Attendance is a crucial factor to success in school and an important habit for success in life.
St. Paul Public School District consensus is that students should not miss more than 10 days of school in any given school year. If a student is not in school, s/he has more problems keeping up with schoolwork and staying on track for graduation.
If a student is absent from school for any reason, a parent/guardian must call in and let the office know that they are absent. The number is 651-293-8670, option 3. The day they return to school, a note should be sent with them to document that the parent/guardian was aware that the student was out that day. A student's absence is excused if they were ill (and return with a doctor's note and/or a parent's note), or must attend a funeral (must return with a copy of the obituary). A student's absence IS NOT excused if they overslept, missed the bus, went out of town, had to help move or had to babysit.
A student who has a doctor or dental appointment during the day may be excused for up to ½ the day for that appointment. They may not miss the entire day, and if they do, ½ of the day will be absent unexcused.
If a student is tardy, it is not excused if they overslept, missed the bus, took too long to eat breakfast, etc. Tardiness can be excused if they were at a doctor/dental appointment and bring a doctor's note. A student who has too many absences and/or is tardy too many times will be referred to the Truancy Intervention Program (TIP). Once in TIP, they will remain in the program until they graduate, although if their attendance improves nothing further will happen.
The school district has an automated phone system that calls all homes when a student has missed any part of a school day. If you receive a call from this system and feel that it is inaccurate, please call Tammy @ 293-8670 and she will be happy to try to fix any errors.
