Friday, February 10, 2012
Bell's Crossing Elementary • 804 Scuffletown Road. • Simpsonville, SC 29681 • (864)355-3800 • fax (864) 355-3885

Attendance Policy

School Year 2010-2011- State Attendance Policy

From the Desk of the Principal, Barbara A. Barlow

The law is outlined in the parent/student handbook and the school is required to follow the law and the procedures outlined in this letter.  Please take these issues into consideration when planning vacations during the school year.

The School District recognizes that truancy is primarily an educational issue and that all reasonable, educationally sound, corrective actions should be undertaken by the school district prior to resorting to the juvenile justice system.

  1. Truant
    A child, ages 6 to 17 years, meets the definition of a truant when the child has three (3) consecutive unlawful absences or a total of five (5) unlawful absences.
    ATTENDANCE RULES 
    1. Parents have the legal responsibility of sending their children to school.  All absences beginning with the first shall be approved or disapproved by the board’s designee, the building principal.  In making this decision, the principal shall be guided by the procedures as presented herein.  Decisions regarding approval of absences and eligibility for credit may be appealed in accordance with district policy.
    2. In accordance with the South Carolina Compulsory School Attendance Law, the School District of Greenville County has adopted uniform rules to assure that students attend school regularly.  Each day that students are not in school, they miss hours of valuable instruction and opportunities for learning that they will not have again.
    3. All children are required to attend a public or private school or kindergarten beginning at age five and continuing until their 17th birthday.  If parents choose not to send their children to kindergarten, they must sign a waiver, which may be obtained at the local school.
    4. Students are counted present only when they are actually in school, on homebound instruction, or are present at an activity authorized by the school principal.
    5. All absences must be verified by a parent or doctor's note and sent to school within two days of the student's return

SCHEDULES

    1. Regular Schedule
      1. The school year consists of 180 school days.  To receive credit, students must attend at least 85 days of each 90-day semester course and at least 170 days of each 180-day year course, as well as meet all minimum requirements for each course.  Accrued student absences may not exceed ten (10) days during the school year.  Any absence in excess of ten (10) may cause the student to lose credit for the year.
      2. Because 170 days are the minimum required by the state, the first ten (10) absences may be lawful, unlawful, or a combination.  All absences beginning with the eleventh (11th) must be lawful and will be excused if they fall within the guidelines of lawful absences.
  1. PROCESS
    1. After a student has accumulated three (3) consecutive or a total of five (5) unexcused absences, a disciplinary referral will be written for truancy.  The child is coded as “truant” in the school database.           
    2. Parent/guardian conference will be held with the principal or designee.
    3. Identify reasons for the student’s unlawful absences.
    4. Develop a plan in conjunction with the student and the parent(s)/guardian(s) to improve attendance.
    5. Apprise the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the South Carolina Compulsory School Attendance Law.
    6. Document the conference by having all appropriate conferees sign and date a Student Attendance Intervention Plan Form in the spaces provided.          
  2. TRANSFER OF PLANS
    1. If a student transfers to another public school in South Carolina, interventions plans shall be forwarded to the receiving school.  School officials will contact the parent(s) or guardian(s) and local team members to review the plan and revise as appropriate.  Court ordered plans may be amended through application to the court.
    2. Procedures for Makeup Work
      1. Provision for make up of school work missed during excused absences shall be worked out with the teacher(s) concerned at the earliest time possible but should not exceed five (5) school days after the student returns to school.
      2. Make up of school work missed during unexcused absences may be approved only with permission of the principal after consultation with the teacher(s) concerned.