Attendance Policies

_{Cesar Chavez PCS is committed to providing scholars with a high-quality education. Daily attendance in}
_{school is essential for scholar academic success. We strongly request that scholars and their parents}
_{make every effort possible to be on time and minimize the number of days they miss school.}
_{All scholars who are five (5) years or older on or before September 30th of the current school year are}
_{legally required to attend school each day until they meet Upper School graduation requirements or}
_{turn 18 years old. Scholars must be present for 80% of the school day to be considered present.}

_{Cesar Chavez PCS recognizes there are certain days throughout the school year (i.e. upon the}
_{completion of commencement) when scholars are not expected to attend. On such days scholars will}
_{be considered “present” for reporting purposes.}

_{Scholars who are absent from school are not permitted to:}
_{● Be on school property}
_{● Participate in school activities}
_{● Attend school activities and/or after school activities}

_ABSENCES

_{EXCUSED ABSENCES
An absence is excused when a scholar (a) has a valid excuse, and (b) provides a written note from a}
_{parent/guardian (or doctor) within five (5) days of the absence. All excused absence notes are subject}
_{to monitoring and verification. Here are some examples of excused absences:}
_{● Scholar illness. Scholars must provide a doctor’s note for absences over three (3) days}
_{● Medical appointments. Scholars are expected to attend school before/after the appointment}
_{● Religious holidays}
_{● Death in the family}
_{● Family emergency, such as house fire, flood, or violence in the home}
_{● Mandatory court appearance}
_{● College visit}
_{● Upper School visit}
_{● Failure of DC to provide legally mandated scholar transportation in cases where there is a legal}
_{responsibility for DC to provide transportation for the scholar to and from school}
_{● An emergency or other circumstance approved by the Head of School}

_{If a valid excuse note is not provided within five (5) days of the absence, the absence may be}
_{considered unexcused.}

_{UNEXCUSED ABSENCES}
_{An absence is unexcused when a scholar fails to attend school without a valid excuse (whether or not}
_{they have parent/guardian approval). Some examples of unexcused absences include:}
_{● Lengthy vacations}
_{● Sports camps or outings}
_{● Oversleeping}
_{● Babysitting}
_{● Skipping class}
_{● Employment}

_{DOCUMENTATION OF EXCUSED ABSENCES}

_{When a scholar returns to school after an absence, s/he should bring a note to the Registrar. The note}
_{should include the date(s) of the absence, the reason for the absence, and any required}
_{documentation. An original doctor’s certificate should be provided for medical appointments scheduled}
_{during the school day or absences due to illness totaling three or more days. Any scholar who is absent}
_{10 or more days, unexcused, is defined as a truant. Cesar Chavez PCS follows the District of Columbia}
_{policy for reporting truant scholars to court services or the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA).}

_{SUPPORTING SCHOOL ATTENDANCE}

_{Families and guardians can help establish consistent and on-time attendance for their scholars.}
_{● Engage with your child about the importance of a good education to their future}
_{● Encourage good sleeping and eating habits}
_{● Work with your child to come up with a consistent morning routine that includes plenty of time to}
_{get ready for school}
_{● Leave extra time for transportation issues, like metro delays and traffic}
_{● Make sure your child arrives at school at least fifteen minutes before class starts}
_{● Schedule medical/dental appointments before or after school, where possible}

_{TARDIES/SCHOLAR LATENESS}

_{Classroom instruction and work time is essential for scholar academic success. Arriving to school late is}
_{considered being tardy. Morning tardiness is inexcusable (unless it meets the requirements of an excused}
_{absence). Cesar Chavez PCS scholars who are marked tardy unexcused to any class including first}
_{period may be required to make up their work virtually by the end of the day in order to receive credit}
_{for the assignments.}

_{In the event that your child is going to be late or absent, please call ahead to inform the school’s front}
_{office administrative assistant, even if you have informed your child’s teacher(s).}

_{Scholars that arrive after 40% of the academic day is completed will be marked “absent” from school as}
_{scholars do not meet the OSSE regulated in-seat time.}

_{EARLY DISMISSAL}
_{Cesar Chavez PCS will honor early dismissal for scholars only after written or verbal notification by a}
_{parent/guardian of the scholar, on file. A parent/guardian letter that identifies and authorizes another}
_{adult to pick up the scholar must be submitted before the scholar will be dismissed early. Cesar Chavez}
_{PCS reserves the right to deny an early dismissal. Scholars are expected to pick up work that they are}
_{missing and work with their teachers to submit missed assignments.}

