The Montgomery Township School District Board of Education meeting on September 16, 2025, focused on updates to the district's attendance policy, particularly regarding state excused absences.

Mary, a board member, addressed concerns from parents about the clarity of the attendance policy. She explained that the only change for the current year is the addition of one more state excused absence. This adjustment aims to alleviate confusion surrounding what constitutes an excused absence in Montgomery County.

Mary emphasized that the state of New Jersey requires every student to have a unique identification number, which is used to track attendance. If a student is marked as having a state excused absence, it does not count against their attendance record. For instance, if a student misses a day for a religious holiday, they would still be considered to have perfect attendance for state reporting purposes.

The board plans to work on further clarifications to the attendance policy in the spring for the next school year. Mary reassured parents that the district is committed to ensuring that absences due to verified reasons, such as illness, are recognized appropriately, even though they may still count as absences in the eyes of the state.

The meeting concluded without further questions, but the board's commitment to improving communication about attendance policies remains a priority as they prepare for the upcoming school year.