ATTENDANCE POLICIES AND FORMS
Please do not send your child to school if he or she is sick. If you need to report an absence, you must call the school main office number at 317-839-7707. The school will contact the parents when a student is absent and parental notification has not been received.
Research shows that students who have regular school attendance are more successful in school. With this in mind, PCSC places an emphasis on attendance and encourages all students to be at school, ready to learn, every day.
EXCESSIVE ABSENCES
Students who accrue more than five absences may be at risk academically. If that point is reached, steps will be taken to prevent further absences. In order to comply with state law and the recommendations with our Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office, these steps are in place to address student absences:
1. Five Day Absence Letters - After five absences (*excused or unexcused), we are required to send a letter. You will receive this via ParentSquare. The purpose of this letter is to make you aware of the number of days your child has been absent. Per the new law, if a child reaches 5 unexcused absences, parents are required to attend a meeting with school officials to make a plan to improve attendance.
2. Ten Day Absence Letters - A ten-day letter will be sent when a child has reached ten total days of absences (*excused or unexcused days). Following the ten-day letter, all absences must have a medical documentation in order to be excused.
3. Project Attend Contracts - An attendance contract may be put in place. Plainfield Community School Corporation utilizes Project Attend Contracts in collaboration with the Hendricks County Prosecutor's Office to help increase student attendance. The contracts are an agreement between the school and family to assure that children have regular school attendance. Per the new law, when a child reaches ten unexcused days of absence, our schools are required to notify the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office via Project Attend.
4. If absences continue, a report must be made to the Department of Child Services.
*Excused absences - verified by a physician's note or upon receipt of documentation for any of the following - family funeral, family member’s military deployment, court/judicial proceedings - are not included in these counts. All other days count towards the total days absent.
EXEMPT ABSENCES
Indiana Law prescribes which absences are exceptions and are not included as absences on a student’s attendance. As per (IC 20-33-2) these include: (1) service as a page for the Indiana General Assembly, (2) serving on the Precinct Election Board or the helper to a political candidate, (3) a student who is issued a subpoena to appear in court as a witness in a judicial proceeding, (4) ordered to active duty with the Indiana National Guard for not 3 more than ten days, (5) Serving with the Civil Air Patrol for up to five (5) days, (6) exhibiting at the State Fair, and (7) educationally related non-classroom activity.
PREARRANGED ABSENCES
Vacations: Families should plan their vacations during times when school is not in session to avoid student absences. The granting of pre-arranged absences is not intended for adding additional vacation days to the school year, but rather for unavoidable absences or once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Taking a student out of school for a vacation qualifies as an unexcused absence.
The following applies to prearranged absences:
1. Parents must obtain and sign a form for a prearranged absence and return that form to the principal’s office. The form can be found Pre-Arranged Absence Form.
2. The form must be submitted ahead of time, allowing ample time for all stakeholders to be notified; recommended submission is five (5) days prior to the absence.
3. If a student has previously been absent for several days, a conference may be required by the administration to discuss the ramifications of additional absences.
4. Class work missed must be made up promptly upon the student’s return. Students need to check with teachers regarding an agreeable timeframe for make-up work to be completed; the teacher may provide work ahead of time at his/her discretion.
5. The prearranged absence will be reported as excused or unexcused (depending on the nature of the absence) according to the Indiana Compulsory Attendance Law (IC-20-33-2), and make-up work will be allowed for credit. Students and parents are reminded that even though make-up work will be allowed for credit, some classroom activities simply cannot be replicated. The instruction missed during class time may adversely affect students’ grades (especially in participation-type classes) and understanding of material.
6. Any prearranged absence(s) will count toward the total number of days absent.
Tardy- if your child comes to school after the 8:50 a.m. bell, you must walk the child into school to sign them in at the front desk. Do not drop them off on the curb if you are late. If you are late due to an appointment, please walk the child into school to sign them in and you can bring the doctor’s note to mark that in PowerSchool as a medical appointment.
Picking up early- If your child has to be picked up before 3:45 p.m., it will be marked as Leave Early in PowerSchool. You are asked to send in a note to your teacher and call the front office if you will be picking up early. You must walk into the school, show your ID to the secretary, and sign your child out.