School Attendance Matters (Part Two)

I really love this image because for so many adults, it would be true! For the students in our schools today, they could replace the word "Facebook" with Snapchat, Instagram, or some other social media platform that they use regularly and it would also be just as accurate. 

Everyday, like clockwork, people are on their phones or devices checking their accounts for updated information, snappy memes, good recipes, the latest gossip, checking on family and friends, or even reading the Corner Middle School blog (smile).  Most would get perfect attendance.  Oh! How I wish we could find consistent ways to make everyday at school that important!

In yesterday's blog post, we announced that we are putting procedures in place this year to work to decrease chronic absenteeism at Corner Middle School.  The plan is to spend some time up front communicating the policy and the school procedures to help our families UNDERSTAND the importance of regular school attendance, as well as sharing the consequences for chronic absenteeism and/or tardies.  During the year, we will put practices in place that will help us monitor student absences more closely and communicate more quickly to parents of at-risk students.  In addition, we are looking at incentive-based activities for students with excellent attendance.

Today, we will begin our look at the newly drafted attendance policy that will appear in the Jefferson County Code of Student Conduct for the 2018-2019 school year.  Our blog this week will break the new policy down into its sections to discuss key phrases and how it applies to the students and their family.  We will move around to discuss the sections as they fit into the conversation and not how they appear in the policy.

The opening to the new attendance policy on page 22 states:

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

The Jefferson County Board of Education believes that regular and punctual attendance is essential to a student’s academic success, in addition to being required by state law.  Regular and punctual attendance is the responsibility of both the parent and student.  Regular and punctual attendance at school includes arriving at school on time and remaining for the entire school day unless an excuse is provided to school officials.

Jefferson County Schools, like all public schools in the state of Alabama, are evaluated, in part, on student attendance.  Specifically, each school is measured by the number of students who are chronically absent.  Under the current state definition, a student is chronically absent when missing school fifteen (15) or more days during a school year for any reason.  Therefore, a student should be present at school everyday except when absence is absolutely necessary.

In the opening sentence, we are told that attendance is "essential to a student's academic success."  We discussed that in yesterday's blog and already know that to be true.  However, it goes on to say that regular and punctual attendance is "required by state law."  I'm not sure most folks really understand or think about that. In Section 16-28-12 of the Code of Alabama 1975, our state law sets guidelines for student enrollment and attendance, consequences for families that fail to follow the guidelines, and consequences for the student whose family does not see that he or she comes to school.  For more information about the Code, go to this website, click on Title 16 and then Chapter 28.

http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/alison/codeofalabama/1975/coatoc.htm

No one here at CMS wants to refer a student and his/her family to Early Warning with the Jefferson County Family Court, but it is the law.  We enforce our attendance policy to do what is right by the STUDENT who we so desperately want to see each of the 175 short days we have him or her in class.

To avoid this, we send out periodic letters as reminders to the families of students that are generated by Chalkable to help us inform you of your student's unexcused absence status to help you monitor their attendance.  Some folks do not like these letters.  Again, they are a reminder to help you keep up with the days absent.  We also give families their student's Chalkable PIN that allows them to access information that includes attendance at any point in the school year.  It is the responsibility of the student and the family to keep up with their attendance.  

Personally, I hate appearing before a magistrate or judge in court to discuss these matters.  It is an uncomfortable setting for me and most of all for the student.  I'd much rather be at school with our students and teachers watching great things happen in the classroom.  But it is part of my responsibility as the principal.  I have had families ask me, "You don't REALLY go to court with a family, do you?"  There are families who will verify that I do it, especially when the absences are so out of hand that I believe the student's academic success or personal well-being are at-risk.

Yesterday's blog discussed the state report card and the definition of "chronic absenteeism."  Instead of rehashing that in today's post, we will simply share this graphic:

Parents . . . Families . . . Teachers . . . On a monthly basis, we really don't have a lot of instructional time to lose with our students.  Twenty-eight days TOTAL over a two-month period as the first semester ends.  Fifteen total days out of 31 as the the third quarter ends and the fourth quarter begins.  Consider this . . . two days absent a month is 20 absences a year.  That is so much instructional time missed.

In 2018-2019, we want our school staff, our students, and our families to value each instructional day as a gift.  Again, we understand that illness occurs and that special or unforeseen circumstances arise. Please help your students and their teachers by going ahead and looking at the district's calendar for the year.  It can be found at THIS LINK.  I also sent a color copy home in your end-of-the-year report card.  Begin to make plans for vacations, appointments, and other activities on non-instructional days.  It can be done!   I would LOVE to give out 460 perfect attendance awards at the end of the upcoming school year.  This past year I gave out only four.

Thank you so much for taking the journey with us regarding the importance of school attendance in our blog.  Part Three of our Attendance Matters series continues on Wednesday.  Tomorrow's installation will clarify excused vs. unexcused absences and what constitutes each.  If you have questions, feel free to call us at the school at 205-379-3230 or e-mail me at mmanning@jefcoed.com.