance problem. The social worker will also send a certified letter to the
student's parents notifying the parents of potential legal action.
D. When a student has had ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year, the student
is identified as a Habitual Truant and the student's attendance records will be
flagged (HT). If the student is enrolled in elementary school, the district will notify
the county prosecutor that the parent has violated I.C. 20-33-2-27 by failing to
ensure that the student attends school as required by law. If a student is enrolled in
a middle school or a high school and is under the age of eighteen (18), the district
will refer the student to truancy court for a violation of I.C. 20-33-2 (compulsory
school attendance). Students who are determined to be in violation of I.C. 20-33-2
may be placed on probation by court and will be monitored more closely by the
social worker. If a student violates the terms of probation, the student will be
referred back to court for additional action.
During any stage, the social worker and/or guidance counselor is encouraged to
work with families to remove barriers that prevent regular school attendance.
Tardiness:
Please remember that loss of instructional time ties directly to how a student performs academically. Tardiness leads to loss of instruction. Students must be seated in their class by 7:40am or they will be counted tardy. If your student arrives tardy, they must be walked into the office and signed in by the parent.
Early Dismissal:
A note is required for early dismissal. Students must be picked up in the office and signed out of school by the parent, guardians or others designated on the student’s emergency card. Photo identification is required of all persons signing a student out of school. Parents should avoid checking out students before regular dismissal. All early dismissals count as being tardy to school. After 1:50 pm students will not be released early due to interruption to the dismissal process. Early pick-up for doctor appointments needs to happen prior to this time. We do not accept transportation changes after 1:30.
