Holmdel board debates excused-absence rules; agrees to refine attendance policy before second reading

Board members spent an extended portion of the meeting debating a proposed revision to the district attendance policy (listed in packet as 5113), focusing on whether absences for illness (including when a student is sent home from school) should be automatically excused and how an appeals process should operate.

A board member spoke at length in favor of adding language that would treat doctor-authorized absences as excused. “A doctor’s note should be enough to be automatically accepted as valid proof of illness, period,” the board member said, arguing that students who are sent home under health guidelines (fever, vomiting) should not be penalized by being marked unexcused.

Superintendent Dr. Cascone responded that the district implements the policy to keep an accurate accounting of instructional days and that the existing system had reduced some administrative burden while prompting conversations with families. “An absence is an absence,” Cascone said in explaining the district’s emphasis on accurate records and a consistent appeal process. He added that administrators had reported the system worked “better and more efficiently” during the prior year, while acknowledging the board could choose to add a provision excusing students who are sent home by school health staff.

Board members discussed a compromise: excusing short-term absences when a student is sent home by the nurse or similar school medical authority, and documenting an appeals process so families understand how to request excusal for extended or repeated absences. Several members emphasized that any appeals procedure should be documented and consistent across schools.

The board president and policy committee chair said the administration will add clearer language describing the appeal steps and will include an explicit exception for students sent home due to illness for a short, defined period. The board approved the packet of policies as a first reading by roll call; members said the attendance policy will be amended before the second reading to add the clarified appeals language and the limited excused-when-sent-home condition.

Why it matters: Attendance codes affect how student absences are recorded, which can influence intervention, retention considerations in lower grades and credit loss in high school. Board members raised concerns about equity and administrative burden and asked for clear, public documentation of the appeal process so families are not subject to inconsistent treatment.

Next steps: Administration will codify the appeals procedure and the nurse-sent-home clarification and present the revised language at the next meeting’s second reading.