Attendance

The NYC Department of Education’s Attendance Policy states that schools must take attendance to show whether a student is in school or not; it’s the law. As such, schools are required to track student absences. To streamline this process, we are asking families to report all absences using our Attendance Form.

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HOW IS ATTENDANCE TAKEN?

Official attendance is taken each day during Period 2 Advisory class. If your child is incorrectly marked absent because she/he/they arrived late to school or class, a member of our attendance team can confirm your child is present by checking the Main Office Attendance Log. All students arriving late to school or class MUST fill out the Main Office Attendance Log, no exceptions. Once your child’s attendance is verified, we can reverse the absence to late for the day.

Please note: Reversals can take up to one week to be reflected on the child’s official attendance record.

HOW TO DOCUMENT AN EXCUSED ABSENCE: MEDICAL OR OTHER

• If a student is sick or not feeling well for 1 or 2 days, please complete the Attendance Form, no doctor’s note is required.
• If a student is out of school for 3 or more days, a parent/guardian must provide supporting documentation to explain the reason for the absence.
• An absence due to a positive COVID result—with an upload of the positive test result into the Attendance FormOpens in a new browser tab—will be automatically excused and the absences will not appear on the student’s record.

The following types of documentation can be uploaded via the Attendance Form to excuse an absence or lateness:

• Medical: Doctor’s note documenting illness or office visit
• Dental: Doctor’s note documenting office visit
• College or other school tour: Note on school letterhead confirming participation
• Competition: Letter of attendance confirmed by the organization
• Funeral: Dated documentation

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Please note: Family vacations are NOT excused absences. Commute delays and inclement weather are NOT excused unless confirmed by the Chancellor’s Office.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

• Absence: Anytime a student is absent, she/he/they should check in with all teachers to make up any missed work. Students can message teachers via Jupiter or email.
• Lateness/Early Departure: Anytime a student is late to school/class or leaves early, she/he/they must fill out the Main Office Attendance Log.
• In the event that a student does NOT fill out the Main Office Attendance Log and they are incorrectly marked absent for the day, the student (or the parent/guardian) MUST follow up with the Attendance Counselor to have the student’s official attendance record corrected.

ATTENDANCE REPORTING AND CORRECTIONS

When a student is marked absent, an automated message is sent to the family using the contact information on record. It is very important for school records to be kept up-to-date with parent/guardian phone numbers and email addresses in order to reach families. Parents/guardians can log into their NYC Schools Account to monitor attendance and also to update their contact information.

The NYC Schools Account does not indicate if an absence is excused. The system reports on whether a student is in the school building, or not. Parents/guardians and students are encouraged to check in with the Attendance Counselor if corrections are needed.

All attendance corrections must be made during the school year. Once the school year ends, corrections cannot be made. We recommend looking at your child’s attendance every month. Please do not wait until June to correct attendance for the entire school year. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY REMINDERS

• Every absence counts. Schools can record the reason for an absence, such as: illness, funeral, college tour, religious purpose, etc. However, excused absences are still absences and are a legal part of the student’s record.

• Families should avoid planning vacations, trips, and appointments when school is in session. Traveling with family is not an excused absence, and remote schooling is not an option. Students who miss many school days are responsible for keeping up with the missed classwork and homework, and for making up any missed assessments.

• Attendance does affect a student’s class grade, but it cannot be the only reason for a failing grade or not being promoted or graduating. Students are provided opportunities to show mastery of the course’s content and skills.