Attendance, Lateness & Early Dismissal

The Sousa academic day begins promptly at 8:45 am. * 

  • Late arrivals/ early dismissals are highly discouraged due to the impact on your child’s access to the curriculum
  • If a late arrival/ early dismissal MUST occur, park your vehicle in the lot near the playground and walk to the front entrance of the school.
  • Students must be signed into/ out of of school by an adult.

 

Whenever a student is absent, late or leaves early from school, these are the steps to follow:

  1. A parent or guardian should phone the school and inform the office of the child’s absence before 9:00 A.M. that same day. The school attendance phone number is 516-767-5355. Please leave a message indicating that your child will be absent indicating the reason (sick, vacation, etc.).
  2. If a call is not received, you may receive an automated call from the district.  
  3. Upon return to school, the parent/ guardian or doctor must write a note giving the child’s name, date of return, days of absence, reason for absence, and their signature. 
  4. The student must present the note to the classroom teacher.
  5. If the absence is due to travel or a reason other than illness, the parent or guardian should notify the school prior to the absence in writing. 

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is monitoring student attendance, particularly for those deemed to be chronically absent or at risk of becoming chronically absent.  Under New York State law, chronic absence has been defined as missing at least ten percent of the total enrolled school days. For example, on the 100th day of school, a child with 10 or more absences is considered chronically absent. 

 

The Port Washington Board of Education expects the following:

• All students are required by state law to attend school every day unless they have an excused absence.

• When a student has been absent and returns to school, they must bring a written excuse, signed by a parent or guardian, stating the date of, the length of time of, and the reason for the absence.

 

Excused absences include:

1. illness of student
2. serious illness or death in the student’s family
3. serious contagious or epidemic disease in the household where the student resides
4. remedial health treatment which cannot be arranged at any other time
5. religious observance
6. released time for religious education
7. required court appearance

 

*Please note that taking children out of school for vacation is considered an unexcused absence and we, therefore, discourage parents/guardians from doing so. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), each school and district now receives a rating of level one through four based on its chronic absenteeism rate, which includes both excused and unexcused absences. A level one requires the school to complete corrective action, while a level four places the school in good standing. As a result, we appreciate your assistance in ensuring that your children attend school regularly so that they can receive full benefits from their educational experiences.

 

It is important to remember that New York State law permits absence from school only for specific reasons: sickness or quarantine; unsafe travel conditions; death or sickness in the family; religious observance; required presence in court; approved educational trips and programs; remedial health treatment; and approved cooperative work programs. Other absences are considered unexcused.  

 

School attendance starts at home. Parents play the biggest role in developing a child’s attitude towards school attendance:

 

  • Show you have a positive attitude toward school.
  • Allow your child plenty of time in the morning to get ready for school.
  • Schedule doctor, dentist and other appointments before and after school hours.
  • Plan family vacations in accordance with the school calendar.
  • If you know in advance that your child must be absent, notify the teachers and encourage your child to make up missed work.
  • Talk to your child about the need to develop good habits and positive attitudes toward their school commitments.
  • Keep children home who have fever and/ or contagious illnesses. 

 

Impact on Student Progress and Performance

When a child is frequently absent, late to school, or leaves early, it is very difficult to get out of the catch-up cycle. Having missed a full school day, or even a portion of the school day impacts your child's ability to be successful academically and socially.

When students are late to school, missing the morning announcements, the pledge, the general directions for the day from the teacher and the time allotted for children to ease into the rhythm of the day, causes the child to experience challenges in adjusting to the normal academic demands. No different than when we as adults arrive late to work or an appointment. This additional burden often causes dysregulation for the child for an extended period of time upon their arrival.

 

We greatly appreciate your partnership and support in ensuring that your child(ren) are present and engaged from the start of the day through to dismissal at Sousa.