_{ATTENDANCE POLICIES AND DISABLED SCHOLARS}

_{Cesar Chavez PCS attendance policies apply to disabled and non-disabled scholars alike; the only}
_{exception is when a scholar’s absences are directly related to his/her disability. Parents/guardians should}
_{contact the Director of Special Education for an individualized determination regarding the appropriate}
_{documentation to excuse an absence.}

_{ATTENDANCE MONITORING AND TRUANCY}

_{TRUANCY DEFINED}

_{Truancy is the willful absence from school by a minor (5–18 years of age) with or without parental}
_{approval, knowledge, or consent.}
_{A truant is a minor (5–18 years of age) who, without a valid reason and with or without parental}
_{knowledge or consent, does not attend school. A truant is defined as any scholar who accumulates 10}
_{or more unexcused absences in one school year. Scholars between the ages of 14 and 18 who}
_{accumulate 15 or more absences will be referred to DC Court Services for truancy. Scholars under the}
_{age of 14 will be reported to CFSA, per District of Columbia policy.}

_{TRUANCY ENFORCEMENT}

_{All uniformed law enforcement officers in the District are responsible for truancy enforcement.}
_{If a truant is picked up by the police, s/he will be transported in a police vehicle to the school.}
_{● Parents/guardians are notified of the scholar’s truancy status.}
_{● Parents/guardians and scholars may be required to attend a truancy conference.}

_{ATTENDANCE MONITORING AND CONSEQUENCES OF NON-ATTENDANCE}

_{Cesar Chavez PCS will make every effort to identify scholars with chronic attendance issues, and to work}
_{with families to create attendance plans to address those issues. Our goal is that each scholar successfully}
_{completes his or her school year with Cesar Chavez PCS, however, as permitted by D.C. law, we reserve}
_{the right to un-enroll a scholar who reaches 20 consecutive, unexcused absences. Cesar Chavez PCS will}
_{not un-enroll a scholar without first (a) making a good faith attempt to hold at least two (2) attendance}
_{meetings, and (b) sending home two (2) attendance letters. Scholars unenrolled due to attendance will}
_{be unenrolled as of the last date present at school. In most cases, Cesar Chavez PCS will implement}
_{attendance interventions when scholars reach the following unexcused absence thresholds:}

_{TRUANCY PROCEDURES}
_{The intervention process for scholars identified as a “truancy risk” is as follows:}

_{Unexcused Absence} _Threshold	_{Cesar Chavez PCS Interventions and Family Support}
₁	_{● Parent/guardian notification via phone & email around scholars absences}
_{3 (Consecutive)}	_{● Scholars are flagged at 3 consecutive absences through DeansList for} _{parent communication of attendance concern}
_{3, 5,10, 15}	_{● Parent/guardian notification via phone or electronic communication}
₅₊	_{● Notice of Concern issued} _{● Initiate attendance intervention plan}
_{(Consecutive & Non-} _consecutive _Absences)	_{● Parent receives individualized phone call with plan to schedule home visit}
_{7 Unexcused} _{(Consecutive & Non-} _Consecutive _Absences)	_{● Parent/guardian is contacted to schedule family meeting}
₁₀₊ _{(Consecutive & Non-} _consecutive _Absences)	_{● Attendance Warning Letter issued} _{● Review attendance intervention plan} _{● Referral to Child and Family Services Agency (for scholars ages 5-13), legally} _mandated _{● If 10+ unexcused absences take place in the duration of 1 quarter, the} _{scholar will receive an Incomplete “I” for the quarter, which may result in} _{failing all classes during that quarter.}
₁₅₊ _{(Consecutive & Non-} _consecutive _Absences)	_{● Attendance Warning Letter issued} _{● Review attendance intervention plan} _{● Submit Referral to Court Social Services and Office of Attorney General -} _{Juvenile Division (for scholars ages 14-17)}
_{20 Consecutive} _Absences	_{● Scholar is un-enrolled from Cesar Chavez PC}

_{Scholars under fourteen (14) years of age shall be referred by Cesar Chavez PCS to the Child and Family}
_{Services Agency (CFSA) and to the Court Social Services no later than two (2) school days after the}
_{accrual of ten (10) unexcused absences within the course of one (1) school year.}

_{Scholars age fourteen (14) and over shall be referred by Cesar Chavez PCS to the Court Social Services}
_{and to the Office of Attorney General-Juvenile Section no later than two (2) school days after the}
_{accrual of ten (10) unexcused absences at any time within one (1) school year.}