{"id":2576,"date":"2020-02-11T11:38:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T16:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chsreg.com\/kbase\/?post_type=ht_kb&#038;p=2576"},"modified":"2025-11-21T11:13:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T16:13:32","slug":"attendance-policy-overview","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/knowledge-base\/attendance-policy-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"Attendance Policy Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Chelsea Public Schools Attendance Officer is Mr. Phillip Carangelo who may be contacted &nbsp;at 617.466.5043.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All students must attend school regularly if they are to earn a diploma or certificate of &nbsp;attendance. We expect that students will miss no more than eight (8) days during the entire 180- day school year. It is important that both students and parents understand the details of the &nbsp;attendance policy explained in this section.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A student may have no more than two (2) unexcused absences during each quarter. If a student &nbsp;has three (3) or more unexcused absences in a quarter, consequences will apply.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important Attendance Definitions<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Absence: A student is considered absent if they are not present in a class regardless of the reason. &nbsp;The only exceptions are school events that require the student to be out of class.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excused Absence: An absence is considered excused if the student brings a note signed by a &nbsp;parent within three (3) days of the absence. There is a limit of five (5) parent notes per quarter &nbsp;(See absence note procedures). In lieu of a note, parents unable to provide a note will have the &nbsp;option of calling the school to report an excused absence. Situations that require a student to miss &nbsp;more than three days will be handled on an individual basis.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excused Absences Impact on Grades: Students have the right to make up 100% of all missed &nbsp;work opportunities that impact their course grade when they are out of school because of an &nbsp;excused absence. Students who are absent from school are responsible for completing any class &nbsp;work and homework missed. Teachers will allow students a minimum of two school days for &nbsp;each excused absence day to make up work. In situations where it is not possible for the student &nbsp;to make up work such as a lab, performance assessment or an activity that requires the student to &nbsp;be present, the teacher will provide an alternative assignment with an equal point value. If no &nbsp;alternative assignment is provided, the missed work cannot be included in the student\u2019s grade &nbsp;calculation.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unexcused absence: An absence is considered unexcused if the student does not bring a note or &nbsp;the absence note is not considered excused by the administration. See the detailed consequences &nbsp;of unexcused absences below.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Attendance Penalty: A student with a passing grade in a class who accumulates three (3) or more &nbsp;unexcused absences for that class will receive a penalty of ten (10) points in that student\u2019s average. Such a penalty will not drop an average below 60%. This penalty can be temporary \u2013 see below.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Consequences for Unexcused Absences&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An unexcused absence will result in the student losing the privilege of participating in any after &nbsp;school activity, including but not limited to athletic games and practices, dances, club activities &nbsp;and all other extracurricular events. If the unexcused absence occurs the day before a weekend or &nbsp;holiday, the loss of privileges includes any school activity or event that takes place during the &nbsp;holiday and or weekend.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students will receive a ten (10) point penalty in their average for any class in which they have three (3) or more unexcused absences AND a term average of more than 60 points. Term grades lowered due to not being in compliance with the attendance policy are not lowered below 60. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Changing an Impacted Grade to Original Grade&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a student\u2019s grade is impacted by this policy, they will have one opportunity to change the &nbsp;grade to its original grade <strong>as long as the class continues on to the next quarter<\/strong>. To earn their &nbsp;original grade, a student must have no more than two (2) unexcused absences in the quarter after &nbsp;their grade was impacted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example 1: If a student has earned an average of 75% for the 1st quarter in a World History &nbsp;class, but has three (3) unexcused absences, the student\u2019s 1st quarter average will be reported as &nbsp;65%. If at the conclusion of the 2nd quarter the student has two (2) or fewer unexcused absences, &nbsp;the 1st quarter grade will change from 65% to a 75% in the World History class.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example 2: If a student has earned a letter grade of 65% for the 1st quarter in their Algebra 1 &nbsp;class, but has three (3) or more unexcused absences, the student\u2019s 1st quarter grade will be &nbsp;reported as an 60%. If in the 2nd quarter the student again has three (3) or more unexcused &nbsp;absences the average of 60% will appear for both the 1st and 2nd quarters. If a student has three &nbsp;(3) or more unexcused absences in the 4th quarter, there is no opportunity to raise the impacted &nbsp;averages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Unexcused Absence Rules Applicable to All Quarters.<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Students cannot recover grades for the 4th quarter of full-year courses, or for courses shorter than &nbsp;a semester (quarter-length electives).