Attendance Number: 815-439-4191

school every scheduled school day. School attendance is not optional. Daily attendance, timeliness to class, and participation will increase the student’s probability for successful performance and foster the development of self-discipline and responsibility. Conversely, absences, repeated tardiness, and other truancies will have a negative effect on the student’s overall classroom experience and grade. Time missed from school can never truly be made up; the interaction in the classroom cannot be replicated by doing make-up work. According to the Illinois School Code a truant is “a child subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for a school day or portion thereof.”
State Mandated Time in Attendance
What constitutes a full-day of student attendance?
A full-day of attendance for students in grades 2nd through 12, must be a minimum of five clock hours (300 minutes) of instruction under the direct supervision of:
(i) A certified teacher, or
(ii) Non-teaching/Volunteer personnel when engaging in non-teaching duties and supervising those instances specified in Section 10-22.34(a) and Section 34-18.
What constitutes a half-day of student attendance?
On a regular school day, students in grades 2nd through 12 that receive less than 300 minutes of instruction but at least 150 minutes of instruction can be claimed for a half-day of attendance. Students in grades 2nd through 12 that are not in attendance for at least 150 minutes of instruction cannot be claimed.

A student is considered tardy if he/she is not in his/her assigned seat when the bell rings indicating the start of class. Repeated tardy behavior is a Level I offense and is subject to disciplinary action. A student that arrives to school after 7:55 is considered late to school. Students will receive three warnings per quarter. Students will receive progressive discipline from administration after the third warning.

A student that does not arrive to class before the bell rings is considered tardy to class. Tardies are cumulative throughout the quarter. The first three (3) tardies to a class will result in warnings. Beyond the three warnings, students will receive progressive consequences from teachers and/or administration

To ensure our students’ safety it is extremely important that we can account for their attendance throughout the school day. We require students who are tardy to school or need to leave school before the end of the school day to be signed in or signed out in the attendance office, by the person(s) dropping off or picking up the student. Students will be permitted to leave school if a properly authorized written request has been presented or if a parent or guardian appears in person to withdraw a student from school. A photo ID is required.
Reporting an Absence

When a student is absent, a call should be made by the student’s parent or guardian to the school office to report the absence and reason. Calls to report absences should be made between 7:45 and 9:45 a.m. Calls may be made before 7:45 a.m. to our automated attendance line (refer to back cover). If an absence has not been reported by 9:45 a.m., the school is required by state law to make a reasonable effort to contact the absent student’s parent or guardian to provide notification that the child is not in school. This reasonable effort to contact the parent will consist of phone calls to the parent’s home, cell and work numbers.

Parents and guardians are required to notify schools and provide accurate and updated address and contact information. At least two (2) telephone numbers should be provided whenever possible.
Absence Notes – If a parent or guardian does not report a student’s absence, and the school office cannot reach them, the student must present a written note upon his/her return to school. This must contain the name of the student, date(s) the student was not in school, and specific reason(s) for the absence. It must also be signed and dated by the parent or guardian. This note needs to be turned in to the attendance office before school the day following the student’s absence.
An undocumented absence will result in a truancy absence.

Additionally, if a student is absent for five or more consecutive school days due to illness, or a pattern of absenteeism develops, a signed physician’s note/form outlining the illness and approving the student’s return to school should be presented to the attendance office. Failure to provide a physician’s note following 5 consecutive days of absence may result in the days being documented as unexcused or truant. However, if an absence has been discussed with the school office, in person, or by phone, and is less than five consecutive school days, a written excuse is not necessary.

An excused absence from school allows the student to receive full credit for missed work. The State of Illinois lists the following reasons as “valid cause” for absence, and will lead to an excused absence for the student once the attendance office has discussed the absence with the parent or guardian and/or received the required written excuse or physician’s note:
• Illness
• Observance of a religious holiday
• Death in the immediate family
• Mental or behavioral health day
• Family emergency
• Other situations beyond the student’s control
• Other circumstance that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the safety or health of the student
• Other reason as approved by the Superintendent or designee

Most other absences, with the exception of those listed above, will be considered truancy. Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 5/26-1 states that a truant is “a child subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for a school day or portion thereof.”

Truancy may lead to significant disciplinary action ranging from parental contact and attendance team interventions to a truancy petition being filed with the Will County Courts. District #202 is required to report attendance and truancy information to the Will County Regional Office of Education (ROE). Chronic truancy may result in the ROE filing a truancy petition.

Truancy letters/emails may be issued after the 3rd and 5th unexcused absences and the 8th, 15th, and 18th total days absent within the previous 180 enrollment days. This includes part of the prior school year. The ROE may elect to file a court petition for truancy after 9 truancy days within the previous 180 enrollment days.
Make-up work will be required for all truancy absences.

After eight (8) days of excused absences, parent contact will be made. The school attendance team will continually monitor and evaluate student absences on an individual basis to determine supportive action to be taken to develop and maintain the student’s regular attendance at school.
School Administration and nurses may request doctor verification for absences after fifteen (15) days of excused absence (non-consecutive) outlining the illness for a specific date of each absence. In addition, building and district administration may conduct home visits to inquire about absences, and to attempt to achieve the best resolution for families.

If a student has accumulated a total of eighteen (18) or more days, a referral may be made to the Will County Attendance/Truancy Caseworker. Students may be dropped from honors programs and extracurricular activities, if applicable.

We encourage all of our students’ parents to arrange physician appointments after school hours or on weekends. Although the State of Illinois does not list medical appointments as “valid cause” for absence, The Plainfield School District understands that at times medical appointments during school hours may be unavoidable. The student is asked to present a note from the physician verifying the appointment upon returning to school. These appointments apply to, but are not limited to medical, dental, or counseling.

Parents are discouraged from taking students out of school for vacations. The State of Illinois considers vacation absences to be an excused absence, however all excused absences are subject to attendance letters for overall student absences. The 10% rule for chronic absenteeism and 5% rule for chronic truancy still stand. Please confer with your school’s administration if there is a need for your child to be absent from school for an extended period.

A student who will be absent for ten (10) or more consecutive school days due to medical reasons may obtain homebound instruction. Other students whose absences are on an intermittent basis (such as those going through chemotherapy treatments) may also qualify. Parents/Guardians should notify the school and complete the necessary forms required by the program. This includes a physician’s statement indicating that the student will be absent from school for ten consecutive school days or more, or on an intermittent basis throughout the school year.

A student who is or becomes homeless should see the homeless liaison person in their building. Please contact the school for assistance.
Make-up Work for Absent Students
When absences occur due to unexpected illness or emergency. Parents may request homework after the student has been absent two or more days by: calling the school office (refer to back cover) and leaving a message on the attendance line before 9:45 a.m. This will allow time to collect the work from all teachers involved. The message should contain:
• The name and grade level of the student.
• The nature and expected length of the absence.
• The person who will pick up the work.
Make-up work will be provided when available. Make-up work must be picked up in the office by 3:00.
Absence and School Activities
Students who are absent from school for any part of the school day may not participate in practices, contests, performances or attend special events after school on that day, unless they have a medical note from a doctor, or dentist.
Students not eligible for practices and contests on the last school day of the week due to absence may not participate in school team contests held on the first day of the weekend or the first day of a holiday period.