Attendance

There is a direct correlation between attendance and academics. Students who go to class perform better in school and maximize their chances for success in the future.

 

Schools are required by law to monitor students and enforce state statutes regarding attendance. It is very important that parents send in letters when the child is ill and /or absent. Parents receive a daily phone call each day their child is absent from school. Parents also receive 5 and 10 and 15-day Unexcused Attendance Letters.

The parent should contact the school if they need help or have information to share with the counselor in regard to their child’s attendance. Parents are asked to review and update the Emergency Contact Form at the beginning of each school year (included in the Annual Registration Packet) and to update any changes to phone numbers or addresses throughout the school year.

Parents can excuse 5 school days per semester with a written notice as long as the student has not missed more than 15 days total. After 15 total absences, the parent needs to supply the school with either a note from a doctor or the court.

When a student reaches 15 unexcused days in a 90-day period, the child is considered chronically truant. The school counselor will then schedule an Attendance Improvement Meeting (AIM) for the child. This is a problem-solving meeting to work with the parent and child to determine if the child needs interventions and/or additional services at the school level.

If the plan is unsuccessful, all information is turned over to the county office for district-level monitoring. There are two weeks during the school year that attendance is reported to the state: October and February. This determines the funding Flagler County Schools receives to support the K-12 educational program. 

More About Attendance at Flagler Schools