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Students cannot recover grades for the 2nd quarter of half-year (semester-length) courses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Principal or a designated representative can excuse an absence, under the guidelines listed &nbsp;below, provided a parent or guardian submits a written or verbal request for an absence to be &nbsp;excused. The Principal will accept parent requests only on the three days immediately following &nbsp;a student\u2019s return to school from an absence. Excused absences include, but are not necessarily &nbsp;limited, to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Illness or injury verified with a parent\/guardian note (limited to three days per quarter for a &nbsp;student with zero unexcused absences, two days per quarter with one unexcused absences and &nbsp;one day with two unexcused absences)&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Illness or injury verified with a doctor\u2019s note&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Emergency medical\/dental visit with a parent\/guardian note&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bereavement (death in the immediate family) with a parent\/guardian note o Court\/legal obligation with a parent\/guardian note&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>College visit (seniors only \u2013 limited to two days per quarter) with a parent\/guardian note o Extraordinary circumstances on a case-by-case basis&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Principal or designated representative may not excuse routine medical\/dental appointments &nbsp;or other non-emergency events that can be scheduled after school.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Students who are absent from school are responsible for completing any class and homework &nbsp;missed. Teachers will allow students a minimum of two days to make up each day of missed &nbsp;work. At the end of each quarter, the Principal will convene an Attendance Appeal Board to hear &nbsp;parent\/guardian appeals. Daily attendance calls will be made to the parent\/guardian of absent &nbsp;students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Absence Note Procedures&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teachers will take attendance for each class during each period of the day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A student returning to school from an absence will bring a note from a parent\/guardian within the &nbsp;three days immediately following the student\u2019s return to school. The purpose of the note is to &nbsp;request an \u201cexcused\u201d absence under one of the categories listed below:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All requests must include the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>a. Student\u2019s full name (printed);&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>b. Student identification number;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>c. Date(s) of the absence;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>d. The reason for the absence;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>e. Supporting documentation (for 3. b. above);&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>f. A contact telephone number so the school can confirm the note with the&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>parent\/guardian;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>g. The parent\u2019s\/guardian\u2019s printed name and signature.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The student will turn in the note to the Main Office from 7:30 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. or from 2:20p.m. &nbsp;to 3:00 p.m. Students will complete an informational Attendance Review form located in the &nbsp;main office, after two days it is the students\u2019 responsibility to check their Aspen account on the &nbsp;computer system for the final decision. The school will not accept notes received after the third&nbsp;day of the student\u2019s return to school. In these cases, the parent\/guardian will have to request a &nbsp;hearing before the Attendance Appeal Board at the end of the quarter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A designated representative will make an \u201cexcused\u201d or \u201cunexcused\u201d determination as quickly as &nbsp;possible and provide the decision to the student in Aspen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parents\/guardians may request an appeal with the Attendance officer. If the Attendance officer &nbsp;denies the appeal, the Attendance Appeal Board will meet at the end of each quarter to consider &nbsp;parent\/guardian attendance appeals. The Appeal Board will include administrator of social work, &nbsp;administrator of school counseling, and an assistant principal. Decisions made by the Appeal &nbsp;Board are final.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A student may have no more than two (2) unexcused absences during each quarter. If a student &nbsp;has three (3) or more unexcused absences in a quarter, consequences, outlined in the attendance &nbsp;policy overview, will apply. The school principal, or designee, shall be responsible for viewing &nbsp;attendance records and initiating appropriate actions to address repeated pupil absences and &nbsp;tardiness, and the principal and superintendent will retain discretionary judgment to modify these &nbsp;practices should exceptional circumstances warrant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Communication: The school will make an automated phone call home in the evening on the day &nbsp;of a student\u2019s absence. When students are absent the parent\/guardian must send a note explaining &nbsp;the absence within three days of the student\u2019s return to school. If a student is absent for more &nbsp;than three days (consecutive or nonconsecutive) during any academic quarter, the school &nbsp;administration, officer of attendance, or designee, will determine through whatever means available, the reasons for the absence, provide additional assistance, and otherwise engage &nbsp;student and parents\/guardians to prevent repeated and unexplained patterns of absence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, parents will receive written notification from the attendance officer if students are &nbsp;absent more than three days in a quarter. Parents\/guardians are requested to attend a meeting &nbsp;with the attendance officer to resolve the issue or create an attendance plan. Letters are sent &nbsp;home to parents when students are absent seven days or more during a school year. &nbsp;Parents\/guardians are required to set up a meeting with the Supervisor of Attendance to review &nbsp;or create an attendance plan. For any student whose grade is impacted due to this policy, &nbsp;notification and access to this policy will be included with the student\u2019s report card.