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High school officials describe new approach to excessive-absence credit loss and parental communication
Summary
High school administrators described changes to the district’s approach to loss of course credit for excessive absences, emphasizing student outreach, meetings with families, opportunities to regain credit and a forthcoming clarified attendance policy.
High school administrators described how the district is changing how it enforces credit loss for excessive absences and how it plans to clarify attendance rules for families.
Administrators reported that under the prior enforcement protocol hundreds of students had been impacted; after changing enforcement the number of students losing credit fell from over 300 to about 50 last school year and has continued to decline. The high school leadership said staff now run daily reports to identify students who miss classes, meet with each student and their parents, and offer pathways for students to regain credit by showing sustained improvement in attendance and academic performance.
The high school said it has met with each affected student at the end of the trimester to review eligibility and, in some cases, offered to restore credit when a student shows improvement in attendance and class performance in subsequent terms. Administrators said they are also introducing clearer guidance for what constitutes excused absences (doctor’s notes, coach travel, prearranged travel) and stressed that communication from families and coaches — such as coach emails confirming travel — assists administrators in treating absences as excused.
Administrators acknowledged the existing policy required a doctor’s note for some absences and said they are revising the attendance policy to clarify what is excused, how families can document absences and how makeup work requirements will operate. They told the board they will provide an amended attendance policy that clarifies the process for excusing absences, the 72-hour window for documentation and how the school will work with families to restore credit when students demonstrate improved attendance.
The board and administrators agreed to present the revised attendance policy as a discussion item at the next board meeting and to return it for action in a subsequent meeting. No change to district policy was adopted at the meeting; administrators said they will present clear written language and definitions in the coming month.
