5200 - ATTENDANCE

Student attendance at ESC educational services/schools/programs is governed by the home school’s policies, administrative guidelines, and applicable rules and regulations.

The educational program offered by this Educational Service Center ("Center") is predicated upon the presence of the student and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation.  Absences for any reason, whether excused or unexcused, reduce instructional time and have an adverse impact on student learning. Attendance shall be required of all students enrolled in the schools during the days and hours that the school is in session or during the attendance sessions to which a student has been assigned.

A student in grades 9 through 12 may be considered a full-time equivalent student provided the student is enrolled in at least five (5) units of instruction, as defined by applicable laws and regulations, per school year.

In accordance with statute, the Superintendent shall require, from the parent of each student of compulsory school age or from an adult student who has been absent from school or from class for any reason, a statement of the cause for such absence. The Governing Board reserves the right to verify such statements and to investigate the cause of each single absence or prolonged absence.

Repeated infractions of Governing Board policy on attendance may result in suspension or expulsion.

The Governing Board considers the following factors to be reasonable excuses for time missed at school:

1. Personal illness (a written physician’s statement verifying the illness may be required);
2. Appointment with a health care provider;
3. Illness in the family necessitating the presence of the child;
4. Quarantine of the home;
5. Death in the family;
6. Necessary work at home due to absence or incapacity of parent(s)/guardian(s);
7. attendance at a driver’s education course for up to two (2) hours on no more than four (4) days (limited to a total of eight (8) hours during the school year), provided that the absence does not occur during a core curriculum subject course;
8. religious expression days, up to three (3) of which may, after approval by the principal in accordance with this policy, permit the student to be absent without any academic penalty;
9. Out-of-state travel (up to a maximum of four (4) days per school year) to participate in an ESC-approved enrichment or extracurricular activity (any classroom assignment missed due to the absence shall be completed by the student);
10. Such good cause as may be acceptable to the Superintendent;
11. Medically necessary leave for a pregnant student in accordance with Governing Board Policy 5751;
12. College visitation in which the ESC requires verification of the date and time of the visitation by the college, university, or technical college;
13. Absences due to a student’s placement in foster care or change in foster care placement or any court proceedings related to their foster care status; and
14. Absences due to a student being homeless.

Attendance need not always be within the school facilities, but a student shall be considered to be in attendance if present at any place where school is in session by authority of the Governing Board.

The Governing Board shall consider each student assigned to a program of other guided learning experiences to be in regular attendance for the program provided that the student reports to such staff member the student is assigned for guidance at the place in which the student is conducting study, and regularly demonstrates progress toward the objectives of the course of study.

The Superintendent may excuse a student over fourteen (14) years of age from attendance at school for a future limited period for the purpose of performing essential work directly or exclusively for the student's parents or guardians. Such excuse should not exceed five (5) days and may, at the discretion of the Superintendent, be renewed for five (5) additional days. At no time, however, shall such excuse cause a student to be absent from school for a period of more than ten (10) consecutive days.

At the discretion of the Superintendent or his/her designee, a student may be excused for a longer period of time than ten (10) days if a child’s parent or guardian has recently died or become totally or partially incapacitated and there is no older brother or sister living in the home who is out of school. (The Superintendent may request a certificate of a physician attesting to the physical condition of the parent or guardian.)

Contacting the Parent/Guardian of an Absent Student

When a parent, guardian, or other person having care of a student has failed to initiate a telephone call or other communication notifying the school or building administration of the student’s excused or unexcused absence within one hundred twenty (120) minutes after the beginning of the school day, the attendance officer or designee for each school building shall make at least one (1) attempt to contact the parent, guardian, or other person having care of any student who is recorded as absent without legitimate excuse within one hundred twenty (120) minutes after the beginning of each school day by a method designated by the Superintendent in accordance with Ohio law.

A student may have an excused absence for medical reasons, such as personal illness or medical visit, subject to the following rules. A student may have up to ten (10) medically excused absences without a doctor’s note, but with a phone call from a parent/guardian. This policy will be extended beyond ten (10) days if the student or someone in the student’s family is in quarantine due to a recognized pandemic/epidemic (e.g., COVID-19) or experiencing symptoms of the pandemic/epidemic. A medical excuse for personal illness will be accepted in the form of a doctor’s note within five (5) school days of the absence or parent call-in on the day of the absence due to illness or doctor’s visit.

Attendance at a Driver’s Education Course

The Center will excuse a high school student from school to attend a driver’s education course that is approved by the Director of Public Safety in accordance with Chapter 4508 of the Revised Code. The student may be absent for up to two (2) hours per day on no more than four (4) days during the school year (limited to a total of eight (8) hours), provided that the absence does not occur during a core curriculum subject course. The Board deems all graded courses to be core curriculum including, but not limited to, courses that have State-approved learning standards.  Days missed do not need to be consecutive.

Students who miss school to attend a driver’s education course are required to complete any missed classroom assignments. 

Religious Expression Days

The Principal will approve up to three (3) religious expression days per school year after receiving a written request from the student's parent or guardian. Religious expression days may be used to take holidays for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system or participate in organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual organization. Students who are absent on approved religious expression days will not face any academic penalties and will be provided with academic accommodations with regard to examinations and other academic requirements that are missed.

To receive accommodations for religious expression days, parents or guardians must submit written requests to the Principal within fourteen (14) days after the start of the school year or fourteen (14) days after a student is enrolled in the Center. The requests must specify the religious expression day(s) to be approved. The Principal will approve the days without inquiring into the sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief system. However, the Principal may verify the authenticity of a request by contacting the parent or guardian to confirm they signed it. The Principal may deny the request for religious expression days if the parent or guardian indicates that the signature is not authentic. Once the days have been approved, the Principal will ensure that each teacher schedules a time and date for alternative examinations or other academic requirements that conflict with the student's absence. Students may participate in interscholastic athletics or other extracurricular activities on days in which the student is absent for religious expression.

The Center has adopted the following procedure for a student, parent, or guardian to notify the Center of any grievance with regard to the implementation of this policy. A grievance must be submitted in writing to the Superintendent. The Superintendent will review the grievance and issue a written determination of whether the policy has been violated. The decision of the Superintendent is final and not subject to further appeal.

The Center will notify parents and guardians annually about this policy and the procedures that they must follow to request accommodations for religious expression days.

The policy will be placed in a prominent location on the Center's website and will include the contact information for an individual who can provide further information about the policy. The Center will also publish a non-exhaustive list of major religious holidays, festivals, and religious observations. The list will be provided whenever the policy is posted, printed, or distributed, and will be accompanied by a statement that declares the list is non-exhaustive and may not be used to deny accommodations to a student for a holiday, festival, or observation that is not included in the list. Nothing in this policy, and no inclusion or exclusion of a religious holiday or festival on the list posted by a Center, shall preclude a student from full and reasonable accommodations for any sincerely held religious beliefs and practices with regard to all examinations or other academic requirements and absences for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system.

Revised 12/19/24

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