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Richmond committee tightens attendance documentation, debates excused vacation and incentives
Summary
Reviewing Policy 5200, the board favored requiring written absence statements, discussed DOE attendance codes and reporting to child-protective services once unexcused absences reach statutory thresholds, and asked staff for data and incentive proposals to improve attendance.
Board members spent a substantial portion of the meeting on Policy 5200, debating how the district logs and responds to absences and chronic truancy.
S1 proposed that absence notifications be written rather than verbal; S1 said, “I don't think we want anything verbal. We want it in writing.” The committee generally favored requiring written documentation from a parent or guardian for excused absences and asked staff to adjust policy language accordingly.
Members discussed new DOE attendance codes the district will use in PowerSchool (examples noted in discussion: EM for excused medical, EP for planned family events, EU for excused unplanned family events) so state reports can distinguish reasons for absences. Several members noted statutory consequences: S4 and others said crossing 10 unexcused absences triggers a required notification to child‑protective services per statute; the board asked staff to ensure policy language aligns with reporting requirements.
The committee debated whether planned family vacations should be an excused absence. Some members expressed concern about normalizing vacations during the school year; others said principal discretion for extenuating circumstances (visas, overseas trips) is appropriate. The working preference was to keep vacation generally unexcused but permit administrative discretion in documented cases.
Board members also explored proactive steps to improve attendance: short‑term incentives (quarterly or monthly recognition, gift cards funded by local businesses), family outreach using family liaisons, and small habit‑building supports (alarm clocks, regular communication via ParentSquare). S4 recommended piloting short interval rewards (six‑week or quarterly) and pursuing business partnerships through the chamber of commerce.
Next steps: staff will return with precise statutory citations, a draft requiring written absence statements, recommended coding language for PowerSchool, and proposals for low‑cost incentive pilots and family outreach.
