Lake Forest School District 67

Policy 7:70 - Attendance and Truancy
Definitions
Truant - A "truant" is a child subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for a school day or portion thereof.

Valid cause for absence - A child may be absent from school because of illness, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, family emergency, situations beyond the student's control as determined by the Board of Education or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the safety or health of the student.

Chronic or habitual truant - A "chronic or habitual truant" is a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for 10 percent or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days.

Truant minor - A child to whom supportive services, including prevention, diagnostic, intervention and remedial services, alternative programs, and other school and community resources have been provided and have failed to result in the cessation of chronic truancy or have been offered and refused.

Truancy
The School District will determine if the student is a truant, chronic or habitual truant,
or a truant minor. The Superintendent shall direct the appropriate School District staff to develop diagnostic procedures to be used for identifying the cause(s) of unexcused student absenteeism. The diagnostic procedures shall include, but not be limited to, interviews with the student, his or her parent(s)/guardian(s), and any school official(s) or other people who may have information.

The following supportive services may be offered to truant or chronically truant students:

Parent-teacher conferences.
Student and/or family counseling.
Information about community agency services.

If truancy continues after supportive services have been offered, the Building Principal shall refer the matter to the Superintendent. The Superintendent may call upon the resources of outside agencies, such as the juvenile officer of the local police department or the truant office of the Regional Office of Education of Lake County. The Board of Education, Superintendent, School District administrators, and teachers shall assist and furnish such information, as they have to aid truant officers.

No punitive action, including out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, or court action shall be taken against a chronic truant for his or her truancy unless available supportive services and other school resources have been provided to the student.

Absence Notification
A student's parent(s)/guardian(s) must: (1) upon the child's enrollment, provide telephone numbers to the Building Principal and update them as necessary, and (2) authorize all absences and notify the school in advance or at the time of the child's absence.

If a student is absent without prior authorization by the parent(s)/guardian(s), the Building Principal or a designee shall make a reasonable effort to notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the child's absence within 2 hours after the first class by telephoning the numbers given.