Committee updates attendance policy to allow 17-year-old parents to petition for adult education

The policy committee reviewed changes to the district’s attendance, truancy and chronic-absenteeism policy (policy referenced in the meeting as 05/2013) to implement language in Public Act 23-160 that allows a 17-year-old student who is also a parent to petition the board of education to attend adult-education classes.

Presenter Carrie Latour said the policy text primarily updates legal references, while the regulation contains the operative details. "Section 4 of Public Act 23-160 enables a student who is also a parent to request permission from the board of education to attend adult education," Latour said. She added that the regulation clarifies how a petition would be handled and directs readers to the regulation’s page 6 for petition procedures.

The regulation also adds flexibility for parents to excuse absences: Latour said parents may now submit absence notes through secure, single-sign-on online systems tied to a parent or guardian account (she cited ParentSquare or SchoolMessenger as examples). A board member asked whether truancy rules apply the same across alternative pathways; Latour replied that adult education runs different procedures and has its own handbook covering attendance and credit, and suggested the district’s adult-education administrator could provide more specific details.

Latour said the district will post updated forms online, including an extraordinary-educational-experience form for families planning extended absences and a withdrawal form for students 18 or older. No formal action or public comment occurred on this item during the meeting.