Skip To Main Content

Attendance

Attendance Procedures & Guidelines

Regular, punctual school attendance is an important factor in your child's academic success. According to Pennsylvania state law, all students must attend school each day and can only be excused for bona fide or urgent reasons.

Strict 5-Day Submission Rule: Written verification or digital excuses must be submitted to the school attendance secretary within five (5) days of your child's return to school; otherwise, the absence will permanently stand as unexcused/illegal. A written excuse is also required if you are picking your child up early from school.

How to Submit Absence Notes Electronically

1. ParentSquare Automated Reply (Recommended): When your child is absent, an automated email will be sent to your primary email address on file. To submit your excuse, simply reply directly to that email with the required information below.

2. Direct Email Submission: If you initiate a fresh email, the message must come from your primary email address listed in PowerSchool and must be directed to your building's specific attendance inbox.

All submission methods must explicitly contain the following details:

  • The child's full first and last name
  • Student grade level
  • The exact date(s) of the absence
  • The specific reason for the absence
  • The parent or legal guardian's full first and last name

Building Emails:

Tardiness, Educational Trips & Excessive Absences

Students must be in the classroom by the defined start of the school day, or they are considered tardy. Late arrivals must enter through the main entrance, obtain an office pass, and submit a written excuse note.

School Start Times:

  • Saucon Valley High School & Middle School: 7:30 a.m.
  • Saucon Valley Elementary School: 8:50 a.m.

Excessive Absences: Once a student accumulates twenty (20) or more total days of absence (including educational trip allocations), parents/legal guardians may be notified that all future absences will strictly require an excuse signed by a licensed doctor.

Educational Trips: To obtain approval for educational or family trips, the official Educational Trip Request Form must be submitted to the building principal a minimum of 5 days prior to the trip. Trips will not be approved during the first two weeks of school, during standardized testing windows, in cases of existing excessive absences, or if the child is in academic jeopardy.

State Compulsory Attendance Laws & Enforcement

Pennsylvania laws provide strict consequences for failing to submit written excuses. Vacation is not considered an urgent reason for a school absence. Once an absence is recorded as unexcused, state compliance rules prevent it from being modified to an excused status.

The district manages unexcused counts through the following progressive actions:

  • Absences 1 through 3: Parents/guardians receive a written "First Unlawful Absence" notice listing the dates to serve as an official record reminder.
  • After 3 Unexcused Absences: Parents/legal guardians will be formally offered a Student Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC) to build a collaborative resolution plan.
  • 6 or More Unexcused Absences: The student is legally classified as habitually truant. The district may refer the student to an attendance improvement program or local children and youth agencies. A legal citation may also be filed with the magisterial district judge against the parent/guardian, or directly against the student (if 15 years of age or older).

For any other questions related to attendance or for information on truancy proceedings, please contact Mr. Robert Frey, Coordinator of Support Services, at robert.frey@svpanthers.org.

Per Saucon Valley School District Board Policy No. 204 (Attendance), once the academic school year ends, no historical adjustments or changes can be made to a child's attendance record.