Jr./Sr. High School Attendance

About Attendance

Regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of a student’s success in school. Students who are in class every day keep up with instruction, build relationships with teachers and classmates, and develop habits that carry into adult life. The North Schuylkill School District requires the attendance of all students on every day and hour that school is in session, and works with families to identify and address the reasons behind absences early.

This page explains how to report an absence at the North Schuylkill Junior/Senior High School (grades 7–12), which absences are excused and what notes are needed, how late arrivals, early dismissals and planned trips are handled, and what happens when absences become unexcused. The rules themselves are set by Board Policy 204: Attendance (opens in new window), which governs attendance for all students in the District.

Report an Absence

An absence is recorded as unexcused until the school receives a written excuse from a parent or guardian. You do not need to call the office: a phone call does not excuse an absence. Send an excuse in one of two ways:

• Email absent@northschuylkill.net
• Send a handwritten note to school with your student

Excuses must be received within three (3) days of your student’s return to school. Until then the absence is marked as pending; if no excuse is received, it becomes unexcused on the fourth day. Every excuse should include the student’s name, the date(s) of the absence, the reason, and the parent’s or guardian’s name. If your student has a doctor’s note, you may email a photo or screenshot of it and keep the original for your records.

Look for a reply. The attendance office replies with a thank-you to every emailed excuse. If you do not receive a reply, the email was not received, so please send it again.

Questions? Contact Nicole Brouse, Attendance Secretary, at (570) 874-0495 ext. 2110 or nbrouse@northschuylkill.net.

Excused and Unexcused Absences

Under Board Policy 204: Attendance (opens in new window), the following are considered excused (lawful) absences:

• Illness, including when a student is sent home by the school nurse for health reasons
• Medical, dental, or therapy appointments with a licensed health care provider
• Quarantine
• Family emergency
• Recovery from an accident
• Required court attendance
• Death in the family
• Participation in a statewide or countywide 4-H or FFA project, with prior written request
• Participation in a musical performance for a national veterans’ organization event or funeral, with a signed excuse from the organization
• Observance of a religious holiday, with prior written request
• Non-school-sponsored educational tours or trips, with prior approval (see Educational Trips below)
• College or postsecondary visits, with prior approval
• Other urgent reasons, including circumstances related to homelessness, foster care, or other educational instability

Absences that do not meet one of the reasons above, or for which no excuse is received within three days, are recorded as unexcused. Families are notified promptly of each unexcused absence. An out-of-school suspension is not counted as an unexcused absence.

What kind of excuse is needed?

• Parent notes: A parent or guardian may excuse up to ten (10) absences per school year with a written note. Starting with the eleventh absence, a doctor’s note is required every time the student is absent. You can use the Excuse for Absence form (fillable PDF) or write your own note.
• Three or more days in a row: If a student is absent 3 consecutive days, a doctor’s note is required for it to be an excused absence.
• Doctor’s notes: The student must be seen by the doctor. Notes from a doctor stating that the student was not seen are not accepted.
• Death in the family: Please provide a copy of the obituary or the mass card (memorial card) from the service.
• Court: Please provide the note or documentation issued by the court.
• Driver’s test: Please provide the slip issued at the testing center or a copy of the appointment letter.
• Medical appointments: Please provide the doctor’s note. A photo or screenshot emailed to absent@northschuylkill.net is acceptable; keep the original for your records.

Late Arrival and Early Dismissal

The Junior/Senior High School does not use PickUp Patrol. Students who arrive late or leave early go through the main office. Students are only released to a parent, guardian, or adult listed on the student’s emergency contacts.

Late arrivals

The school day begins at 7:39 AM. Students who arrive after that report to the main office for a tardy slip before going to class. Students arriving up to 10:39 AM are marked tardy. Arriving after 10:39 AM counts as a half-day absence, and arriving after 1:00 PM counts as a full-day absence. A parent note does not excuse a tardy; only a doctor’s note, court documentation, a funeral, or a driver’s test will. Bring that documentation with you.

Please note: Printed copies of the Jr./Sr. High School Student Handbook list 9:15 AM for this cutoff. That is a typo; the correct time is 10:39 AM. The online handbook has been corrected.

Early dismissals

1. Bring a parent note to the main office by 8:00 AM the morning of the early dismissal. The note must give the date and time of dismissal, the reason, and the parent’s or guardian’s signature.
2. Office staff will initial the note. The initialed note is your pass to come down to the office at that time.
3. Your parent or guardian signs you out on the iPad in the office, and you place your note in the excuse box before leaving.
4. When you return to school, sign in at the office and present the doctor’s note. Without a note, the time missed is unexcused. Students must stay until 1:00 PM for the day to count as a full day.

Educational Trips and Planned Absences

Students and parents are encouraged to schedule educational trips and tours, including college visits, when school is not in session. Parents planning an educational trip while school is in session may request an excused absence if these conditions are met:

1. At least one week before the trip, the parent or guardian submits a written request for the excusal to the principal’s office on the District form: the Educational Trip Request Packet (fillable PDF), also available in the main office.
2. The student gives each teacher a written request for the assignments that will be missed during the absence.
3. The parent or guardian accepts total responsibility for the student’s education during the absence.
4. The student completes the educational trip assignment requested by the principal and hands it in to the high school office after the trip. The essay prompt is on the last page of the trip packet.
5. A total of 10 days may be approved. The student must not have a record of excessive absences.

Educational trips are not approved during the first two weeks or the last two weeks of the school year, or during the student’s state testing window.

Under Board Policy 204 (opens in new window), the trip must also be approved by the Superintendent or designee, and the adult directing and supervising the trip must be acceptable to the parent or guardian and the Superintendent.

See the Jr./Sr. High School Student Handbook (PDF) for more information.

Truancy Information

Pennsylvania law and Board Policy 204: Attendance (opens in new window) define a student as truant after three (3) unexcused absences in a school year and habitually truant after six (6). The District follows the steps required by law, which are meant to find and fix the reasons for absences rather than to punish:

• After 3 unexcused absences: The family receives written notice within ten (10) school days explaining the consequences of continued absences and the resources available to help. The notice may include an offer of a School Attendance Improvement Conference.
• School Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC): A meeting with the student, family, school staff, and any helpful service providers to look at the reasons for the absences and agree on a written School Attendance Improvement Plan. The conference is held even if the family chooses not to attend.
• After 6 unexcused absences: Depending on the student’s age, the District may refer the student to an attendance improvement program or to Schuylkill County Children & Youth Services, or file a citation with the local magisterial district judge. No legal action is taken until an SAIC has been held.
• Students with disabilities: If a truant student may have a disability, the Director of Special Education and the appropriate team are notified so the student’s needs can be addressed.

The District does not suspend, expel, or reassign students for truant behavior.

Questions about truancy? Contact Robert Shaffer, Truancy Officer, at (570) 874-0495 ext. 2140 or rshaffer@northschuylkill.net.

Attendance Forms

Return completed forms to the Junior/Senior High School main office.

• Excuse for Absence form (fillable PDF)
• Educational Trip Request Packet (fillable PDF)