The Importance of School Attendance

Dear NCES Families,

Regular school attendance is essential to your child’s success, and we need your help in making it a priority. Students need to be at school every day to receive instruction, practice important skills, build friendships, learn classroom routines, and stay connected to their learning. Every day of school matters, and missed instructional time adds up quickly.

There is an important change to our attendance guidelines this school year. Students are allowed 8 yellow days for the entire school year, rather than 10 days (5 per semester) as in previous years. In addition, attendance is being monitored by the total number of hours a student misses, not just the number of days. The state is placing greater emphasis on attendance because consistent, daily attendance is critical to student learning and achievement.

When a student misses too much school, the absences can lead to a truancy letter, a required meeting with the school, and additional steps when necessary. We want to work with families to prevent attendance concerns before they become a bigger issue.

Please keep your child home when they are sick and need to recover, but avoid keeping them home for reasons that are not necessary. As a general guideline, students should stay home when they have a fever or are vomiting, following school health guidelines. When students are well enough to attend, we expect them to be at school and ready to learn.

This expectation also applies to vacations. The school does not approve vacations as excused school absences. Our school calendar includes scheduled breaks throughout the year, and we strongly encourage families to plan vacations during those times whenever possible. Taking additional time away from school means your child misses valuable instruction that cannot always be fully made up at home.

We understand that unexpected situations arise, and we will always work with families when challenges occur. However, regular attendance must be a shared priority. Your child’s education is too important for missed days to become a routine.

Thank you for your partnership and for helping us ensure that our students are here, learning, growing, and making the most of every school day.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Randenburg
Principal, New Carlisle Elementary School