SCHOOLWIDE ATTENDANCE

POLICY

GROVER CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL

February 2017

Table of Contents
Key Points.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Students Responsibilities .................................................................................................................. 2
Parent/Guardian Information and Responsibilities .................................................................................... 3
Faculty, Staff and Administrative Responsibilities...................................................................................... 3

Teachers........3
School Counselors.4
Attendance Teachers..4

Attendance Practices and Protocols.5

Documented Excused Absences..5
Unexcused Absences5
Student Entry.6
Lateness.6
Refusing to Attend Class (cutting)7
Class Trips.8
Attendance Team8

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

GROVER CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL Denise Vittor, Principal

Suzanne Lede Garcia, Assistant Principal Pupil Personnel Services
2127 Himrod Street

Ridgewood, NY 11385

718.381.9600 extension 1361 fax 718.417.8457 garcia2@schools.nyc.gov

Grover Cleveland High School

Attendance Policy

Grover Cleveland High School believes that all students can learn and that all students learn best
when they are present and accounted for in each class, every day. This policy is in place to
ensure that all members of the Grover Cleveland High School community understand the
protocols set to encourage excellent attendance. Interventions are available to help increase
attendance for those students who need assistance in maximizing their attendance and
opportunities to achieve.

Key Points
All students are expected to finish the school year with a 95% or higher attendance rate
All students should be in school every scheduled day from 7:45AM-3:19 PM dependent
upon the students individual schedules
To be eligible to participate in any extracurricular activity offered by the school, or by an
organization within the school that is affiliated with the school, students must be in
attendance on the day of the activity
Students are expected to attend every class on every school day
The parent/guardian of the student must call the school, leave a return phone number and
a reason for the absence whenever a student is absent. Only the students parent/guardian
may excuse an absence
All absences from class due to school-sponsored field trips are considered excused and
students attending a school trip are considered present for the day and will be marked as
such by the Attendance Office
Unexcused absences can impact course grades due to lack of student class participation
and activities in courses missed
All students and parents/guardians are expected to monitor attendance via the Pupil Path
system

Students Responsibilities:
It is each students responsibility to monitor his or her attendance in each class

 Each student is responsible for being in class and on time according his or her individual
schedule of classes
Each student is expected to miss no more than nine (9) school days in a school year
Any student absent for more than nine (9) days in a school year will be considered
Chronically Absent in the school system according to the New York City Department of
Education (NYCDOE). This indicator will remain on the students record
Each student must make up any class work that is missed because of absence. It is the
students responsibility to obtain missed work
Each student must bring in a note explaining their absence and have each teacher sign the
note before bringing it to the Main Office, room 129
Parent/Guardian Information and Responsibilities:
The parent/guardian is expected to monitor his/her childs attendance in each of his/her
classes via conversations with the student and information contained in Pupil Path
We expect the parent/guardian to discuss the importance of excellent attendance with
his/her child
When a student is absent the parent/guardian must call the school on the day of the
students absence at 718-381-9600 ext. 1292, 1294, 1297, or 1298 and leave the
following information with the attendance worker, or on the voicemail:
o Students first and last name and spell the last name
o The reason for the students absence
o A return phone number or an email address
The parent should provide the student with a note (from doctor or parent) explaining the
childs absence

Faculty, Staff and Administrative Responsibilities:

Automate the Schools (ATS) attendance bubble sheets are considered legal documents and must
be used to record accurate class attendance and official attendance each school day
Teachers are expected to
Record students as absent if, for the entire period, the student does not attend the class.
(Students attending a class trip will be marked absent by the classroom teachers and the
Attendance Office will reverse the absent to present upon verification)
Record students as Late on the attendance scan sheet if they are late to class
Submit all scan sheets EACH DAY before 2:30 for those whose last class is period 8 and
before 3:30 for those whose last class is period 9
Maintain accurate attendance records in the event any dispute or question arises regarding
a students attendance

 Make outreach to the homes of students who have more than one unexcused absence in a
week utilizing any of the available contact numbers or email addresses listed in Skedula,
or ATS
Notify the Attendance Office if they are made aware, by a parent, of the reason for a
students absence
Log outreach efforts in Skedula
Notify the school counselor for any student who has chronic unexcused absences and
whose parent/guardian cannot be reached despite outreach efforts by the teacher
Provide student with missed work

School Counselors are expected to

Log outreach efforts in Skedula and Ilog
Call cases of extreme absence and educational neglect to Administration for Childrens
Services (ACS) in consultation with the Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Services,
provided the three necessary elements for educational neglect exist according to the New
York State Educational Department. These elements are:
1. Excessive absence from school exists (excused or unexcused)
2. Reasonable cause to suspect that the parent is aware of the absences and has
contributed to the problem, or has failed to take appropriate steps to effectively
address the problem
3. Reasonable cause to suspect that the absences have had an adverse effect on the
childs education
Conduct guidance conferences with students and their families to discuss chronic
absenteeism. These conferences can include in-school protocols, out of school
intervention services and/or ACS services and Family Assessment Program referrals

Attendance Teachers are expected to

Conduct home visits to investigate reasons for absences when the school has exhausted
all outreach and no contact has been made with family
Check open 407 reports for students with absence for 10 days in a row, investigate and
document all findings in ATS
Complete investigations for some discharges
Make preventive home visits

Attendance Practices and Protocols:

