Attendance Basics

All students are required by law to attend school every day and to be on time. At Field, we pride ourselves on maintaining a high attendance rate for students because we understand the importance of attending school each day. Many classroom learning activities and experiences simply cannot be made up at home. Please try to schedule your child’s medical and other appointments after school hours in order to avoid absences.

The School Day

Office Hours: The school office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. The principal, assistant principal, counselor, school secretary, attendance clerk, and records clerk are available during these hours if you need to speak to one of them. Please call the office to schedule an appointment, as staff members typically are not available on a walk-in basis.

Student School Day: The student school day begins at 9:40 a.m. and ends at 4:20 p.m. The school building opens to students at 9:10 a.m. Students may not be dropped off at school prior to 9:10 a.m.  Students must be picked up by 4:40 p.m. each afternoon.

Attendance Calculation

According to Kentucky Administrative Regulations (KAR), attendance is calculated as follows:

• Full-Day Attendance: Student is in attendance 100 percent of the school day.

• Tardy: Student is absent less than 35 percent of the school day.

• Half-Day Absence: Student is absent 35 to 84 percent of the school day.

• Full-Day Absence: Student is absent more than 84 percent of the school day

Late Arrival and Early Dismissal

Tardiness is not just being late for school as traditionally interpreted. Tardiness is defined by the law as “any amount of instructional time missed.” This includes being late to school or leaving school before classes are dismissed. Parents are required to sign in late students on the Entry Log kept at the attendance desk in the lobby. Parents are also required to sign out students leaving prior to 3:25 p.m. on the Exit Log kept at the attendance desk.

School Absences—Excused vs. Unexcused

A student’s absence from school is excused for one of three reasons: illness, doctor or dentist appointment, or death in the family. In any of these situations, parents are expected to follow these procedures to notify the school and to document the reason for the absence:

1. Please call the the school at 485-8252 to report the absence by 10:30 a.m.

AND

2. Provide a written note to school upon the student’s return to school.

If your child is absent three or more consecutive days, a note from a medical professional is needed. After a total of ten cumulative full-day absences due to illness, parents are required to present a written statement from a medical professional for each additional absence during the school year in order for those absences to be excused.

Educational Enhancement Opportunity

Absences due to family vacations and trips will be unexcused. A parent may request for a child’s absences to be excused if the child is participating in an educational enhancement opportunity (EEO). In order to qualify for an excused absence, the EEO must meet several requirements. According to KRS 159.035, principals may grant students an excused absence to pursue an extraordinary educational opportunity. The expectation is that the activity for which the excuse was granted would provide a high-quality, educationally relevant experience that supports the student’s in-school program. In order for a principal to approve an EEO day, the principal must determine that the activity has significant educational value. Examples provided in the statute are participation in educational foreign exchange programs or involvement in intensive instructional, experiential, or performance programs. Parents requesting excused absences for a trip that qualifies as an EEO must complete and submit an Educational Enhancement Opportunity Request Form to the principal at least 72 hours in advance of the trip.

Truancy

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) records all attendance occurrences to comply with Kentucky School Law. According to KRS 159.150, “Any child … who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three or more days, or tardy without a valid excuse on three or more days is a truant.” The law defines habitual truant as, “any student who has been reported as truant two or more times.” Any parent who fails to comply with truancy laws may face serious penalties, including monetary fines and incarceration.

Make-Up Work

Students are expected to make up school work missed due to an excused absence. All make-up work will be provided by the teacher following the absence. The student will have the number of days absent plus one additional school day from the time he or she receives the make-up work to complete the work and submit it to the teacher. If you would like to request make-up work for your child, you must call the school office by 9:30 a.m. to have work prepared for pick-up at the end of the school day.