Important Attendance Information

Educational research indicates the strongest relationship to academic achievement is good school attendance. Regular and punctual school attendance fosters the best educational environment; it is also state law! Pupils are required to attend regularly and punctually the school in which they are enrolled. Recording of absences and tardies shall be made in compliance with the requirements of 702 KAR 007:125. 1 All procedures included in the Henderson County Schools Board Policy on attendance (09.123) are followed.

Kentucky's School Attendance Law (KRS 159.150). EFFECTIVE 07/15/2024, the Director of Pupil Personnel will now be required to notify the County Attorney's office by filing a petition when a student accumulates 15 or more unexcused absences throughout the academic year.

We understand that there are times when absences are unavoidable. Families are encouraged to refer to the student handbook to familiarize themselves with the policies regarding excused absences. Our primary goal remains to collaborate with families to support students' educational journeys and to address any barriers to consistent school attendance.

Should your child approach the threshold of 15 unexcused absences, it is important to be aware of the potential involvement of the county attorney’s office as mandated by this new law.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this update, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school administration or the Henderson County Schools Student Services Department.

Director of Pupil Personnel - Kasey Farmer Wolfe
Phone Number - 270-854-0050

Email - kasey.wolfe@henderson.kyschools.us

A partir de este año escolar, hay una actualización importante para Ley de asistencia escolar de Kentucky (159.150 coronas). Según la nueva legislación, el Director de Personal Estudiantil ahora será requerido notificar a la oficina del Fiscal del Condado mediante la presentación de una petición cuando un estudiante acumula 15 o más Ausencias injustificadas durante todo el año académico.

Entendemos que hay momentos en que las ausencias son inevitables. Se anima a las familias a consultar el manual del estudiante para familiarizarse con las políticas relativas a las ausencias justificadas. Nuestro objetivo principal sigue siendo colaborar con las familias para apoyar el viaje educativo de los estudiantes y abordar cualquier barrera para la asistencia escolar constante.

Si su hijo se acerca al umbral de 15 ausencias injustificadas, es importante estar consciente de la posible participación de la oficina del fiscal del condado según lo exige esta nueva ley.

Si tiene alguna pregunta o inquietud con respecto a esta actualización, no dude en comunicarse con la administración de su escuela o con el Departamento de Servicios Estudiantiles de las Escuelas del Condado de Henderson.

Director of Pupil Personnel - Kasey Farmer Wolfe
Phone Number - 270-854-0050

Email - kasey.wolfe@henderson.kyschools.us

​​The No Pass/No Drive statute, KRS 159.051, involves every public and private school (including home schools) in Kentucky. Any fifteen (15), sixteen (16), or seventeen (17) year old student applying for the first time for a Learner's Instruction Permit will be required to have a School Compliance Verification Form, issued and completed by the school. This form verifies that the student is compliant with the components of the statute. If the student is not compliant, the form should not be issued. The form requires the stamp from an embossed seal (with raised characters) to be accepted by local court clerks.​​

The "No Pass/No Drive" statute results in the denial of the school compliance verification form or the revocation of a student's driver’s license for (1) academic deficiency, (2) dropping out of school (3) missing 9 or more unexcused absences in one semester. Academic deficiency is defined as a student who does not have passing grades in at least four (4) courses, or the equivalent the preceding semester. A fifteen (15), sixteen (16), or seventeen (17) year old student is deemed to have dropped out of school when he/she has voluntarily withdrawn or has nine or more unexcused absences in the preceding semester. Any absences due to suspension shall be unexcused absences.

To apply the first time for a driver’s learning permit, students must get a paper form, the School Compliance Verification Form, issued by the Henderson County Schools Student Services office. It will not be completed and issued if the student is not eligible according to the terms of the law.

• Any absences or tardy, regardless of the length of time, is considered an attendance event.
• Students are allowed 4 parent notes per semester. (Fall Semester: August to December; Spring Semester: January to May). Parent Notes cannot be used the day before or after a holiday.
• When a student has accumulated 4 parent notes in a semester, further absences are only excused with a valid excuse such as a doctor's note.
• Written Notes (parent/guardian and or doctor's notes) for absences must be submitted to the school within 3 school days of the absences. It is the student's responsibility to get the note to the appropriate person at school.
• Students who arrive at school late or leave early are considered tardy. Without a valid excuse the tardy will be unexcused.
• When a student is tardy, the parent/guardian must come in to the school office to sign in the student.

Reasons for an excused absence or tardiness include

1. Death, funeral, or severe illness in the pupil's immediate family,

2. Illness of the pupil,

3. Religious holidays and practices,

4. Appointments with doctor or dentist,

5. Failure of bus transportation,

6. summons to appear in court,

7. One (1) day for attendance at the Kentucky State Fair as a participant,

8. Documented military leave,

9. One (1) day prior to departure of parent/guardian called to active military duty,

10. One (1) day upon the return of parent/guardian from active military duty

11. Visitation for up to ten (10) days with the student’s parent, de facto custodian, or person with legal custody who, while on active military duty stationed outside of the country, is granted rest and recuperation leave,

12. Ten (10) days for students attending basic training required by a branch of the United States Armed Forces, or

13. Other valid reasons as determined by the Principal, including trips qualifying as educational enhancement opportunities. Students shall be granted an excused absence for up to ten (10) school days to pursue an educational enhancement opportunity determined by the Principal to be of significant educational value. This opportunity may include, but not be limited to, participation in an educational foreign exchange program or an intensive instructional, experiential, or performance program in one (1) of the core curriculum subjects of English, science, mathematics, social studies, foreign language, and the arts. Unless the Principal determines that extenuating circumstances exist, requests for date(s) falling within State or District testing periods shall not be granted. The Principal’s determination may be appealed to the Superintendent/designee whose decision may then be appealed to the Board under its grievance policy and procedures. Students receiving an excused absence under this section shall have the opportunity to make up school work missed and shall not have their class grades adversely affected for lack of class attendance or class participation due to the excused absence.

