Attendance

Absences may be excused for the following reasons:

• Illness or being sent home by school staff
• Medical or therapy appointments
• Family emergency
• Recovery from an accident
• Required court appearance
• Death in the family
• Religious holidays (with prior request)
• Pre-approved non-school-sponsored educational trips or college visits
• Participation in a project sponsored by a statewide or countywide 4-H, FFA or combined 4-H and FFA group (with prior request)
• Other urgent situations (including homelessness or foster care)

The district may limit how often or how long some absences are allowed.

Every student absence requires a written excuse note that must be submitted to the Attendance Office (KHSattendance@kcsd.org) in the form of:

• Handwritten note from parent/guardian
• Email from parent/guardian
• Talking Points from parent/guardian
• Medical note from a licensed medical practitioner or a licensed practitioner of the healing arts

The absence note should contain ALL of the following information:

• The student’s legal name
• Student’s ID number
• Grade level
• The exact date(s) of the absence
• The reason for the absence
• Signature of parent or guardian

The excuse note must be submitted within three (3) days of the absence or the absence will be considered unlawful.

• If an excused absence note is not received within a three (3) day period following the absence, the absence will become unexcused or unlawful.
• For students under the age of 18, the absence will become unlawful.
• For students 18 or older, the absence is unexcused.
• An unlawful absence from school may result in a Student Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC), a truancy citation or a fine imposed by the District Judge.

When a student is absent, parents must submit a written excuse within three (3) days. Any missed days shall be treated as unexcused unless a valid written excuse is received within this timeframe. 

An absence is unexcused if:

• No written note is submitted within 3 days of the absence, or
• The reason is not valid

Examples include:

• Vacations without approval
• Babysitting
• Waking up late

The school day begins at 7:40 a.m. Students should be in their Period 1 or 2 class by 7:40 a.m.
If a student arrives after 7:40 a.m., they must:

• Report to the Attendance Office (Main Office)
• Sign in
• Get an admit-to-class slip before going to class

A written note (not email) must be submitted to the Attendance Office the same day.
Students with repeated tardies may be referred for a restorative intervention.

We are committed to working with families to maintain strong attendance. Here’s how notifications will work:

• You’ll be contacted after any unexcused absence using the contact information in the Skyward Family Access Portal.
• After the equivalent of 3 unexcused absences, the District will issue a Notice of Violation (NOV) and offer a School Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC).
• Ongoing concerns may lead to community program involvement or, in rare cases, legal action. (Truancy-related suspensions or transfers are not permitted.)

Families can always check current attendance in the Skyward Family Access Portal.

• If your student is absent from 1st period, we’ll send a message by 9:40 a.m.
• If your student misses one or more periods during the day, you’ll receive an update after 4:00 p.m.

The District uses an automated call and email to communicate with families about absenteeism daily. Any student who is not present to school before 9:30 a.m. will automatically receive an absence notification call and email.

If you believe that you received the call or email in error, please contact the Attendance Office at 610-444-6638, or KHSattendance@kcsd.org or by replying to the email absence communication you received.

For any planned absence of three (3) or more days, please complete the KCSD Extended Absence Form and submit to the Attendance Office no later than two (2) weeks prior to the absence.

• Extended absences can be approved up to ten (10) school days (This is not in addition to the 10 days allotted per board policy).
• The approved days will be considered excused.
• Any missed days beyond the approved days will be considered unexcused.
• Students are responsible for all assignments/assessments missed during the period of the approved extended absences.
• No planned absence will be approved during state assessments or final examinations, unless approved by the Principal.

On the morning of the early dismissal, please provide a written note (email is acceptable, KHSattendance@kcsd.org) to the Attendance Office containing the following information:

• Student’s full name
• Date of early dismissal
• Reason for early dismissal
• Signature of parent or guardian
• Grade level
• A telephone number where the parent can be contacted for verification

An email notification will be sent to the student’s bluedemons email alerting them the dismissal is confirmed. If a student has an early dismissal, but returns back to school, they must sign back into school at the Attendance Office.

Athletic teams who have an early dismissal due to transportation do not need a parent note as these dismissals are arranged through the Athletic Office.

Students who are absent from both KHS and TCHS are responsible for providing absence notes to both schools.  Time will be tracked the same way for both TCHS and KHS as noted above (cumulative minutes in class). 

Field trip forms or job shadow observation forms must be submitted to the KHS Attendance Office for approval at least 1 week in advance of the field trip/job shadow.

• Under Pennsylvania law, a student is considered truant after accumulating three (3) unexcused absences.
• Once a student meets this threshold, the District is required to initiate the truancy process, which includes:
  • Issuing a Notice of Violation (NOV) letter
  • Initiating the Student Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC) process if the student accumulates one additional unexcused absence after the NOV is issued.
• The SAIC process is designed to identify barriers to attendance, develop supportive interventions, and establish an attendance improvement plan with the student and family.

Attendance is taken each period by the teacher using the electronic gradebook system.
If a student skips a class:

• The teacher will report it to the Assistant Principal
• The school will determine if the absence is excused or unexcused and take appropriate action

Students are expected to:

• Arrive on time
• Attend all scheduled classes and study halls

Regular attendance is important for success in each course. If a student misses class, they must:

• Work with their teacher to make up missed work, assignments, or tests

Students will be given three minutes to pass from one class to the next. class may result in a referral for Restorative Intervention.