Attendance is taken at 7:35 AM.

Attendance procedures, for students in Grade 5 through Grade 8, will be administered through the Attendance Office ONLY. This office is located just down the hallway between the Elementary and Middle Schools Main Offices.

This office should be used:

• for students arriving tardy
• when students need to leave school prior to the end of the scheduled school day
• or for any attendance concerns
  
  

When your child is absent from school, past practice was to call and notify the school building, in which your child attended, of the absence. With the current policy of requiring a note be sent in within three days of absence and our automated call system notifying you of your child’s absence, there is not a requirement to call. If you would like to call, you may, but it is not necessary. The All Call system will make a call to your home if you call in to report the absence or not, since the absence is unexcused until a note is received to indicate otherwise. Please send in the note within the three-day window of returning to school or your child’s absence will be marked unexcused.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

WITHIN THREE (3) DAYS of a child’s return to school, the parent/guardian MUST submit a written note with the child’s name, date of absence, reason for absence and parent/guardian signature. Failure to return a note within three (3) days will result in the absence being recorded an UNEXCUSED. Saucon Valley School Board considers the following conditions to constitute acceptable excuses for absence from school.

• Illness
• Quarantine
• Recovery from an accident
• Required court attendance
• Death in the immediate family
  
  

If the absence is excused, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with teachers as soon as possible to make-up the work missed. If an absence is expected to occur for an extended period of time, parents should call the attendance office before 9:00 AM and arrange for homework assignments. Whenever absent from school, a student may not participate in any school activity after school that day unless previous arrangements are made with the principal.

If an excuse is not returned within three days, a letter will be sent to the parents/guardians informing them that the absence will be recorded as UNEXCUSED.

If a student accumulates 2 UNEXCUSED absences, a notice will be sent to the District Justice.

Excessive Absences
If a student accumulates 5 EXCUSED absences, a phone call will be made by the school counselor and/or a letter of concern will be sent home.

If a student accumulates 10 EXCUSED absences, a second letter will be sent home, immediately requiring that any further absences be accompanied by a doctor’s excuse.

If a student continues to be absent, the absences will be unexcused and the procedure for unexcused absences will be followed.

Early Excusal
Students are not permitted to leave the school campus at any time during the school day without permission from the principal or designee. If a student must be excused early a note must be presented to the attendance office the morning of the early dismissal. The note should include: (1) the date and time of dismissal; (2) reason; (3) parent’s signature. The secretary will issue an early dismissal slip, which must be presented to the teacher for signature at the time of departure. If the student returns to school the same day, he/she is to report to the attendance office before going to class. Parents must sign their child out in the K-8 attendance office.

Early Morning Appointments
For an early morning appointment (e.g., orthodontist, doctor), a note should be presented on the day prior to the appointment or a telephone call should be made to the office the morning of the appointment. The office will be open at 7:15 AM. A message may also be left on the voice mail.

Family Educational Trips
Saucon Valley School Board believes that students must be in regular attendance in order to benefit fully from the educational programs and services offered by the district. In accordance with School Board Policy, family trips for educational purposes and educational tours are considered excused absences.

Parents who plan to take their children on an educational trip while school is in session may request an excused absence for the student if the following conditions are met:

• The pupil’s parents/guardians submit to the office a written request for the excusal on a district form at least (5) school days prior to the trip.
• The pupil’s participation on the trip/tour has been approved by the principal.
• The student or parent presents to each of the student’s teachers a written request for assignments expected to be completed during the period of the student's absence at least three (3) school days prior to the first day of student absence.
• The parent accepts total responsibility for the education of the student during the period of absence. The parent recognizes that classroom experiences cannot be duplicated and the absence could place that student at an academic disadvantage. Such responsibility includes, but is not limited to, monitoring the completion of all assignments and their submission to the teachers on the first day the student returns to school.
• Please do not schedule vacations during PSSA testing weeks. (See District Calendar)
  
  

Family Vacations
According to state law, family vacations cannot be classified as legal absences from school. Although not legally excused, SVMS cannot and would not prevent students from accompanying parents on the trip.

However, please be aware that (1) you are responsible for all missed work (2) you may not have the opportunity to “make up” tests and (3) parents may be served a Legal Notice of Absence if the absence from school is for three or more days. Note: the “first notice” does not carry a fine, but future illegal absences may require payment of a fine. Parents are advised to notify the school (in writing) well in advance of the planned trip, to be deemed “an educational trip” by the principal as described above. The form is available in the K-8 Attendance office or on the district website.

Tardiness To School
Arrival at school after 7:40 AM requires the student to report to the middle school attendance office for a tardy slip before entering class. A verbal parental confirmation or a tardy slip, which is to be  completed  by the parent or guardian, must be returned to the homeroom teacher the next school day. After the fifth tardy (not necessarily consecutive days), a letter will be sent to parents/guardians informing them of the tardiness. Additional tardies may result in assigned team detentions and/or parent conference. 

Truancy
If a student is illegally absent from school, he/she will receive a “zero” for work missed during the truancy. The student is required to make-up the time missed by attending after-school detentions. Continued infractions may result in referral to the magistrate.

Please contact the Attendance Office at 610.838.7001 Ext. 3701 or your child's school should you have any additional questions.