|
|
|
|
•
Enrollment and Attendance Frequently Asked Questions
(7 Questions)
1.
I received a letter from the school district saying that my child has five unexcused absences from school. Will I have to go to court?
If this is the first letter you have received, you probably will not.
State law requires the school district to inform parents each time a student accumulates five unexcused absences from school. The letter your received is meant to keep you informed regarding significant details of your child's attendance record as well as to comply with this law. The district attendance supervisor informs parents at five, ten, fifteen, etc. unexcused absences. No one goes to court until the school district files charges with the court. While it is technically legal to inform the court after five unexcused absences, West Carroll Special School District rarely files truancy charges until after a second letter is sent informing parents that the student has accumulated ten unexcused absences. Parents should keep in mind that under state law, unexcused absences accumulate through the entire school year. That means that if a student has two unexcused absences in the fall semester and three unexcused absences in the spring semester, he or she has five unexcused absences.
|
2.
I received a letter from the school saying that my child has six absences from school. I know they are all excused. Why did I get this letter?
The school is informing you that additonal steps may be necessary in order for subsequent absences to be excused.
The attendance policy allows any of the first six student absences in a semester to be excused for good cause with a note from the student's parent or guardian. The seventh absence in a semester, and any absence after that, will be excused only with a note from the doctor. The letter you received was meant to inform you that additonal absences in this semester will require a doctor's note in order to be excused. This letter is sent by each school in an attempt to keep parents informed.
|
4.
My son had the flu and missed seven days of school. Can he be classified as "homebound? for those seven days?
If he has already returned to school, he can not.
The provision for homebound services includes home visits by a certified teacher for the time that a student is unable to attend school. These visits are intended to keep the student current in his or her studies and, therefore, prepared to return to school at the end of the illness with little or no interruption in instruction. The purpose of homebound instruction is not fulfilled if the classification is made after the student's return to school.
|
5.
I plan to enroll my child in Gateway. Will I need to register her with the school district as a home school student?
Probably not.
Although Gateway is marketed as a home school alternative to public education, it is currently classified by the state department of education as a private school due to the program's structure and enrollment procedure. Transferring to Gateway is the same as transferring to any other private school in Tennessee. Parents transferring students to Gateway should be aware that no transfer to Gateway is considered official until that institution requests records from West Carroll. A student will accumulate unexcused absences until he or she registers with Gateway. Failure to complete registration immediately upon withdrawal from West Carroll can lead to the district filing truancy charges with the Carroll County court system.
|
6.
My daughter turns five-years-old on August 16th. Can I enroll her kindergarten this year?
No.
State law requires that a student turn four on or before August 15 to enroll in the state's pre-kindergarten program, and he or she must turn five on or before August 15 to enroll in kindergarten. The state attorney general has issued opinions which establish the August 15 date as absolute under state law. While it might be unfortunate that a child misses the deadline by one day, state law provides the school district with no provision for waiving that deadline.
|
|
|
|
|
Back to Top