Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Attendance Policy Handbooks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lake Central board adopts updated handbooks, highlights new attendance rules and reporting requirements
Summary
The Lake Central School Board approved updated elementary, middle and high school handbooks that incorporate new state attendance guidance, require follow-up after five unexcused absences and obligate schools to report chronically absent students to juvenile authorities under state definitions.
The Lake Central School Board on July 14 approved updated student handbooks for elementary, middle and high schools that add state-required attendance procedures and related changes to extracurricular eligibility.
Assistant Superintendent Castaneda told the board the updates reflect new state guidance on attendance and clarified how the district will classify excused and unexcused absences. “Per a new state law, schools must meet with parents after 5 unexcused absences. And then we have to report chronically absent students, which is defined by the state as either 10 unexcused absences or 18 total absences of any kind to juvenile authorities,” Castaneda said.
The change aligns the three handbooks to the state’s chronic-absence reporting rules and adds an infographic the district will distribute to families. Castaneda said the district will require parent sign-off on the handbooks during online registration and will send additional informational material before the school year begins.
Board members asked for clarification about how excused absences are categorized. Castaneda said the district distinguishes between absences verified by a doctor and those verified by a parent or guardian, and warned that incorrect versions of the policy had circulated on social media. She also said neighboring districts used similar classifications while the state seeks to reduce chronic absenteeism.
Changes in the high school handbook include a revision to the academic dishonesty policy so administrators have discretion when students share work, a requirement that students use district-issued Chromebooks for instructional programs, and an addition to dance eligibility that bars students with more than four unexcused absences per semester from attending school dances. Castaneda said the dance rule is “in line then with what the state is asking us to do in terms of trying to keep those kids” under the state thresholds.
The board voted to approve the student code of conduct update that removes the school board as the appeals body for expulsions; that change had already been incorporated into board policy. The approvals were made by voice vote after motions and seconds were recorded on the consent and regular agendas.
Castaneda said the district will meet individually with parents once the school year starts so they understand the new formats for handbooks and any infographics, and that juvenile authorities have county-level personnel assigned to respond to chronically absent students. She said the district will push outreach and informational materials to reduce confusion among families.
The board did not set any additional districtwide penalties beyond the handbook language; the meeting record shows the actions taken were approval of the handbooks and code-of-conduct updates, not new disciplinary rules beyond those described in the handbooks.
The administration also told the board it will present a separate artificial intelligence policy for the high school in August; that policy is not part of the approved handbooks and will be brought to the board for review and approval at a future meeting.