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Referrals: Students and parents requiring help or support will be referred to appropriate programs &nbsp;for additional support. Examples may include, but are not limited to making a referral to a &nbsp;student support team, Instructional Support Team, mentoring program, social worker and\/or &nbsp;guidance counselor, health centers, substance abuse programs, and\/or community based &nbsp;agencies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consequences: Absence on the day of an event, or the day before a weekend event results in the &nbsp;student losing the privilege of participating in any school sponsored activity, including but not &nbsp;limited to athletic games and practices, dances, club activities, or any other extracurricular &nbsp;events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sanctions\/Further Interventions for excessive absences, tardiness or truancy:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a child\u2019s absence or tardiness becomes excessive (three days per quarter or seven cumulative &nbsp;days within a six month period) the principal may notify the Truant Officer. A child is &nbsp;considered habitually truant when absences exceed 8 school days in a quarter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reports of unresolved truancy, chronic tardiness and\/or absenteeism or habitual truancy may &nbsp;result in the filing of one or more of the following with the Suffolk County Juvenile Court: (a) \u201cchild requiring assistance\u201d (CRA) Petition (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 119, sec. 21); &nbsp;(b) a Failure to Cause Complaint (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, sec. 2); (c) an &nbsp;Inducing Absenteeism of a Minor, Complaint (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, sec. 4 &nbsp;or (d) a 51A for educational neglect with the Department of Children and Families.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inducing Absences: Whoever induces or attempts to induce a minor to absent himself unlawfully &nbsp;from school, or unlawfully employs him or harbors a minor who, while school is in session, is &nbsp;absent unlawfully there from, shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars. &nbsp;Amended by St. 1969, C.543.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Massachusetts General Law: Chapter 76, s 4.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Early Dismissal from School&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students will not normally be dismissed during school hours except for family or medical &nbsp;emergencies that are readily verifiable, personal illness that is verified by the school nurse, and &nbsp;school sponsored activities. (NOTE: NON-EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS ARE &nbsp;STRONGLY DISCOURAGED AND SHOULD BE SCHEDULED AFTER SCHOOL &nbsp;HOURS.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to be dismissed from school students must bring a parent\/guardian note to the Main &nbsp;Office before 7:55 a.m. Notes received after 7:55 a.m. may not be accepted. Walk-in and\/or &nbsp;telephone dismissals after 7:55 a.m. are difficult to process, may result in a delayed dismissal, or &nbsp;may not be accepted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contacting parents\/guardians by cell phone to initiate a walk-in dismissal is strongly &nbsp;discouraged. Students who are dismissed early are responsible for meeting with their teachers to &nbsp;get missed assignments. The student must complete and pass in all work by a date determined by &nbsp;each teacher. Additionally, students must return documentation to the school, in accordance with &nbsp;the attendance policy to have their absence from class(es) excused.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notes for dismissal from parents or guardians will be followed up with a telephone confirmation &nbsp;to verify the dismissal and time. Parents, guardians, or students&#8217; contacts MUST be listed on the &nbsp;computer system in order for a student to be released to them. Students who are 18 years old and &nbsp;are not identified as their own guardian will NOT be allowed to write a dismissal note or dismiss &nbsp;themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any student denied early dismissal who leaves school grounds without permission will receive &nbsp;up to three days of in-school suspension and be considered absent from any classes missed &nbsp;during the unauthorized absence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Failure to Report to a Class (Skipping Class)&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Failure to report to any class is a serious offense and adversely impacts academic performance. &nbsp;Students who fail to report to class will accrue an absence for the class missed and forfeit class &nbsp;credit as determined by the teacher. Administrators or the dean of students may require a meeting &nbsp;with the student\u2019s parent\/guardian or with a counselor, and\/or may assign the student a detention &nbsp;or a suspension.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Revised and Approved by the Chelsea School Committee on 1\/5\/2023<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chelsea Public Schools Attendance Officer is Mr. Phillip Carangelo who may be contacted &nbsp;at 617.466.5043.&nbsp; All students must attend school regularly if they are to earn a diploma or certificate of &nbsp;attendance. We expect that students will miss no more than eight (8) days during the entire 180- day&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"ht-kb-category":[205],"ht-kb-tag":[14,206],"class_list":["post-2576","ht_kb","type-ht_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","ht_kb_category-policy","ht_kb_tag-attendance","ht_kb_tag-attendance-policy"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/2576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ht_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2576"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/2576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3651,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/2576\/revisions\/3651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-category?post=2576"},{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cpskb.com\/kbase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-tag?post=2576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}