Attendance Policy

📚 Overview

Jordan School District will comply with its obligation under the Compulsory Attendance Law to monitor student attendance and communicate with parents if the student's attendance pattern is not in compliance with Utah State Law. (Utah Compulsory Attendance Law 53G-6-202.)

The Board, therefore, delegates to the District and local school administration the responsibility to develop school policies and procedures that promote regular student attendance. The school's responsibility is to encourage and help students develop positive attendance habits that will enhance opportunities for future success.

Frequent absences of students from the day-to-day classroom experiences disrupt the instructional process. The benefits of instruction, once lost, cannot be entirely regained. The process of education requires a continuity of instruction, class participation, learning experience, and study. Therefore, the local school will make every effort within the following administrative policy provisions, to encourage regular attendance for all students and to assist parents in their responsibility to have their children attend school regularly.

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🤝 Responsibilities

Parents/guardians have primary responsibility for regular student attendance at school. School staff and students also share in that responsibility.

🎒 Students

Students are expected to be in attendance every school day in order to receive maximum benefit from their education experiences. If a student is legitimately absent from class, it is his/her responsibility to contact the teacher regarding make-up work. If a student is tardy for class, it is his/her responsibility to contact the school office, teacher, or utilize any other established school procedure so that an unexcused absence is not assessed. It is also a student's responsibility to obtain a checkout slip from the office when he/she must leave during the school day.

👨‍👩‍👧 Parents/Guardians

Parents/guardians are expected to ensure that their children attend school regularly and arrive on time. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify school officials of legitimate absences. The parent/guardian must telephone the office to confirm a checkout prior to the student's leaving during the school day.

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✈️ Educational Leave

Students are allowed up to 10 excused vacation/educational leave days each school year. Each leave day may be used as needed for family vacations, events, etc. Educational Leave Forms can be completed in the Main Office. Please remember, each Educational Leave Form must be filled out at least 48 hours prior to the vacation or event.

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📬 Notifications

Schools are required to update parents on school absences. Calls go out daily when a child is absent and a parent has not called to excuse them. The following notifications are also used throughout the year to keep parents informed of accumulating absences.

See JSD Policy AA432 for further questions.

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💡 Helpful Information for Parents

How Attendance Is Marked

Daily Attendance consists of two (2) attendance periods: If a student is absent the entire day their attendance will reflect two (2) half days.

Attendance Codes

We understand that a physician is not needed every time your student is ill, however, it is important that communication is made with the school's attendance office EACH day that a student is absent.

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🤒 Sick Student Policy — Guidelines for Keeping Sick Children Home

Each day many parents are faced with a decision: should they keep their sick child at home or send them off to school? Often the way a child looks and acts can make the decision an obvious one. Please consider these guidelines:

COVID-19: Please keep your child at home if he/she has a fever of 100.4˚ or higher, is coughing, experiencing shortness of breath, has a decrease in sense of smell or taste, has a sore throat or has muscle aches or pains.

Colds: Please keep your child at home if he/she has a fever of 100˚ or greater or is experiencing discomfort that would interfere with his/her ability to perform in school. (i.e. uncontrollable coughing, severe lack of energy). If your child experiences green nasal discharge that continues throughout the day, or a cough lasting longer than ten days, or is accompanied by fever or chills and is productive of discolored sputum, consult with your physician.

Conjunctivitis (Pink-eye): Following a diagnosis of bacterial conjunctivitis, the child may return to school after the first dose of prescribed medication. Students with viral infection may return when eyes are clear.

Diarrhea/Vomiting: A child with diarrhea and/or vomiting should stay at home and return to school only after being symptom-free for 24 hours.

Fever: A child should remain at home with a fever of 100˚ or greater. The child can return to school after he/she has been fever free for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin).

Head Lice: A child with head lice should stay home until after the first treatment with a medicated head lice product. Following the treatment, parents or guardians will need to remove lice with a fine-toothed nit/lice comb.

Impetigo: A child with impetigo may return to school 24 hours after treatment has begun. A doctor's note of proof of prescription is recommended.

Rashes: Common infectious diseases with rashes are most contagious in the early stages. A child with a suspicious rash should return to school only after a health care provider has made a diagnosis and authorized the child's return to school.

Strep Throat: A child with strep throat may return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has begun.

A sick child cannot learn effectively and is unable to participate in classes in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick child home prevents the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child an opportunity to rest and recover. If your student exhibits any of these symptoms at school, he or she will need to be checked out and may not return to school until symptom free for 24 hours.