Back to Student Services

Absences

If any student’s Individual Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan conflicts with this policy, the requirements of the student’s IEP or 504 Plan take precedence.

Education is more than the grades students receive in their courses. Important as that is, students’ regular attendance at school, whether in person or digitally, is essential to their social and cultural development and helps prepare them to accept responsibilities they will face as an adult. Interactions with other students and participation in the instruction within the classroom enrich the learning environment and promote a continuity of instruction which results in higher student achievement.

Absences for students enrolled in synchronous digital courses shall be determined in the same manner as for District students attending courses in person

Excused Absences

Excused absences are those where the student was on official school business or when the absence was due to one of the following reasons:

The student’s illness or when attendance could jeopardize the health of other students. A maximum of six (6) such days are allowed per semester unless the condition(s) causing such absences is of a chronic or recurring nature, is medically documented, and approved by the principal.

  1. Death or serious illness in their immediate family

  2. Observance of recognized holidays observed by the student's faith;

  3. Attendance at an appointment with a government agency;

  4. Attendance at a medical appointment;

  5. Exceptional circumstances with prior approval of the principal;

  6. Participation in an FFA, FHA, or 4-H sanctioned activity;

  7. Participation in the election poll workers program for high school students.

  8. Absences granted to allow a student to visit his/her parent or legal guardian who is a member of the military and been called to active duty, is on leave from active duty, or has returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting. The number of additional excused absences shall be at the discretion of the superintendent or designee.

  9. Absences granted, at the Superintendent's discretion, to seventeen (17) year-old students who join the Arkansas National Guard while in eleventh grade to complete basic combat training between grades eleven (11) and (12).

  10. Absences for students excluded from school by the Arkansas Department of Health during a disease outbreak because the student has an immunization waiver or whose immunizations are not up to date.

Students who serve as Pages for a member of the General Assembly shall be considered on instructional assignment and shall not be considered absent from school for the day the student is serving as a page.

In order for the absence to be considered excused, the student must:

a. Bring a written statement to the principal or designee upon the student’s return to school from the student’s parent or legal guardian stating the reason for the student’s absence; or

b.If the student is attending the District’s courses digitally, upload a written statement from the student’s parent or legal guardian stating the reason for the student’s absence through the District’s digital course management platform for review by the principal or designee.

A written statement presented or uploaded for an absence having occurred more than five (5) school days prior to its presentation or upload will not be accepted 

Unexcused Absences

Absences that are not defined above; do not have an accompanying note from the parent; legal guardian; person having lawful control of the student; or person standing in loco parentis, or have an accompanying note that is not presented or uploaded within the timeline required by this policy, shall be considered as unexcused absences. Students with (12) unexcused absences in a course in a semester may not receive credit for that course.  .Excessive absences shall not be a reason for expulsion or dismissal of a student.  The following interventions will take place prior to a truancy referral;

INTERVENTIONS PRIOR TO TRUANCY REFERRALS

1st U/E ABSENCE   

  • ParentLink call                                                                                                             

2nd U/E ABSENCE

  • ParentLink call                                                                                                                                                      

  • ATTENDANCE SECRETARY will make manual phone contact (morning or afternoon)

     

3RD U/E ABSENCE                                                                                                                                           

  • PARENTLINK CALL AND WRITTEN NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCES SENT TO PARENT THE NEXT SCHOOL DAY BY The ATTENDANCE SECRETARY

5TH U/E ABSENCE

  • COUNSELOR COUNSELS WITH STUDENT:

    1. EXPLAINS WRITTEN NOTIFICATION

    2. EXPLAINS LRSD ATTENDANCE/TRUANCY POLICY (REFER TO LRSD STUDENT HANDBOOK)

    3. WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION OF CONFERENCE WITH STUDENT SIGNATURE

    4. CONTACTS AND EXPLAINS LRSD ATTENDANCE/TRUANCY POLICY AND PROCEDURES TO PARENT/GUARDIAN

    5. COUNSELOR SUBMITS TRUANCY INTERVENTION FORM

6TH U/E ABSENCE                                                                                                                                                      

ATTENDANCE SECRETARY NOTIFIES THE STUDENT’S PARENT/GUARDIAN(S) OF NUMBER OF ABSENCES BY PHONE AND LETTER

BUILDING LEVEL ADMINISTRATOR AND/OR DESIGNEE SCHEDULES A CONFERENCE WITH THE PARENT/GUARDIAN(S) TO DISCUSS INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS ABSENCES/TRUANCY 

10TH U/E ABSENCE 

  • COUNSELOR COUNSELS WITH STUDENT:

    1. EXPLAINS WRITTEN NOTIFICATION

    2. EXPLAINS LRSD ATTENDANCE/TRUANCY POLICY (REFER TO LRSD STUDENT HANDBOOK)

    3. EXPLAINS OPTION TO PETITION FOR SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS CONCERNING STUDENT ABSENCES & ATTENDANCE CONTRACT

    4. WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION OF CONFERENCE WITH STUDENT ANG/OR PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE

    5. COUNSELOR SUBMITS TRUANCY INTERVENTION FORM

COUNSELOR SUBMITS TRUANCY INTERVENTION FORM

12TH U/E ABSENCE 

         Truancy Referral is uploaded to your schools google drive folder entitled

“LRSD Attendance Secretaries Truancy Referrals”

         A copy is emailed to the city attorney’s office at truancy@littlerock.gov

         WRITTEN NOTIFICATION SENT TO THE PARENT/GUARDIAN

When a student has 6 unexcused absences, his/her parents, legal guardians, persons with lawful control of the student, or persons standing in loco parentis shall be notified. Notification shall be by telephone by the end of the school day in which such absence occurred or by regular mail with a return address sent no later than the following school day.

