Attendance and Truancy

It is important for parents and guardians to keep Suffolk Public Schools informed of their current mailing address and phone number. When a student is absent from school, an automated telephone call will be made to notify the parent or guardian on the same day. Please note that this call will still be placed even if the parent or guardian has already notified the school of the student’s absence.

Written notes explaining an absence must be received within five days of an absence. Every absence is considered unexcused until a written explanation for the absence is received in writing and approved by the principal or his/her designee. 

 

5 Absences: When a student accumulates five unexcused absences, the school will send an email informing the parent(s) that their student has accumulated five absences and will then be asked to complete a contract describing how they will help to reduce or eliminate the unexcused absences.

7 Absences: When a student accumulates seven absences, the school will contact the parent(s) via email, mail or phone to advise them of the additional absences.

10 Absences: On the 10th unexcused absence, a meeting will be held with the Attendance Review Team. Both the parent and student must attend this meeting at their home school. 

11 Absences: On the 11th unexcused absence, the parent(s) and student must attend a meeting with the Truancy Team located at the courthouse, to review and implement a new plan to help promote attendance.

Additional absences could result in a request that the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court be notified. Parents may be served with a warrant for failure to obey the Compulsory School Attendance Law. It will remain our policy that any student who has more than 20 unexcused absences during a school year must repeat the year unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

NOTE: A student suffering an infectious or contagious disease, a serious illness, the severe illness of an immediate family member, the student’s exposure to a contagious disease, a death in the immediate family, fire, or other serious damage to the home that requires the family to move, and similar circumstances constitute excused absences.