DSST Attendance Policy
Daily Attendance and Academic Progress: We believe every student's daily presence is irreplaceable to our communities. The high expectations DSST holds for each student makes daily attendance imperative. Engagement and connectedness in the classroom and larger school community are critical to academic success, individual and collective growth. Every minute of school matters, and we expect students to be in all classes, on time, every day unless the absence is Excused. Our network-wide goal for attendance, and for every individual student, is 95%.
Attendance Communication
In the event of a necessary absence, a parent/guardian must call or email the school attendance line and report the absence before the school day begins. Include the student's name, date of absence, reason for absence and parent/guardian name and contact number. This notification does not automatically excuse the absence (see Excused/Unexcused Absence Policy below).
All Doctor visits (Mental Health, General Health, Specialized appointments) require a note from a parent/guardian detailing the time to be excused, reason for leaving, approximate time of return and parent/guardian phone number. The student may leave class when the parent/guardian/family arrives at the main office.
Families and students have consistent access to see attendance and tardy percentages using their Infinite Campus parent and student portal. Please check the attendance of your student at least once a week, if not every day.
Definitions
Excused Absences (written statements from appropriate entities may be required)
- Illness: fever, contagious disease, illness rendering student to bed rest (Doctor’s note required for the 3rd consecutive absence and any absence beyond 10 absences)
- Injury resulting in temporary physical disability (Communication with Doctor regarding disability required)
- Physical, Mental, or Emotional Disability that Impact Student’s Attendance (Communication with medical providers, and if in place the IEP or 504 team, regarding disability required to excuse more than 10 days)
- Family Emergency
- Sudden illnesses
- Natural disasters
- Car problems
- Legal Matters (adoption, foster care, adoptions)
- Accidents
- Bereavement (funeral, death)
- Housing Instability
- Family travel: to be excused, the family and student must work with their advisor to define a plan for make-up work and support; if not planned proactively, these absences may not be excused.
- Legal Circumstance (notification from appropriate Judicial Office required)
- Student is in the custody of Law Enforcement
- Student has mandatory appearances with the Courts
- Student is in the custody of Human Services
- School service absences (SpEd services, field trips, MH services, testing, nurse, admin, sports, etc.))
- Special Attendance Circumstances- Absences may be excused if coordinated in advance
- Religious Holidays: Please communicate absences due to religious holidays in advance.
- Absences due to College Visits: As much as possible, these absences should be scheduled on outside of normal school attendance days. In some cases, the Director of College Success can work with families for additional Excused Absences for College Visits. Students and families must seek approval greater than 1 week in advance.
- Late Arrival & Early release: Students who are at school late or are picked up early from school will only be excused if one of the above criteria is met.
Unexcused Absences are defined as those that do not meet the above criteria.
These are defined as absences that do not meet the requirements of excused absences (above) and/or absences without parent and school permission.
- Students leaving early without guardian excusal that meets one of the above criteria or skipping class
- Arriving late or leaving early will only be excused if it meets one of the above criteria
- Absences not properly reported by the guardian
- Student is unexcused if leaving early 6 days in a quarter without additional excused information or documentation
Truancy and Chronic AbsencePer Colorado School Attendance Law (School Attendance Act- Compulsory School Attendance §22-33-104, C.R.S.) all students between the age of 6 and 17 shall attend public school unless otherwise excused.
- Truant: Any unexcused absence.
- Habitually Truant: Four unexcused absences in any month and/or ten unexcused absences or truancies during one school year.
- If a student is habitually truant, the school will notify the parents/guardians in writing and develop a plan to engage the student in school attendance. School personnel will make reasonable efforts to meet with parents/guardians to collaborate on the attendance plan.
- Chronically Absent: A student who is absent 10% or more of the days enrolled during a school year is considered chronically absent. Chronic absence includes ALL absences (unexcused, excused, partial day attendance, suspensions, etc.).
- School staff will work with students and parents/guardians to address Chronic Absence and support students in improving attendance.
TardinessBeing prompt to all school commitments is an important student expectation. Students are required to be at school on time. Attendance is taken at the beginning of first period. A parent/guardian will be notified in cases of habitual tardiness. Should there be an emergency that prevents a student from being on time, the parent/guardian should call the office to notify the school of the tardy. Transportation tardiness will only be excused if students take DPS Transportation.
Consequences:
- Students who arrive late to school will receive one deduction/log in LiveSchool
- Students who arrive 1-3 minutes late to a class period (without a teacher pass) will earn a Responsibility Prep. (Teacher Assigns)
- Students who arrive more than 3 minutes late to a class period (without a teacher pass) will receive a Dean Intervention. (Teacher Assigns)
School Systems: Accountability, Celebration, & Discipline
In order to ensure 100% of students have the tools, skills, and support needed to fully engage in learning, the DSST: Staff has created a range of systems and strategies, as well as a Network and School based Attendance Team that includes members of the school administration, mental health team, school culture team, and front office team. The role of the Attendance team is to clearly monitor student attendance, outline clear roles and responsibilities for all school stakeholders related to attendance, celebrate students who are meeting attendance goals and intervene as needed to support students who are struggling to consistently attend classes.
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Threshold
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School Systems
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Universal
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- Daily communication to families via Bloomz first notification goes out at 10 am and again at 3:30 pm
- Quarterly Awards Ceremony
- Academic Make-Up Policies for student absences
- Attendance tracking and Advisory competition
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95%+
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- Attendance Awards
- Raffles
- School Store Points
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90 - 94%
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- Advisor Contact Student/Family
- Attendance Growth Recognition
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81 - 89%
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- Attendance Guardian/Student Meeting with Advisor
- Attendance Contract & Warning
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< 80%
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- Attendance Guardian/Student Meeting with member of Attendance Team
- Attendance Contract & Support Plan
- All Attendance Steps documented in Infinite Campus
- Truancy Warning
- Home Visit as Needed
- File Truancy (in compliance with APS/DPS policy)
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Family Resources
