Policy 7006
Draft 8/24/2026
Policy is Required
I. Statement of Policy
The Board of Education (the Board), in accordance with Section 104.1 (c) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, establishes this comprehensive attendance policy. The objectives of this Policy are to ensure the maintenance of an adequate record verifying the attendance of all children, to establish a mechanism to examine patterns of student absence and to develop effective intervention strategies to improve school attendance.
II. Attendance Expectations
The Board, administration and staff of the Herkimer Central School District (the District) recognize that regular classroom attendance is an essential part of a successful educational program and that there is a critical relationship between academically engaged time and student performance.
A. Students are expected to attend scheduled classes. The insistence on good attendance serves as a clear and constant reminder of the importance of attendance in instruction, enabling the student to:
1. Learn subject matter and earn good grades
2. Develop responsible work and study habits, and
3. Prepare for the world of work
B. Absences:
1. Excused:
Section 175.6 of the Commissioner’s regulations define the following as “excused absences:” personal illness, serious illness or death in the family, impassable roads or weather, religious observance, quarantine, court appearances, attendance at health clinics, approved college visits, military obligations, disciplinary detention of an incarcerated youth or any other reason approved by the Commissioner.
2. Unexcused:
Most absences not mentioned above are interpreted under the law as “unexcused absences” including but not limited to vacation, shopping, baby-sitting, oversleeping, needed at home, or missing the bus. Any reason not listed as excused shall be deemed unexcused unless the Building Principal determines otherwise. The two categories of unexcused absence are:
- Unlawful Detention: Unlawful detention occurs when the pupil student is absent with the knowledge and consent of their parent/person in parental relation for other than an excused absence.
- Truancy: A student who is absent from school without the consent of a parent/person in parental relation is considered to be truant.
3. All instances of excused absence require a written parent/guardian excuse. The excuse must identify the date/time of absence, reason for absence, tardiness or early departure and parent/guardian signature. Students failing to present an excuse prior to an early departure or upon reporting back to school following an absence or tardiness will be subject to a warning. Subsequent offenses will resort in progressive discipline and/or Department of Social Services contact.
4. Excessive/Chronic Absenteeism
Absences exceeding ten percent (10%) (typically eighteen (18) days, whether excused or unexcused, will be considered excessive and may be subject to the following:
- Retention or consideration of retention;
- Affect class grade as determined by building procedures.
III. Responsibility for Good Attendance
Successful implementation of this Policy requires cooperation among all members of the educational community, including parents, students, teachers, administrators and all staff members.
A. Parent/Persons in Parental Relation Responsibilities
1. It is the responsibility of parents/persons in parental relation to ensure that their children attend school regularly and on time.
2. When a student is absent from school, it is the responsibility of the parents/persons in parental relation to contact the school to report the absence and/or provide appropriate excuses when required (doctor’s verification).
3. Parents/persons in parental relation must provide a written explanation of the absence for their child to be turned into their homeroom/first period teacher upon the student’s return to school.
4. Parents are required to provide their current home address, telephone number, emergency number(s) and a list of adults to contact in their absence.
B. Student Responsibilities
1. Students must attend school daily and be on time.
2. Students must attend all classes and are expected to participate fully.
3. Students are expected to make timely arrangements with their teachers to make up assignments and class work they have missed during their absence.
4. It is the responsibility of the student to provide the Building Principal a written or digital (i.e. District communication system) excuse signed by the parent/person in parental relation within forty-eight (48) hours of the student’s return to school. If a written excuse is not submitted, the absence will be recorded as unexcused.
5. Written excuses are required for tardies and early departures. A student must provide the Building Principal with a written excuse signed by the parent/person in parental relation upon entering school tardy. In the event of an early departure, the note must be submitted to the Main Office before homeroom. If the tardiness or early departure is due to an excusable appointment, written verification from the office of the appointment is required upon return to school, or the absence will be recorded as unexcused.
C. Teacher/Staff Responsibilities
1. Teachers are responsible for maintaining accurate attendance reports and for referring chronic absentees for review by the Building Principal or designee.
