Attendance

Need to submit an absence note? Fill out the form.

• When a student is absent from school, please complete the  Absence Note Google Form (Click Here) or send in a handwritten note to school. Please submit the absence form at the end of your child’s absence period (i.e. if your child is absent from school Monday and Tuesday, fill out the form on Tuesday for both days).
• Absence notes must be received within 3 days of a student’s return to school in order for the absence to be considered for excusal.
• When a student is absent for 3 or more consecutive school days, a doctor’s note must be submitted in order for the absences to be marked as excused. Doctor’s notes can be attached to the google form.
• When a student is absent for 2 days or less, a handwritten note or the google form is acceptable.
• Notes do NOT guarantee an excusal. The reason given for the absence must match an accepted reason code within the district’s attendance policy. (For example, family trips are not an accepted reason for missing school.) Email, text, Remind, Dojo or other electronic message to the teacher or school staff are not accepted as excuse notes.
• Parent/Guardian notes are only acceptable for 8 sickness absence occurrences in one school year (i.e. if your child is absent Monday and Tuesday, that is one occurrence). Subsequent absences for sickness will only be marked excused with a doctor’s note.
• If a student arrives at school after 10:15am, it will be marked as a half-day absence. This can only be excused with a doctor’s note.
• If a student is picked up from school before 12:55pm, it will be marked as a half-day absence. This can only be excused with a doctor’s note.
• If a student is picked up between 12:55pm-2:54pm, it will be marked as an early dismissal. Early dismissals are only excused with a doctor’s note.
• If the nurse calls you to pick up your child due to illness, a doctor’s note is not required for the excusal of that school day or early dismissal. However, the nurse may request a doctor’s note for the student to return to school.
• When a student reaches 3 unexcused absences, an auto-generated letter is sent home as a notice. Dates of absences are listed on the letter.
• When a student reaches 5-8 unexcused absences, the school attendance team will contact the family in order to set up a conference and create a Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP).
• Students who reach 10 or more unexcused absences in a school year will be referred to truancy court.
• If you have questions regarding the attendance policy, please contact one of our school attendance team members.

Kara Ziai, School Counselor (kziai@philasd.org)

Ms. Espinosa, Principal, kespinosa@philasd.org

Ms. Serrano, School Secretary, zserrano@philasd.org