Attendance Policy

Attendance

Need to submit an absence note? For your convenience you can now fill out this Dobson School Absence Note Google form.

When a student is absent from school there are three methods of sending in an excuse note:  email to miccohen@philasd.org; a handwritten note to school; or complete the Google form.
Note: Text/Dojo messages to the teacher are no longer accepted as excuse notes.

Please submit the absence excuse at the end of your child’s absence period (i.e. if your child is absent from school Monday and Tuesday, send your email, note, or completed form on Wednesday for both days). Absences will be treated as unexcused until the school receives the written excuse explaining the absence, to be submitted within three (3) days of the absence.

When a student is absent for 3 or more consecutive school days due to illness, a doctor’s note must be submitted in order for the absences to be marked as excused. Doctor’s notes can be uploaded to the Google form.

Notes do NOT guarantee an excusal. The reason given for the absence must match an accepted reason code within the district’s attendance policy: personal illness, an appointment with a medical professional, religious holiday. All other reasons must be approved by the principal.      For example, family trips are not an accepted reason for missing school.

Parent/Guardian notes are only acceptable for 8 sickness occurrences in one school year (i.e. if your child is absent Monday and Tuesday consecutively it equals one occurrence. Subsequent absences of any length for sickness will only be marked excused with a doctor’s note.

If a student arrives at school after 11:00am, it will be marked as a half-day absence and a note must be provided. If a student is picked up from school before 1:39pm, it will be marked as a half-day absence. If they are picked up before 11:00am it will be marked as a full day’s absence which will only be excused with a note. If a student is picked up between 1:40pm and 3:15pm, it will be marked as an early dismissal and a note is also required.

If the nurse calls you to pick up your child due to illness, a doctor’s note is not required for the excusal or early dismissal of that school day. However, the nurse may request a doctor’s note for the student to return to school.

When a student reaches 3 unexcused absences, an auto-generated letter is sent home as a notice. Dates of absences are listed on the letter.
When a student reaches 5-8 unexcused absences, the school attendance team will contact the family in order to set up a conference and create a Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP). Students who reach 10 or more unexcused absences in a school year will be referred to truancy court.

Remember: Regular attendance is essential to a student’s success in school. If a student is not present in school, they are not present for their teacher’s instruction.

Strive for 95% of days in attendance. That equals 8 days missed per school year.

Early Dismissal

All early dismissals must be initiated in the Main Office. Photo ID must be presented when signing out a student. Only the parent or an adult listed on the emergency contact form on file in the office will be granted access to the student.

PARENTS may NOT go to classrooms to pick up children. Please note that early dismissals will not be granted after 3:15 PM.

 

Click HERE for the school district’s quick guide to attendance.