Showing Up Daily in 2025-2026!

I am excited to assist you and your child in achieving and maintaining good daily and on-time school attendance. To achieve this goal, I am sharing with you attendance information that will equip you with the knowledge and tools to assist you.

The goal of this newsletter is to prepare your child for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, preventing truancy and academic decline due to excessive absences.

To provide you with ongoing support throughout the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, you will have access to a wealth of virtual and in-school resources, including truancy policies/procedures, excuse submission requirements, updates, and other resources to support your child's attendance. We want you to feel empowered and informed, knowing that we are here to partner with you to ensure your child's attendance is the best it can be.

I am eager to work with you and your child to ensure a successful school year, starting with regular and punctual attendance. Together, we can make sure your child is present and ready to learn every day.

Attendance Matters,

Della Lesane-Player

CCSD Truancy Officer

Studies show that consistent attendance from Pre-K gives the best start for early literacy development. Students who aren't reading on grade level by 3rd grade have a lower chance of graduating. It starts that early!

Don't miss out on hands-on learning experiences outside the classroom, like visits to museums, nature centers, science centers, parks, and performances of all kinds. These enriching experiences help students figure out their passions.

Attending daily allows students to foster strong social bonds and an inclusive peer network. Even if not all friendships work out, developing the skills is only possible with ongoing interaction. Students who develop their social skills through school attendance have more positive relationships, overall.

Good attendance instills vital skills like punctuality, time management and self-discipline. A big part of succeeding is learning how to learn. Daily attendance from elementary onwards helps students build their toolbox of strategies for success.

Employers value established patterns of dedication and follow-through. Whether students are getting after school jobs in high school, or securing employment after graduation, good work habits are formed by consistent school attendance. It's also how students get teachers to serve as references!

Fewer disruptions means more personalized learning and academic support. Sometimes, students don't come to school because they're struggling with the material in class and staying home is a way to avoid it. But the better choice is to come to school -- that's where the support is. The more time students have with their teachers, the more successful they will be.

Not having to play catch-up reduces stress and boosts self-assurance. This is exactly what will carry students successfully through graduation and beyond.

Abundant research links stellar attendance to higher GPAs and test scores. In fact, one study shows that the #1 reason students fail a course is from being absent.

Colleges want applicants with strong attendance showing perseverance. And it's not just colleges! If you're choosing a new school for middle school or high school, students must demonstrate good attendance above all.

Excellent attendance correlates to higher career achievement and earnings potential. And not just that! It correlates to better physical and mental health, healthier relationships, and a happier quality of life. Something we want for every child!

Emphasize the importance of regular attendance and discuss the value of it. Help your child understand the connection between attendance and academic success, social development, and their future

Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, and ensure your child has a structured morning routine, including finishing homework and packing their backpack. This creates a sense of predictability and helps them feel more prepared for the day.

Show genuine interest in your child's school activities, attend parent-teacher conferences, and volunteer at school if possible. Encourage your child to join clubs, sports, or other extracurricular activities to build connections with peers and teachers, which can increase their motivation to attend.

Maintain regular communication with your child's teachers and school staff, and proactively address any attendance concerns. Don't hesitate to reach out if you notice a change in your child's behavior or if they seem reluctant to attend school.

Ensure your child has a safe and stable home life where they feel loved and supported. If you notice any stressors, like bullying, anxiety, or difficulty with schoolwork, address them promptly with the support of the school and professionals, if needed.

1. Call your child’s school attendance office and report the problem.
2. Attendance Office will notify Principal Designee and Truancy Officer.
3. Attendance Office and Principal Designee will collaborate on a date and time for an intervention conference with you, your child, and the attendance school-level team, to devised a plan for your child to address barriers preventing student from attending school daily and on time.

Chronic absenteeism — defined as students missing 10% or more of school —emerged as a serious challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. rate of chronic absenteeism reached about 31% in the 2021-2022 school year and decreased to 28% in the 2022-23 school year. Chronic absenteeism cannot be the new normal.

Missing school means missing valuable instructional time and poses serious implications for students' overall academic success and wellbeing. Research suggests that children who are chronically absent for multiple years between preschool and second grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade.

When your child is not present in school, the student must submit either a parent note or medical note to the school with in 3 days upon their return after each absence.

Excuses must have the

• date the excuse was written, the dates of absences (not to exceed two consecutive absences on parent notes),
• reason for absence,
• return date, contact information (provider if medical note, parent/guardian if parent note), and
• signature of person who wrote the note.

Parent notes are limited 5 per semester covering 5 non-consecutive days.

Attendance and Truancy are everyone's business! Our goal is to ensure all students zoned for Clarendon County School District are in school daily and on time, and that out-of-district students are also present. To achieve this, we need your help. Please do not hesitate to report any concerns regarding attendance. Use the form below to report attendance concerns, either anonymously or with your identifying information. Yes, you can report anonymously, and all reports are held in strict confidence, only seen by the CCSD Truancy Officer, ensuring your complete privacy and security. When we work together, every student is present and accounted for daily!