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Attendance

Regular, punctual school attendance is an important factor in your child's academic success.  Pennsylvania state law indicates that all students must attend school each day and can only be excused from school for bona fide or urgent reasons as indicated by law. Any absence that is not an excused absence is considered an unlawful absence for students under compulsory attendance. Vacation is not considered an urgent reason for absence from school.
Per SVSD Board Policy No. 204, Attendance written verification of the reason for absence must be submitted within five days of your child's return to school; otherwise, the absence will be recorded as unexcused. Once the academic school year ends, no changes can be made to your child's attendance record.

Submitting Absence Notes

A written explanation for a child's absence is required by the School Code of Pennsylvania.  Parents/guardians will receive an automated email through ParentSquare to the primary email address on file with the school district when their child is absent from school. To submit an absence note parents/guardians need only reply to the email with the following information:
1.     The child's full first and last name; 
2.     Student grade level
3.     The date of the absence;
4.     The reason for the absence; and
5.     The parent/guardian's full first and last name. 
 

 

Submitting Electronic (Email) Absence Notes

Absence notes may also be submitted to the school as an email with the following guidelines:
·       The note must come from the primary email address on file with the school district.  (This is the primary email address listed in PowerSchool.)
The excuse must contain the following information:
1.     Name of the student;
2.     Student grade level;
3.     The date(s) of the absence;
4.     The reason for the absence; and
5.     A parent or legal guardian’s signature
The parent/guardian sends the message to the designated email address for absence notes. (Each school building has its own attendance email account.) Emailed notes must be sent to the designated email account only. 
·      Saucon Valley Elementary School - es-attendance@svpanthers.org
·      Saucon Valley Middle School - ms-attendance@svpanthers.org
·      Saucon Valley High School - hs-attendance@svpanthers.org

In addition, guardians can also submit absence notes by replying to the ParentSquare notice that is sent to parents.

Attendance Procedures

Absences

All absences require that an excuse must be submitted to the school within five (5) days of the student’s return to school. If a written or digital excuse is not submitted to the school attendance secretary within that time period, the absence is recorded as unexcused and is deemed by the state to be an illegal absence.
If you are picking your child up early from school (i.e. for an appointment, if they are not feeling well but not being sent home by the nurse, etc.), a written excuse, which contains the same information as an absence excuse is required.

Excessive Absences

In cases where a student has accumulated twenty (20) or more days of absences (including educational trip requests), parents/legal guardians may be notified that future absences will require an excuse signed by a doctor.

Tardiness

Students must be in the classroom by the defined start of the school day.
  • Saucon Valley High School & Middle School: 7:30 a.m.
  • Saucon Valley Elementary School: 8:50 a.m.
If not, they are considered tardy to school. Once again, a written excuse, which contains the same information as an absence excuse is required. Students entering the building after the defined start of the school day must enter through the main entrance and stop at the main office for a pass before being admitted to the classroom.

Educational Trips

In order for days out of school to be approved for educational/family trips, the Educational Trip Request Form must be submitted to the building principal a minimum of 5 days prior to the trip. Please note that trips will not be approved during the first two weeks of school, in cases of excessive absences, during standardized testing windows, or if the child is in academic jeopardy. Please refer to the request form for additional guidelines.

State Compulsory Attendance Laws

The state’s compulsory attendance laws provide consequences for failure to submit written excuses. When a student accumulates an unexcused absence, parents/guardians will be notified with a document titled “First Unlawful Absence.” Parents/guardians will be notified, in writing, of the first three unexcused absences. These documents list the dates of unexcused absences and serves to remind parents/legal guardians that written excuses must be submitted for all future absences. Once an absence is determined to be unexcused, it may not be changed to an excused absence. After a total of three (3) unexcused absences, parents/legal guardians will be offered a Student Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC).
If a student accumulates six or more unexcused absences, the student is considered habitually truant. The district may refer the student to a school-based or community-based attendance improvement program, or the local children and youth agency at this time. A citation may also be filed with the appropriate magisterial district judge against the parent/guardian, or the student (when the student is 15 years of age or older).

Any questions regarding attendance, please contact Mr. Robert Frey, Coordinator of Support Services at robert.frey@svpanthers.org.