Board approves first reading of updated attendance policy with language changes on medical and bereavement absences

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board approved the first reading of substantial revisions to Policy 4,400, the district attendance policy.

Administrators said the update consolidates multiple attendance provisions, clarifies when a physician’s note is required for extended or chronic absences and expands the medical-absence language to cover mental-health reasons. The revised draft removes some repetitive text, clarifies how alternative-school students will be counted present when they use nonstandard schedules (for example, evening instruction), and preserves principals’ discretion to set off‑campus lunch eligibility tied to attendance standards.

The policy committee also recommended removing the adjective “physically” from the personal illness category to allow coverage for students who are absent because of mental-health conditions. Board members discussed changing the term “immediate family” in bereavement language because state definitions of “immediate family” may not align with students’ lived kinship arrangements; the board directed staff to drop “immediate” and to ensure the policy is culturally inclusive.

Administrators noted one clean-up correction: replacing the phrase “accumulated leave” with “accumulated absences.” The board approved the policy on first reading with the requested edits and will return the item for final action in a subsequent meeting.