Attendance FAQ

Student Attendance and Procedures: Frequently Asked Questions

General Policy & Hours

What is the difference between an excused and an unexcused absence?

State-Approved Excused Absences: Include religious holidays, college visits (grades 11–12, max 3 days), Take Our Children to Work Day, Veterans Day/Board of Election activities, civics events, or busing closures. These do not count toward truancy, credit loss, or chronic absenteeism.

District-Approved Excused Absences: Include court subpoenas, driver's license exams, IEP/504 accommodations, higher education interviews, suspensions, principal approvals (max 2 days), and documented medical appointment times. These do not count toward truancy or credit loss, but do count toward chronic absenteeism.

Unexcused Absences: Any absence outside state/district criteria, including general illness at home or family travel.

How many hours must my child be in school to be considered present?

Students must be in school for at least 4 hours during the school day. Arriving late or leaving early resulting in under 4 hours of instruction is automatically recorded as an absence in Genesis.

Medical Absences & Illness

If I or my doctor verify my child is home sick, why is it recorded as unexcused?

Under Policy and Regulation 5200, an excused medical absence applies only to the specific date and time of an actual medical or dental appointment verified by doctor documentation.

Days spent recovering at home or kept home for general illness without a concurrent appointment do not qualify as excused under NJ rules and are coded as "unexcused" to track total lost instructional time.

Unexcused Absences & Interventions

The term "unexcused" sounds punitive. Will there be negative consequences?

No. "Unexcused" is strictly an administrative tracking code for lost instructional time, not a disciplinary label.

Isolated unexcused absences do not carry penalties; formal consequences are only evaluated if absences accumulate significantly.

Should I be concerned about a 4-day unexcused absence letter?

No. The 4-day Genesis notification is simply a preliminary awareness notice to keep you informed early.

Should I be concerned about an 8-day unexcused absence notification?

Yes. Accumulating 8 unexcused absences represents a significant loss of instructional time.

At 8 days, a letter is mailed home and the Attendance Review Committee (ARC) meets to partner with you on an improvement plan before reaching critical thresholds.

What interventions occur at 4, 8, 10, and 18 unexcused absences?

4 Absences: Preliminary Genesis awareness notification.

8 Absences: Letter mailed home; ARC convenes with family to create a support plan.

10 Absences: Letter mailed home; ARC reviews case for formal actions (credit loss, loss of extracurriculars/trips, FCIS (Family Crisis Intervention Services) referral, or municipal court truancy filings.

18 Absences (Chronically Absent): High-level intervention, potential grade retention, and court proceedings.

What happens if the ARC files a truancy complaint after 10+ unexcused absences?

Compulsory Law: School attendance is legally mandated in NJ (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25). Parents failing to ensure attendance face disorderly persons charges (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-31).

Court Authority: If a summons is issued, a judge may mandate court-monitored attendance supervision, impose financial fines on parents, order family counseling/FCIS intervention, or enforce school credit loss and retention.

Extended Travel

What should I do if my child will miss 10+ consecutive days for extended travel?

In accordance with NJDOE guidelines, If a student is out of school for an extended period of time (ten consecutive days without a medical reason), the school district will pursue truancy charges against the parents/guardians. In addition, the student may face a loss of credit and privileges. To avoid these potential consequences and any negative impact on your child’s student record, students with a pending extended absence should be unenrolled/withdrawn and then re-registered with central registration upon return to the district.

Withdrawal information can be found on our school website and should be submitted prior to a planned extended absence when possible. Re-registration can be completed by contacting our Registrar and providing her with a copy of your most recent utility bill (gas, electric, water, or cable). She will contact the school secretary with a restart date for your student once all the paperwork is received.

Students are exempt from assignments and assessments during the time period they are unenrolled/withdrawn as it will be the family’s responsibility for student learning while away. In cases where there is a definitive plan to return, student accounts will be temporarily deactivated and reactivated upon return to school.