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Littleton Public Schools Policy |
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Policy Code JHB Policy Name Truancy Adoption October 19, 1993 Revised June 23, 2011 |
A student shall be considered truant when the student is absent from school without the permission either of the student’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian, or of the teacher or administrator in charge. A “habitual truant” shall be defined as a student of compulsory attendance age who has four unexcused absences from school in any one month or ten unexcused absences during any school year. For purposes of this policy, absences due to suspension or expulsion shall not be counted in the total of unexcused absences for purposes of defining a student as an “habitual truant.”
For purposes of this policy, an “absence” is the accumulation of any and all class/period absences on any school day.
In order to reduce the incidents of truancy, parents, guardians, or legal custodians of all students shall be notified in writing at the beginning of each school year of their obligation to ensure that all children of compulsory attendance age attend school. Parents, guardians, or legal custodians shall be required to acknowledge in writing awareness of their obligations and to furnish the school with a telephone number or other means of contacting them during the school day.
The school shall establish a system of monitoring individual unexcused absences. When a student fails to report on a regularly scheduled school day, and school personnel have received no indication that the parent/guardian is aware of the absence, school personnel or volunteers under the direction of school personnel shall make a reasonable effort to notify the parent/guardian, including, but not limited to, by telephone or email.
When a student is declared habitually truant, the appropriate school employees shall develop a plan intended to assist the student to remain in school. When practicable, the student’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian shall participate in the development of the plan. Appropriate school employees shall make all reasonable efforts to meet with the parent, guardian, or legal custodian to review and evaluate the reasons for the student being habitually truant.
In accordance with law, the District may impose appropriate penalties that relate directly to classes missed while truant and may develop regulations to implement appropriate penalties for truancy.
Legal Reference: C.R.S. 22-33-104
C.R.S. 22-33-105
C.R.S. 22-33-107
Cross Reference: JEA, Compulsory Attendance
JH, Student Absences