Attendance

Pennsbury School District attendance information including requirements and procedures can be found here. Below are details on how to report an absence and some of the common questions we receive at Makefield regarding attendance and how we address attendance in our building. At anytime please do not hesitate to reach out to MKattendance@pennsburysd.org with questions.

The preferred method to report an absence is through the SchoolMessenger Safe Arrival system which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to report absences ahead of time or up to 11:45pm on the day of an absence. Absences should be reported before the start of the school day to prevent our automated system from contacting you to confirm an absence.

There are three ways to report an absence and you can select the one that works best for you. However, we ask that you only pick one way to report the absence through Safe Arrival.

1. Download the SchoolMessenger mobile app (SM Home) and register to report absences via the app. This option allows you to upload doctor notes directly to our office.

• When creating your account you must use the email address associated with your student in PowerSchool.

3. Call 1-866-318-3517 to report absences via phone.

Please do not call the main office or email MKattendance@pennsburysd.org to report an absence once you use Safe Arrival to report your students absence as this only duplicates work.

To report an absence we prefer the Safe Arrival system. However, if it is after 11:45pm on the day of the absence please email MKattendance@pennsburysd.org within 3 school days of the absence. Please include your students name and reason for the absence. It is not necessary to call the office to report an absence. We will adjust their attendance as soon as possible. Please note we will only excuse an absence with an acceptable excuse per the PSD policy.

In the event your students absence is due to a doctors appointment please be sure to upload a copy of the doctor note through Safe Arrival when you report your students absence, send it by email to MKattendance@pennsburysd.org or send in a hard copy with your student. Please only pick one method to turn in doctor notes to avoid duplicate work.

Doctors include primary care, urgent care, vision, dental, therapy, etc. These notes will change the way we code the absence so it is important that you include them when reporting your students absence. We will also forward all doctor notes to the nurse for their records.

If your student will arrive late to school you can notify us through Safe Arrival. Your student will be marked absent for the day and their attendance will be adjusted when they arrive.

When they arrive to school a parent or guardian must sign them in through the main office. Tardy cards are available at the front desk where you will put the students name, date, time of arrival, reason they are late and sign the card. This card will be your students pass to class and they should give it to their teacher.

In addition, you must sign your student in on the yellow sheet so we can adjust their attendance accordingly. When signing a student in late you may still receive notification from our automated system until we are able to update the attendance. You do not need to contact us as we will adjust the attendance as soon as possible.

If you need to change how your child is getting home from school, please follow the steps below:

• All dismissal changes must be submitted by 1:00 p.m. This ensures the office, teacher, and your child receive the information on time.

• Changes must be in writing. For the safety of all of our students we are unable to accept dismissal changes over the phone.

• Email your change request to: MKattendance@pennsburysd.org.
  Please include:

  • Your child’s full name

  • Their teacher’s name

  • The specific change in dismissal

If your child is going home with another student:

• We require a note or email from both sets of parents.

• Please note: Students are not permitted to ride a different bus home.

Thank you for helping us ensure a safe and smooth dismissal process for all students.

If your student will be absent from school for educational trip you must request the Educational Leave Form 10 days prior to the trip. Students can take one educational leave per academic year for a maximum of 5 days. Days beyond this will be considered unlawful.

You can not report educational trips through Safe Arrival and will need to request an educational leave form. Please email MKattendance@pennsburysd.org and include your students name, teacher and dates they will be absent. The form will then be sent home to be completed. Once completed please return it for approval by Ms. Martin. Once the process is completed you will receive a copy of the form back.

You will not need to do anything else after this form is returned to you as your students absence has already been updated in the system.

• 3 Unexcused Absences - When a student accumulates 3 unexcused absences in a school year, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian. In addition, a School Attendance Improvement Plan may be developed to improve student attendance.
• 6 Unexcused Absences - After 6 unexcused absences, the school must develop a School Attendance Improvement Plan and a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian. For each incident of unexcused absence after the sixth unexcused absence, a referral to Children and Youth may be made, or a truancy citation may be filed with the District Magistrate.
• 10 Total Absences - Whenever a student accumulates 10 or more absences in a school year (excused and/or unexcused), a doctor note to excuse will be required for every subsequent absence, a School Attendance Improvement Plan may be developed and a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian.

• 10 Consecutive Absences - Whenever a student has 10 consecutive absences, and there is no evidence that these absences are excused, the district is required to withdraw the student from its active membership roll. In the instance of an educational leave exceeding 10 days students are not guaranteed to return to their home school/classroom and may need to re-register through student services.

mjohnson@pennsburysd.org