Attendance Policy & Forms
Pennsbury School District Attendance Policy
Excused Absences
Parents & guardians should report their child's absence through Safe Arrival. The reason for the child's absence should be reported in Safe Arrival by 11:45 p.m. on the day of the absence. If the absence is not reported by the 11:45 p.m. cut-off time, parents/guardians must report the absence by emailing the attendance office at their child's school. When submitting an absence notification outside of Safe Arrival, the notification must be received within three days of the child's return to school to be excused.
Acceptable Excuses for Absence
- Illness, quarantine, or obtaining professional health care or therapy from a licensed practitioner
- Family emergency
- Required court appearance
- Death in the family
- Observance of a religious holiday observed by bona fide religious group, upon prior written parental request
- Educational trips (see more details below)
Educational Trips
Requests for permission to have children absent from school for educational trips must be made ten (10) days prior to the trip. The number of approved days absent cannot exceed five (5) days in a given school year. Days beyond this limit will be considered unlawful and/or unexcused. The student will be held responsible for making up missed assignments. Students are limited to one educational trip per school year. Please note that educational trips cannot be reported through Safe Arrival.
High School Absences
Pennsbury High School students who are absent ten (10) or more days from any semester-long course may be denied academic credit for that course.
Unexcused or Unlawful Absences
- If an excuse is not presented within three (3) school days, the absence will be marked unexcused. Only medical excuses, signed by a practitioner, will be accepted after three (3) days.
- All absences for reasons other than those listed above will be considered as unexcused.
- All unexcused absences for students under the age of 17 are also recorded as unlawful.
Three (3) Unexcused Absences
When a student accumulates three (3) days of unlawful absence in a school year, the school will send a letter to the parent/guardian. In addition, a School Attendance Improvement Plan may be developed to improve student attendance.
Six (6) Unexcused Absences
After six (6) unexcused absences, the school must develop a School Attendance Improvement Plan.
More than six (6) unexcused absences
For each incident of unlawful absence after the sixth unlawful absence, a referral to Children and Youth may be made, or a truancy citation may be filed with the District Magistrate.
Ten (10) Cumulative Absences
Whenever a student accumulates ten (10) or more absences in a school year (excused and/or unexcused), a medical excuse will be required for every subsequent absence, and a School Attendance Improvement Plan may be developed.
Ten (10) Consecutive Absences
Whenever a student has ten (10) consecutive absences, and there is no evidence that these absences are excused, the district is required to remove the student from its active membership roll.
Tardiness and Early Dismissal
Whenever students arrive late or depart prior to the end of the school day, parents/guardians must present the school with a written note explaining the situation. These incidents are recorded as “excused” or “unexcused” applying the same criteria as those for full-day absences.
Thank you for reviewing this information and for partnering with us to ensure your student’s success in school.
Attendance questions? Please email Laurie Ruffing, Director of Student Services, School and Community Engagement