Board tightens student attendance rules, says doctors' notes won't automatically excuse chronic absences

The Lawrence County School Board on June 26 approved revised student attendance policies that tighten criteria for excusing repeated absences and aim to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Mister Atkins, director, told the board the district has seen large numbers of students recorded as chronically absent even when absences were accompanied by medical notes. “You can bring all the doctor's notes you want, but it's still unexcused,” he said in discussion about the draft policy’s intent to hold students and guardians more accountable for attendance. Staff said the state treats chronic absence based on days missed, and the district must respond to absenteeism that exceeds state thresholds.

Board members and staff said the policy will preserve discretion for cases with ongoing medical needs: principals can use existing procedures to document long-term medical situations (for example chronic illness, cancer or dialysis) and to work with families on alternative plans. Administration described enforcement steps that may include school-based interventions, referrals to child-welfare or truancy processes and, as a last resort, court petitions for persistently truant cases.

School-based nurses and principals will be involved in day-to-day determinations about whether a student should be sent home and how those absences will be recorded. Staff emphasized the policy targets a smaller subset of students who miss dozens of days in a year rather than the majority who attend regularly.

Ending: The board adopted the attendance policy as written and directed staff to implement it with attention to documented medical exemptions and principal judgment in individual cases.