Whenever a student accumulates 12 unexcused absences in a semester, the District shall notify the prosecuting authority and the parent, legal guardian, person having lawful control of the student, or persons standing in loco parentis shall be subject to a civil penalty as prescribed by law.

It is the Arkansas General Assembly’s intention that students having excessive absences be given assistance in obtaining credit for their courses. Therefore, at any time prior to when a student exceeds the number of unexcused absences permitted by this policy, the student, or his/her parent, legal guardian, person with lawful control of the student, or person standing in loco parentis may petition the school or district’s administration for special arrangements to address the student’s unexcused absences. If formal arrangements are granted, they shall be formalized into a written agreement, which will include the conditions of the agreement and the consequences for failing to fulfill the agreement’s requirements. The agreement shall be signed by the student, the student’s parent; legal guardian,; person having lawful control of the student; or person standing in loco parentis, and the school or district administrator or designee.3`          1

Students who attend in-school suspension shall not be counted absent for those days.

Days missed due to out-of-school suspension or expulsion shall be unexcused absences.

The District shall notify the Department of Finance and Administration whenever a student fourteen (14) years of age or older is no longer in school. The Department of Finance and Administration is required to suspend the former student’s operator’s license unless he/she meets certain requirements specified in the statute.

Cross References     
MAKE-UP WORK
IMMUNIZATIONS
DIGITAL LEARNING COURSES

Legal References
A.C.A. § 6-4-302
A.C.A. § 6-18-209
A.C.A. § 6-18-213
A.C.A. § 6-18-220
A.C.A. § 6-18-222
A.C.A. § 6-18-229
A.C.A. § 6-18-231
A.C.A. § 6-18-507(g)
A.C.A. § 6-18-702
A.C.A. § 6-28-114
A.C.A. § 7-4-116
A.C.A. § 9-28-113(f)
A.C.A. § 27-16-701

Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Rules Governing Distance and Digital Learning

Date Adopted: August 27, 2017
Last Revised:  September 27, 2019

Tardy Policy

Each school will create their own tardy policy.  All tardy policies must be developed by an eight (8) member committee, which is: Administrator, counselor, attendance secretary, mental health agent, two diverse parents and two teachers from different levels. Final drafts should be signed off on by each committee member and submitted to the respective designee who will approve and submit to the Senior Director of Student Services. Once approval has been established, each school shall make tardy policies part of their school based handbook for parent awareness.

Make-up Work

Students who miss school due to an excused absence shall be allowed to make up the work they missed during their absence under the following rule: 

  1. Students are responsible for asking the teachers of the classes they missed what assignments they need to make up.

  2. Teachers are responsible for providing the missed assignments when asked by a returning student.

  3. Students are required to ask for their assignments on their first day back at school or their first class day after their return.

  4. Make-up tests are to be rescheduled at the discretion of the teacher, but must be aligned with the schedule of the missed work to be made up.

  5. Students shall have one class day to make up their work for each class day they are absent.

  6. Make-up work which is not turned in within the make-up schedule for that assignment shall receive a zero.

  7. Students are responsible for turning in their make-up work without the teacher having to ask for it.

  8. Students who are absent on the day their make-up work is due must turn in their work the day they return to school whether or not the class for which the work is due meets the day of their return.

  9. As required/permitted by the student’s Individual Education Program or 504 Plan.

Work for students serving an out of school suspension or expulsion shall be in accordance with the District’s programs, measures or alternative means and methods to continue student engagement and access to education during the student’s period of suspension or expulsion, including offering an expelled student an opportunity for enrollment in digital learning courses or other alternative education courses that result in the receipt of academic credit that is at least equal to credit the expelled student may have received from the district if the student had not been expelled.

In lieu of the timeline above, assignments for students who are excluded from school by the Arkansas Department of Health during a disease outbreak are to be made up as set forth in Policy 4.57—IMMUNIZATIONS.

 

Cross References:

ABSENCES
Suspension from School
Expulsion
IMMUNIZATIONS

 

Date Adopted: August 27, 2017
Last Revised:

Permanent Records

 Permanent school records, as required by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), shall be maintained for each student enrolled in the District until the student receives a high school diploma or its equivalent or is beyond the age of compulsory school attendance. A copy of the student’s permanent record shall be provided to the receiving school district within ten (10) school days after the date a request from the receiving school district is received.