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Within three (3) school days of an absence, students shall submit a written statement of verifi cation from a parent, doctor, or public health official which shall be approved by the Principal or the Principal's designee in order for the absence to be excused.

Any absence or tardiness, regardless of the length of time, is considered an attendance event. A maximum of eight (8) absences and/or tardy events per school year (four [4] per semester) may be excused by a parent note. A statement from a medical practitioner, dentist, the judicial system, or county health department will be required for any additional absences and/or tardies.

You may email the note to hcsattendance@henderson.kyschools.us

All other absences shall be considered unexcused. Absences before or after a scheduled holiday, Christmas break, spring break, intersessions, or the senior prom will be automatically unexcused unless the student shows proof of a doctor's excuse or an emergency. In the event of an emergency or doctor's statement, the Principal's designee will check to verify that the reason is authentic.

• Students with unexcused absences will not be allowed to make up formative work.

• Students with 9 or more unexcused absences on a cumulative semester basis will not be allowed to attend dances, spirit week activities, and parking on school campus.

• Students with 3 or more unexcused absences (per 9 weeks) will not be allowed to attend field trips.

• Seniors with 20 or more unexcused events in their 12th grade year will not be permitted to participate in graduation activities (including senior walk, parade/sunset, and commencement ceremony)

Any student who has attained the age of six (6), but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been absent from school without a valid excuse for three (3) days or more, or tardy without a valid excuse on three (3) days or more, is a truant. Any student enrolled in a public school who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, but has not reached his/her twenty-first (21st) birthday, who has been absent from school without a valid excuse for three (3) or more days, or tardy without a valid excuse on three (3) or more days, is a truant.

Any student who has been reported as a truant two (2) or more times is a habitual truant. The Director of Student Services may hold a parental conference and/or attendance hearing with the student and parent(s) after a student is truant.

For the purposes of establishing a student's status as a truant, a student’s attendance record is cumulative for an entire school year. When students transfer from one Kentucky district to another, attendance information from the previous district shall become part of their official attendance record for that school year.

For a student to be able to sign out of school, the student's parent/guardian must be present to talk with the appropriate school official and must sign the student out with the attendance clerk. A non-parent or non-spouse student must be at least 21 years of age to sign out a student. Noted are the following exceptions:

1. When the student has an official doctor's appointment stating the exact time and place and a telephone call from the parent/guardian confi rms the appointment, the student may sign out.

2. The principal or his/her designee may determine the situation to be an emergency and may grant the student permission to sign out after talking with the parent/guardian by phone.

College Visits have excused absences if you do the following. The student must turn into attendance a letter from the college visited stating the date that they were there. Once attendance receives this, they change the absence to a CV. College Visits are prohibited from being listed as an EEO

EEO Forms are available on the district website and at each unit desk. Completed forms must be received by the principal at least fi ve (5) days prior to the absence to be considered for an excused absence. Other valid reasons as determined by the Principal, include trips qualifying as educational enhancement opportunities. Students shall be granted an excused absence for up to ten (10) school days to pursue an educational enhancement opportunity determined by the Principal to be of signifi cant educational value. This opportunity may include, but not be limited to, participation in an educational foreign exchange program or an intensive instructional, experiential, or performance program in one (1) of the core curriculum subjects of English, science, mathematics, social studies, foreign language, and the arts. Unless the Principal determines that extenuating circumstances exist, requests for the date(s) falling within State or District testing periods shall not be granted. The Principal’s determination may be appealed to the Superintendent/designee whose decision may then be appealed to the Board under its grievance policy and procedures. Students receiving an excused absence under this section shall have the opportunity to make up for school work missed and shall not have their class grades adversely affected for lack of class attendance or class participation due to the excused absence.

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.

• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
• Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
• Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success.

Make school attendance a priority

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
• Help your children maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and non-urgent related medical appointments during the school day.
• Keep your student healthy. If you are concerned about about a contagious illness, call your school or health care provider.
• If your children must stay home because they are sick, make sure they have asked teachers for resources and materials to make up for the missed learning time in the classroom

• Find out if your children feel engaged by their classes, and feel safe from bullies and other threats.
• Make sure your teens are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact the school and work with them to find a solution.
• Monitor you teen’s academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
• Encourage your child to join meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.
• Support your students if you notice signs of anxiety, and if needed, seek advice from your school or health provider

Communicate with the school

• Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties.
• Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not adding up.
• Seek help from school staff, other parents, or community agencies if you need support.

Visit Attendance Works at www.attendanceworks.org for free downloadable resources and tools!