2. School office staff shall be responsible for preliminary contact with parents and students to assess a situation of absenteeism and devise a plan of improvement.
3. Teachers and school personnel will continually stress to students the importance of promptness and regular attendance in all of their classes. Teachers can make a difference in the attendance habits of their students. (Phone calls to parents or guardians are encouraged).
D. Administrative Responsibilities
1. The District shall maintain a register of attendance for each student which includes the student’s name, date of birth, home address, names of parents/guardians, telephone numbers to contact parents/guardians, date of enrollment, record of student’s attendance on days of instruction, and the date of withdrawal or date dropped from enrollment, and a record of each scheduled day of instruction during which the school is closed for all or part of the day due to extraordinary weather condition or building emergencies.
2. The Principal or designee is responsible for implementing this Policy.
3. The Principal or designee is responsible for identifying students who require alternative services and/or programs for absences or tardiness.
IV. Activities to Support Good Attendance
A. The implementation of an effective and efficient student attendance system that is accurately recorded, consistently maintained and fairly administered.
B. The provision of prompt service to students in need of help as soon as a need is suspected.
C. The establishment of cooperative relationships between parents and other members of the staff in the interest of the child.
D. The establishment of cooperative relationships with other community agencies which serve families of students with attendance problems.
E. The maintenance of an effective policy that encourages student attendance and is in compliance with the Commissioner’s Regulations and rulings.
V. Intervention
A. The objective of intervention strategies is to identify the cause(s) of absenteeism, to reduce absenteeism and to circumvent the need for action in the courts (PINS petitions).
B. Teachers and other appropriate staff members (e.g. the school nurse, social worker, or guidance counselor) shall be responsible for preliminary contact with parents and students to assess a situation of absenteeism and devise a plan of improvement. For example, where the absence is due to prolonged illness, the District may arrange for immediate home or hospital instruction.
C. The Building Principal or designee, based upon the referrals of teachers and the established attendance records, shall identify intervention strategies. Such strategies may include, but are not limited to:
1. communication with the parent/guardian
2. counseling and other support services
3. mentoring
4. progressive disciplinary action
5. related community agencies services.
VI. Incentives
The Commissioner has recommended that all Districts implement an incentive program to improve attendance. An incentive program may include, but not be limited to, prizes or privileges for perfect attendance.
VII. Disciplinary Sanctions
A. When other forms of intervention fail, nonacademic sanctions, including the loss of privileges (e.g. participation on interscholastic sports or in extracurricular activities, attendance at school sponsored events), may be imposed.
B. Excessive or unreasonable absences and tardiness may properly be the basis for disciplinary action. The use of detentions and in school suspensions related to unexcused absence from school is authorized.
VIII. Coding System for Absences
A. The coding of student absences, tardiness and early departures allows the administration to decipher patterns of behavior/absenteeism and to develop specific intervention efforts as early as possible.
B. The District will utilize a coding system that differentiates student attendance.
IX. Notification
Written notification to parents concerning students’ absences, tardiness or early departures, will take place at prescribed intervals and will include information that resource/support personnel are available.
X. Implementation and Review
A. The Board shall review building-level student attendance records and if such records show a decline in student attendance the Board shall make any revisions deemed necessary to improve student attendance.
B. Before adopting any revisions to this Policy, the Board will hold at least one (1) public hearing at which school personnel, parents/persons in parental relation, students and any other interested party may participate.
C. The Superintendent shall establish a means to provide a plain language summary of this Policy to parents/persons in parental relation at the beginning of each school year and take other steps to promote the understanding of this Policy.
D. The Superintendent shall provide each teacher with a copy of this Policy after approval/amendment and provide new teachers with a copy upon employment.
E. Copies of this Policy shall be made available upon request to any member of the community.
Herkimer Central School District
Legal Ref: NYS Education Law § 3205; 8 NYCRR 104.1, 109.2, 175.6
Adopted: 04/26/06
Revised: 06/22/16, 07/22/20,