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Committee amends attendance policy to allow five parent excused absences per semester; other edits held pending legal review
Summary
The committee voted to change the parent excused absence allowance from three to five per semester and tabled broader attendance-policy changes until Forethought (consultant) provides statutory cross-references and staff returns with recommended language.
The Policy Committee of the Whole in Tangipahoa Parish amended and adopted part of a proposed rewrite of the attendance policy (JBD-R) on Oct. 21, 2025, changing the number of parent-excused absences allowed per semester from three to five and deferring other edits pending a consultant review of state statutes.
Mister Jinko presented the rationale for consolidating seven separate attendance-related policies and updating language to reflect changes in state law. The administration recommended multiple edits; the committee voted instead to adopt a narrower amendment proposed by Mister Piazza to change only the parent-excused-absence allowance from 3 to 5 and to keep the remainder of the rewrite in policy committee for further revision after Forethought provides statutory cross-references.
During discussion, committee members and educators debated whether increasing the parent-excused allowance would improve student attendance and reduce truancy or whether it could be interpreted as permitting more parental excused absences. A presenter noted the district’s daily average attendance is higher than in recent years and stated a figure of about 94% as the current rate. Educators said common practice already allows professional judgment—granting more than three days when warranted—and some members said policy language should protect teachers who must assign grades and enforce makeup-work timelines.
The committee voted on the amendment by roll call; the amendment passed with one recorded ‘no’ vote. The committee then voted on the revision as amended (adopting the change to five parent excuses and tabling other edits), and the motion passed. Committee members directed staff to return with statutory clarifications and proposed finalized language in a later meeting.
The change affects parent-excused absences only; the committee explicitly left other administrative edits in committee so Forethought can ensure the consolidated policy aligns with recent state statutes.
