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Board reviews attendance exemptions and part-time enrollment policies; trustees seek wording to avoid implying enforcement powers
Summary
The board discussed new exemptions-from-attendance policies and a part-time enrollment crosswalk, asking administrators to change wording that implies the district can 'enforce' compulsory attendance and to instead say the district 'supports' or 'follows' state compulsory attendance laws; administrators will check statutory language and return revised wording.
Miss Dillard presented new draft policies that collect statutory exemptions from compulsory attendance and crosswalk part-time enrollment language to existing district policies (5111.2 and 5112.1/5112.2).
She noted statutory exemptions include many categories (attendance at federal schools, custody by law enforcement, temporary illness, completion of twelfth grade, among others) and that the administrative regulation will list details pulled from statute.
Mister Dorn and other trustees raised a substantive wording concern: the draft language reads as if the district could enforce compulsory attendance but the district has limited enforcement powers. Trustees suggested changing wording to "support" or "follow" state compulsory attendance laws rather than "enforce" them. Administration agreed to review the statute and adjust wording to avoid implying enforcement powers.
On grounds for suspension or denial of admission (5112.2), Miss Dillard explained that the statute includes grounds such as quarantine, contagious disease and circumstances where a competent medical authority determines a child cannot reasonably benefit; trustees flagged potentially sensitive phrasing and administrators confirmed that statutory language drives that section.
Next steps: Administration will verify statutory wording and propose revised language clarifying the district's role is to follow/support compulsory-attendance requirements rather than enforce them, and will return that wording for board review.
