Attendance Policy

SWEDESBORO – WOOLWICH BOARD OF EDUCATIONFILE CODE: 5113Woolwich, New JerseyX MonitoredX MandatedPolicyX Other Reasons  ATTENDANCE, ABSENCES, AND EXCUSESThe board of education believes that the regular attendance of students in each class and in school in general is critical to its educational mission. The district shall endeavor to achieve the ninety percent (90%) attendance rate required by the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC). Continuity of instruction is an essential element in student performance and allows students the greatest opportunity to succeed at meeting the state learning standards in the Common Core State Standards for mathematics and language arts and literacy and the Core Curriculum Content Standards. The chief school administrator shall oversee the development of effective strategies that maximize student attendance at all scheduled periods of actual instruction or supervised study activities and strive to: A. Encourage good attendance;B. Discourage unexcused absences;C. Identify patterns of absence, tardiness and early departures from school; andD. Intervene to prevent and correct problems with attendance. Attendance A day in session for purposes of attendance shall be a day on which the school is open and students are under the guidance and direction of a teacher or teachers engaged in the teaching process. Days on which school is closed for such reasons as holidays, teachers’ institutes and inclement weather shall not be considered as days in session. A school day shall consist of not less than four hours of actual instruction. One continuous session of two and one-half hours may be considered a full day in kindergarten. A day of attendance shall be one in which a student is present for the full day under the guidance and direction of a teacher while school is in session. Where there are two sessions in a day due to overcrowding, either session of four hours or more, exclusive of lunch or recess, shall be the equivalent of a full day’s attendance. A student shall be recorded as absent in the school register when not in attendance at a session, except students excused due to religious holidays who shall be recorded as excused. An excused absence for any reason other than due to religious holidays shall not be counted as a day of attendance in the school register. The mere presence of a student at roll call shall not be regarded as sufficient attendance for compliance with law (N.J.A.C. 6A:32-8.3—School attendance). In a school which is in session during both the forenoon and the afternoon, a student shall be present at least one hour during both the forenoon and the afternoon in order to be recorded as present for the full day. In a school which is in session during either the forenoon or the afternoon, a student shall be present at least two hours in the session in order to be recorded as present for the full day.