Documented Excused Absences
The following are considered excused absences and appropriate documentation for the excused
absence:
Reason

Required Supporting Documentation

**All documentation must be given to classroom
teachers for signature by the student and then
submitted to the Attendance Office, Room 129, for
entry into the ATS computer system. All notes are
then forwarded to the Guidance Counselor for
placement in the students guidance folder
Parent note/Note from religious institution
Court documents
None required from the parent, however, teachers
must submit list of participating students
Doctors note/Parent note
Parent note and evidence of funeral (letter from
funeral home)
Notice from College

Religious holidays
Mandatory court visits
Field trips/school sponsored events
*Illness
Family funeral
College placement exam

*Routine medical or dental appointments should be scheduled for after school. If this is
unavoidable, the parent/guardian must contact the attendance office or submit a note in advance
of the appointment.
Any student under the age of 18 years MUST be signed out by the parent/guardian in the
event of an appointment during the school day
Any parent/guardian signing a student out for an appointment must sign the Sign Out
Log in the Main Office, room 129

Unexcused Absences (Truancy)

Any student who is absent for a reason other than those mentioned above is considered
truant
Any student who is absent from school without permission from the parent/guardian is
considered truant
Any student who is absent from school for 10 days in a row will have an attendance alert
submitted to the school by the New York City Department of Education, which will
prompt more intensive outreach including, but not limited to home visits, referrals to
5

Community Based Organizations (CBOs), group conferences and, if needed, calls to ACS
for students under the age of 17 for appropriate interventions
Any student who is absent from school for one entire month of school is considered Long
Term Absent (LTA) and will have the courses on their program dropped
o Returning LTA students must have a conference with the school counselor, and
preferably with the parent, in order for the program to be reinstated
o Any LTA student under the age of 17 will receive the services of ACS if the three
specific elements of educational neglect exist, or if there is any reason to believe
the students health or safety has been compromised
Any student who has two (2) or more unexcused absences in one month is considered
chronically absent. Grades for chronically absent students can be negatively impacted as
these students miss substantial amounts of classwork, homework, tests, quizzes and class
participation
Students who begin to display truant behavior should be referred to the school counselor
for the appropriate interventions that can include in-school protocols, parent meetings and
referrals to outside agencies for services
Student Entry
All students entering the school for periods one or two must enter school via the entrance
to the students cafeteria on Grandview Avenue, with the exception of students who
receive NYCDOE bus services. Students receiving bus services enter school via the main
entrance on Himrod Street. Students who enter the building after period two must enter
the school via the main entrance on Himrod Street
Any student who does not enter the school building, or swipe his/her ID card upon entry
will have an automated phone call made to the home via the CAASS system alerting
parents/guardians that the student did not enter the school building on that day
All parents/guardians will receive a text alert, or email via the CAASS system once their
child has swiped their ID card when they enter the school building (provided the
parent/guardian has signed up for this service. CAASS forms for this service can be
obtained from the Main Office, room 129)

Lateness
Any student late to school will swipe their card upon entry via the CAASS ID system and
receive an auto-printed pass from the Dean on duty. Student must then report
immediately to their appropriate class where they present the late pass to the classroom
teacher. Lateness reports, generated by CAASS, are shared with the counseling staff for
appropriate interventions
Any student chronically late for school according to the CAASS lateness report, will be
referred to their school counselor for appropriate interventions that can include a meeting
at the school with the parent/guardian
Classes missed because of lateness will count as an unexcused absence and protocols for
truancy will be in place for these students

Refusing to Attend Classes (also known as cutting)

Students are required to be in every class each day as indicated on their school program. Any
student who attends school, but absents him/herself from one or more classes is considered
cutting the class. Cutting classes is a form of truancy and will be addressed as such by school
staff including, but not limited to, teachers, school counselors and administration.
Every Monday, teachers will receive an ATS cut report (RPCC) indicating students who
were present in school that week but did not attend that teachers class
Teachers will call the homes of students who are listed on the cut report and document
their outreach in Skedula
Students who are listed on the cut report repeatedly will require a parent meeting with the
school counselor and teacher
Students who are found in the hallway during class time without an appropriate pass will
be escorted by school personnel to the Deans Office and the incident will be entered
onto the students disciplinary record

Class Trips
All students must complete a permission slip for any trip they are expected to attend and
obtain parent/guardian written signature for permission
All students must obtain signatures from their teachers prior to the trip as
acknowledgement from their teachers that the student will be attending a school sponsored
trip. Students who do not alert teachers, nor receive signature acknowledgement of a
pending trip may be refused permission for the trip
Students will be marked absent by each of their class teachers and the Attendance Office
will reverse the absence to present upon verification
Coordinating teacher of the trip will forward a list of students who attended the trip to the
Attendance Office, as well as all teachers
Attendance Team
The attendance team meets every other Tuesday, according to the school calendar, and
includes Administration, Attendance Coordinator, School Counselors, SAPIS worker,
Attendance Teachers, Pupil Accounting Secretary and school aides involved in the
outreach process
The attendance team reviews and shares school wide data, Small Learning Community
(SLC) specific attendance data, cases of truancy and updates on chronically absent
students
The team is also responsible for the implementation of programs to increase attendance
including, but not limited to teacher to student mentoring programs, student to student
mentoring programs, incentive programs and bulletin board updates for excellent
attendance acknowledgements