Attendance
Lateness
All children must be in school promptly at 8:10 am. Any child who arrives to school later than 8:10 am will be marked late and will be given a late pass to enter their classroom. All teachers are diligent in keeping accurate records and bringing it to the attention of administration when a child is consistently late. School personnel will reach out to families to offer assistance if there is a pattern of lateness and/or absenteeism.
We ask that parents bring their child to school on time. Lateness is recorded and becomes part of a child’s permanent record. If at any time a family member feels they need assistance, please do not hesitate to email the administration.
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Tardiness and Early Dismissal
Whenever students arrive late or depart prior to the end of the school day, parents must present the school with a written note the morning of and then sign the student in or out at the office. These occurrences are recorded as “excused” or “unexcused” applying the same criteria as those for full-day absences.
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Please Note: Students will only be dismissed early to a guardian or someone listed on the emergency blue card, who arrives in person for pick up for medical reasons. (No exceptions will be made) This person must have proper identification as they will have to show a picture ID and sign in with school safety and Ms. Donna in the office.
Late Pickup
Students who are not picked up immediately upon dismissal will be brought to the school’s main office. Parents are responsible for ensuring that after-school centers pick up on time each day. In addition, if their child is in an afterschool program other than Wingspan Arts or a release program, where the child is picked up directly from the school, AEA must have written notification from the family with all pertinent information listed on the form.
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Absence
Excused Absence:
Any child who is absent from school must present a written excuse signed by the parent or guardian immediately upon the child’s return to school. The note must clearly indicate the reason for absence.
The school will classify an absence as “excused” for one of the following reasons only:
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Sickness of child (submit Dr.'s note)
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Death in the immediate family
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Weather so inclement as to endanger the health of the child
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Exceptional urgent reasons
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Religious observation
Any absence that can be anticipated beforehand should be brought to the attention of the teacher well in advance of the absence. A doctor’s note is required for any absence that exceeds three consecutive days. Students whose attendance falls below the DOE acceptable rate for any school year will be referred to the office. Special consideration will be given to those students who are seriously ill.
Unexcused or Unlawful Absences:
All absences for reasons other than those cited above will be considered as “unexcused.” All “unexcused” absences for students under the age of seventeen are also recorded as “unlawful.” Teachers maintain an absence folder for all written excuses for students’ absences. Doctors’ notes for absences that exceed three days will be placed into individual student’s cumulative file.
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Please note, every absence counts. An excused absence is still an absence and is a legal part of the student's record.
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Homework and Classwork Absent Policy
Absent for Illness
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Please note that students will be given an opportunity to make up the work using the time frame included in the Grading Policy.
Absent for Vacation
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School policy states that classwork and/or homework will not be distributed in advance of the content being taught
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Protocol for Absence follow-up
The NYCDOE requires that students maintain 90% of attendance. At AEA, we require students to maintain 95% attendance or better. Individual student attendance and school wide attendance is monitored. School attendance is factored into all school reports and used to monitor compliance.
Please notify the office if your student is absent or you become aware that the student will be out of school for any reason. Parents must fill out an “Explanation of Absence” form attached and send back with their child on the next school day that their child is in attendance. (Families whose child attends Wingspan Arts must call the program directly if their child will not be attending afterschool).
Teachers maintain an absence folder for all written excuses for students’ absences. Doctors’ notes for absences that exceed three days will be placed into individual student’s cumulative file. Office staff will follow-up with families as needed about absences and lateness after teachers do their due diligence.
Please do not plan family vacations while school is in session. This includes adding days to existing scheduled days off from school. Every family receives a copy of the School Year Calendar in June and September to plan vacations and family outings accordingly. Absences taken for any reason other than those listed above are recorded as unexcused/unlawful and become part of your child’s permanent record.