Attendance
All students are required to be on time and present every day school is open during the school year. Attendance is a shared responsibility - students, families, and schools working together for your child’s success (LCSD Parent Portal Attendance).
Students shall be counted in attendance if they are actually present at school at the time the attendance is taken or are away from school on a school day and engaged in an educational activity that constitutes a part of the school-approved instructional program for the student (Section 1003.23, Florida Statutes).
Attendance Standard
- All students are required to be on time and present each day school is open during the school year (LCSD Code of Conduct).
- Students may not be absent from school without permission from the principal/designee (LCSD Code of Conduct).
- The school principal or designee is the only person authorized to excuse a student’s absence (LCSD Code of Conduct).
- Any time a student is absent from school, the parent or guardian must communicate the reason for the absences to the school. (LCSD Code of Conduct).
- A note or phone call from a parent/guardian is a request to excuse an absence (LCSD Code of Conduct). The School Board considers the following factors to be reasonable excuses for time missed at school (School Board Policy 5200):
- Personal illness of the student (medical evidence may be required by the principal or designee for absences exceeding five (5) consecutive days).
- Court appearance of the student.
- Medical appointment of the student.
- Pregnancy-related issues (see also Policy 5751).
- Approved school activity.
- Insurmountable conditions. Insurmountable conditions are extreme weather conditions, communicable disease outbreaks, and local conditions determined by the School District which, after taking into account the material circumstances, would render impracticable a student's attendance at school. (F.A.C. 6A-1.09513)
- Other absences with prior approval of the principal or designee.
- Attendance at a center under Children and Families Services supervision.
- Significant community events with prior permission of the Principal.
- Religious instruction or religious holiday.
- Death in the immediate family.
- Appointments for a therapy service provided by a licensed health care practitioner or behavior analyst certified pursuant to Florida law for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder including, but not limited to, applied behavioral analysis, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.
- Failure to report and explain the absence(s) shall result in unexcused absences (School Board Policy 5200).
- When a student accumulates an excessive number of absences – five (5) days in a calendar month or ten (10) days within 90 calendar days – and additional absences occur, which are caused by illness, a written statement from a physician verifying that the absence was caused by an illness may be required by the principal to be submitted by the parent/guardian School Board Policy 5200 (LCSD Code of Conduct).
- If a student accumulates more than 10 parent/guardian notes in a school year, the principal may require additional documentation to excuse future absences (LCSD Parent Portal Attendance).
Chronic Tardiness
Six or more tardies to school or to class per quarter is considered chronic and may result in outreach or interventions. In some cases, students who are chronically tardy or skipping class may have disciplinary consequences consistent with the Code of Conduct (LCSD Parent Portal Attendance).
Make-Up Work for Excused Absences
A student who is absent and the absence is determined to be an excused absence, as defined by (School Board Policy 5200), can make up missed assignments for full credit. Immediately upon return to school, the student will be given the number of days absent plus one additional day to make up all work missed.