We are working with the Board of Trustees with various governance items starting from last year that includes updates to all of our policies. This is also linked to our ongoing accreditation work and standards in the accreditation protocol suggest that policy is well written and effectively followed. Our current policy manual with edits that were completed last year is available for review on the school website at the following link:
One such policy that underwent review last year is our attendance policy. While we have always had language in our admissions and re-enrollment policy that speaks to attendance being a factor in consideration of students, the policy manual lacked clearer guidelines for attendance and the school’s expectations. At the core, the overall effectiveness of school programs requires generally regular attendance. The current attendance policy is here for your reference:
This policy establishes standards that are incrementally more rigorous based on the age of the child and the growing importance of full engagement in increasingly rigorous content. But, the policy is clear that it can also be responsive to unforeseen circumstances of illness or family emergency and we encourage parents to approach principals when this is likely as soon as known.
We are still aligning our systems to report effectively relative to the policy. For example, there is no more need for differentiating between excused and unexcused absences. As stated in the policy, all absences are treated equally with regards to the limits established in the policy. This encourages parent and student conversations that plan ahead for absences associated with activities and athletics to assure that potential total absences are considered. As a school, we want to be thoughtful in the implementation of this policy and we do encourage parents to contact us early when mitigating circumstances force a conversation about student attendance. We are always happy to discuss this with you at your discretion and as an important part of our partnership.