Attendance & Truancy

Compulsory school age refers to the period of a child’s life from the time the child enters school as a beginner, which may be no later than at the age of 8 years, until the age of 17 or graduation from a high school, whichever occurs first.  As of February 19, 2013 in the case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Jennifer Ann Kerstetter, compulsory attendance law applies to kindergarten students.

• Death in the student’s immediate family

• Danger to health from serious exposure

• Quarantine

• Recovery from accident

• Required court attendance

• Illness (A doctor’s note is required for a student absence of 5 days or longer)

• Observance of a religious holiday

• Medical reasons such as a doctor’s appointment

• Babysitting

• Shopping

• Doing errands

• Oversleeping

• Job hunting

• Transportation issues/Missing the bus

• An absence that is not accompanied by an excuse

A written excuse must be received on or before the third day after the last day of school missed. If an excuse is not received, the absence will be considered unexcused. Teachers and attendance secretaries often remind students to turn in an excuse note. If a student does not turn in an excuse, the magistrate’s office does not consider a student’s forgetfulness a valid excuse. According to attendance law, the parent is ultimately responsible for providing the excuse. If your student tends to leave his/her excuse in a backpack, please follow-up with a phone call to the school office to make sure it was received.

When the school requests that your child leave due to illness or injury, you do not need to send an excuse provided your child returns to school the next school day.

• If your child missed additional days of school after being sent home, you will need to provide an excuse.

• If your child is currently required to provide a doctor’s note and misses additional days of school after being sent home, you will need to provide a note from your child’s physician.

Students may be excused up to a total of five (5) school days per school year for educational tours and trips.  Requests for excusal should be submitted at least five (5) school days before the requested dates of departure. It will be your child’s responsibility to get assignments from his/her teachers before he/she leaves.  Educational trip requests scheduled for students in grades 3-6 during PSSA times will not be approved.

In an effort to keep parents informed of their child’s attendance at school, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has recommended additional steps for schools to follow when truancy becomes an issue. The objective of these letters is a preventative step to assist your student from being placed on doctor’s note (PCO) or from receiving truancy fines.  If you feel an absence has been recorded incorrectly, you should immediately contact the school and try to resolve the problem.

Attendance Letters

Doctor’s Note Warning Letter
Doctor’s Note Letter
Unlawful Absence Warning Letter
Official Notice Letter

School Procedures

Sent on the 7th day of absence, not including absences covered by a doctor’s note or an educational trip.
Sent on the 10th day of absence, not including absences covered by doctor’s notes or an educational trip. All future absences from school will require a doctor’s note.
Sent after 1st, 2nd,  and 3rd unexcused absences due to lack of excuse note or doctor’s note.
States that 4th unexcused absence, and all thereafter, will be filed with the School Magistrate.

Yes. If your child is required to bring a doctor’s note for future absences, you must make an appointment with your doctor. Calling the doctor and asking for an excuse will not be accepted. If you are unable to make an appointment, you might want to try one of the following options:

• Call the school attendance secretary to discuss the problem.

• Verify from the doctor’s office that you were unable to make an appointment that day, but have secured an appointment as soon as their schedule permits.

Honor roll students and those with passing grades are still required to adhere to the law. A student will not be exempt from the attendance law because they do well in their academics.

Fines and cost for truancy can be very expensive for parents and students. Act 29 amended Section 1333 of the School Code. It imposed stiffer penalties for truancy of all students. Penalties for truancy may include fines as high as $300 plus court costs and the suspension of driving privilege for the student. Students with high rates of truancy will be referred to Children and Youth Services. Truancy issues are avoided by being in school, knowing and understanding attendance laws, and working with your school to improve attendance issues.

Even if your child is not of compulsory school age, his/her attendance is still recorded. Any absence without proper excuse will be considered unexcused.