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District reviews attendance letters and referral options; middle‑school code of conduct tabled
Summary
The district reviewed required and optional attendance‑notification letters and its ability to refer families to community‑based attendance programs. Administrators said they will standardize letter language and meeting frequency; the proposed middle‑school code of conduct was tabled for further clarification.
District administrators reviewed attendance procedures and the set of letters the district uses to notify families when absences accrue, and they outlined referrals to community‑based attendance partners.
Dr. Brewer summarized the district’s current practice and proposed adjustments. He said the district is required by law to send a letter after three days of unlawful (unexcused) absence. The district is proposing to standardize a series of letters sent earlier in the sequence as well: a one‑day warning and a two‑day warning for unlawful absences, followed by a three‑day required notice. Dr. Brewer also described a five‑day notice the district sends for a combination of lawful and unlawful absences and a 10‑day letter that triggers a requirement that further absences be excused only by a medical provider.
“The 3‑day letter is one we must send whenever a child reaches 3 days of unexcused or unlawful absence,” Dr. Brewer said. He explained that the district is preparing consistent wording across buildings so families receive uniform messages regardless of grade level.
Dr. Brewer said the district can refer students to a community‑based attendance improvement program run through SAM (Service Access and Management) Crisis services; that partner provides an attendance‑elimination protocol the district can use for cases requiring outside support. He also said administrators will develop an attendance flowchart and review board policy and administrative regulations (ARs) to align the letters and thresholds.
During discussion of student conduct policies, the board voted to table the Schuylkill Valley Middle School code of conduct (agenda item 10.3) after a board member requested clearer drop‑off and scheduling language to align published times with practice. The motion to table was moved by Clafell and seconded by Bendigo and the board agreed to table the item for further clarification.
District officials said they plan to reconvene administrators and assistant principals on a regular schedule to monitor attendance more closely, confirm letter verbiage for the 2025–26 school year, and review possible use of additional letters such as habitually truant and chronically absent notices.
