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Introduction and Definitions
The
district's policy on student truancy shall stress early prevention and inquiry
leading to remediation of absences rather than imposition of punitive measures
for students. Referral to legal
authorities normally shall be made only when local resources are exhausted. For
purposes of implementing this policy and for reporting purposes regarding
truancy, the District will utilize the State Board of Education approved
definitions of "excused", "unexcused" and
"disciplinary" absences.
"Truant" shall mean a student age five to eighteen, inclusive, who
has four unexcused absences in any one month, or ten unexcused absences in one
school year.
"In attendance" shall mean a student if present at his/her assigned
school, or an activity sponsored by the school (e.g., field trip), for at least
half of the regular school day. A student who is serving an out-of-school
suspension or expulsion should always be considered absent.
"Chronically absent child" is an enrolled student whose total number of absences at
any time during a school year is equal to or greater than ten percent of the
total number of days that such student has been enrolled at such school during
such school year.
"Absence" means an excused absence, unexcused absence or
disciplinary absence, as those terms are defined by the State Board of
Education pursuant to CGS 10-198b.
"District chronic absenteeism
rate" means the total number of
chronically absent children in the previous school year divided by the total
number of children under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education for such
school year.
"School chronic absenteeism
rate" means the total number of
chronically absent children for a school in the previous school year divided by
the total number of children enrolled in such school for such school year.
Remediation of Truancy
School
personnel shall seek cooperation from parents or other persons having control
of such child and assist them in remedying and preventing truancy. The Superintendent of Schools shall develop
regulations which will detail the following school district obligations under
the district's truancy policy.
1. Notify parents annually of their obligations
under the attendance policy.
2. Obtain telephone numbers for emergency record
cards or other means of contacting parents or other persons having control of
the child during the school day.
3. Establish a system to monitor student
attendance.
4. Make a reasonable effort by telephone and by
mail to notify parents or other persons having control of the child, enrolled
in grades one through eight, inclusive, when a child does not arrive at school
and there has been no previously approval or other indication which indicates
parents are aware of the absence.
5. Identify a student as "truant" when
the student accumulates four unexcused absences in any month or ten in a school
year.
6. Identify a student as "chronically absent"
when the student accumulates a total number of absences at any time during a
school year that is equal to or greater than ten percent of the total number of
days that such student has been enrolled at the school during the school year.
7. Appropriate school staff meet with parents of
a child identified as truant or chronically absent to review and evaluate the
situation, within ten days of such designation. Such meeting may involve the
school or District Attendance Team.
Students so identified may be
subject to:
(a) retention in the same grade to acquire
necessary skills for promotion or retention.
(b) a requirement to complete a summer school
program successfully before being promoted to the next grade.
8. When a petition is filed, an educational
evaluation of the truant student shall be done by appropriate school personnel
if no such evaluation has been performed within the preceding year.
9. Provide coordination of services and refer
"truants" to community agencies which provide child and family
services.
10. If in existence, refer the child to the
children's probate court truancy clinic.
The
Board, on or before 8/15/18, shall implement a truancy intervention model
identified by the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) for any school
within the District that has a disproportionately high rate of truancy, as
identified by the Commissioner of Education. Parents or other persons having
control of each child shall be notified of such truancy model.
Chronic Absenteeism
The Board
of Education, in compliance with statute, requires the establishment of
attendance review teams when chronic absenteeism rates in the District or at
individual schools in the District meet the following circumstances:
1. A District team must be established when the
District's chronic absenteeism rate is 10 percent or higher.
2. A school team must be established when the
school chronic absenteeism rate is 15 percent or higher.
3. A team for either the District or each school
must be established when (a) more than one school in the District has a school
chronic absenteeism rate of 15 percent or higher or (b) a District has a
District chronic absenteeism rate of 10 percent or higher and one or more
schools in the District have a school chronic absenteeism rate of 15 percent or
higher.
The
membership of attendance review teams may consist of school administrators,
guidance counselors, school social workers, teachers, chronically absent
children, parents or guardians of chronically absent children, and
representatives from community-based programs who address issues related to
student attendance by providing programs and services to truants.
Each attendance review team shall be responsible for reviewing the cases of truants and chronically absent children, discussing school interventions and community referrals for such truants and chronically absent children and making any additional recommendations for such truants and chronically absent children and their parents or guardians. Each attendance review team shall meet at least monthly.
The District shall utilize the chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan developed by the State Department of Education when it becomes available. Such plan must include the means for collecting and analyzing data relating to student attendance, truancy and chronic absenteeism. The data must be disaggregated by school district, school grades and subgroups such as race, ethnicity, gender, eligibility for free and reduced priced lunches, students whose primary language is not English, and students with disabilities.
The District shall annually include in information for the strategic school profile report for each school and the District that submitted to the Commissioner of Education, data pertaining to truancy and chronically absent children.
Legal
Reference: Connecticut General Statutes
10 184 Duties of parents. (as amended by PA 98-243 and PA
00-157)
10-198a Policies and procedures concerning truants (as
amended by PA 00-157, P.A. 11-136 and PA 16-147)
10-198b State Board of Education to define "excused
absence," "unexcused absence," and "disciplinary
absences"
10-198c Attendance review teams (as amended by PA 17-14)
10-198d Chronic absenteeism (as amended by PA 17-14 and PA 18-182)
10 199 through 10 202 Attendance, truancy in general.
(Revised, 1995, PA 95-304)
45a-8c Truancy clinic. Administration. Policies and
procedures. Report. (as amended by PA 15-225)
10-220(c) Duties of boards of education (as amended by PA
15-225)
10 202e f Policy on dropout prevention and grant program.
10 221(b) Board of education to prescribe rules. Campbell v New Milford, 193 Conn 93 (1984).
Action
taken by the State Board of Education on January 2, 2008, to define
"attendance."
Action
taken by the State Board of Education on June 27, 2012, to define "excused"
and "unexcused" absences.
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