Attendance

Adams Elementary attendance goal is to have all of our students here over 95% of our school days (missing less than 10 total days)! 

To support student attendance we will:

• Have homeroom teachers call home to check in to see what support may be needed
• Have additional staff or Principal call home to check in to see what support may be needed
• Arrange a family engagement meeting and/or a home visit to seek a resolution and create a support plan

District policy

Additionally, we will follow district policy:

• We will start the district truancy process after 10 days of absences either excused or not.
• Truancy process can lead to a student and family being required to attend truancy court.

We want to work with all families and understand things that come up, but we know attendance is a key indicator for student engagement in school. 

• Please contact the attendance secretary with any questions, concerns or if you need any support.

Quick reference

As a quick reference, we will use the following table as a guide to support your student(s):

Guardians are required to call the school’s attendance line if a child will be tardy or absent from school. In order for an absence to be excused, guardians must call the attendance line within 24 hours of the absence.

Students will be excused from school due to illness/injury, family emergencies, religious observations, funerals, medical procedures, or legal obligations. Additionally, a student will be excused if:

• Students are absent for an extended period due to physical, mental or emotional disability (doctor's verification may be required).
• Student is visiting a parent or guardian who is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty, is on leave from, or immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting.
• Student has a scheduled family vacation — up to 4 days, one time per year (excludes state testing windows)
• Students have appointments or circumstances of a serious nature only which cannot be taken care of outside of school hours.

Criteria for approval of pre-arranged absences

Prearranged absences will be excused if a student meets one or more of the following, and the prearranged absence form has been submitted at least 3 days in advance:

1. The student is in good academic standing.
2. The student has no unexcused absences.
3. The student has four or fewer excused absences in a semester or seven or fewer in a school year.

• Any absence not meeting the criteria for an excused absence.
• Any absence without notice from parent or guardian within 24 hours of the absence.
• Three or more days of illness, without a doctor’s excuse, for any student without a history of chronic absences.
• Five or more days of family vacation and all vacation days if taken during Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS).
• Any family vacations or pre-arranged absence that was not approved by the school administration 3 days prior to absence.

Notes

The final determination as to whether an absence is excused or unexcused rests with the school administration. A student who is attending any school-sponsored activity or who is receiving Jeffco educational services shall not be considered absent for attendance reporting purposes.

Students are expected to be in class on time. In the event tardies become a problem, teachers will partner with students and families to determine a support plan. Teachers will institute consequences as they deem appropriate. Habitual tardies may result in administrative involvement and consequences. 

The importance of regular, daily school attendance as a basis for academic achievement cannot be overemphasized. Attendance is a shared responsibility of the student, the families and the school.

It is the family’s responsibility to ensure their student attends school and to notify the school when their student is absent for a legitimate reason, such as an illness or family emergency. Each family should also ensure their student’s school has their correct contact information so that the school is able to communicate about any attendance issues that may arise.