Committee approves change raising parental excused days from 3 to 5; other attendance edits held pending consultant review

The Tangipahoa Parish School Board Policy Committee of the Whole on Oct. 21 voted to amend and approve portions of proposed revisions to Policy JBD-R (Absences and Excuses Regulations).

After a prolonged discussion about consolidating seven attendance-related policies and updating language to reflect recent state statutes, the committee debated a set of edits. A central change under consideration was increasing the number of parental-excused absences per semester from three to five. Several members emphasized the need to align policy with current state law and to preserve teachersprofessional discretion when setting timelines for make-up work.

Committee member Mister Piazza proposed an amendment to adopt only the administration—s recommendation to change number 2 from 3 to 5, remove the other edits to sections 3, 4 and 5, and keep the item in policy committee until Forethought returns with a statutory cross-reference. The amendment passed on roll call with one recorded no vote (Mister Moore). The committee then voted on the revision as amended (effectively adopting the change from 3 to 5 and deferring other edits); that motion passed with one dissenting vote recorded (Mister Moore).

During debate, administration reported that the district's daily attendance rate is about 94 percent. Board members expressed two main concerns: that the policy should back up common classroom practices used by teachers to support students returning after absences, and that open-ended language could be read as creating extra excused days for parents. Mister Moore voiced concern about perception: "I don't want it to come across like we're giving 2 more days for parents to keep their kids out," and other members urged clearer time frames once Forethought completes its statutory review.

The transcript shows the board did not set a specific timeline for Forethought—s report; members asked staff to return with statutory cross-references and a consolidated policy proposal before finalizing the remaining edits. The amended change (3 to 5 parental excused days) took immediate effect as the committee-approved position; the remainder of the proposed text remains in committee pending further review.