2009-2010
LaSalle Parish School Attendance Regulations Procedure
Truancy/Discipline Court Criteria Procedure

"EVERY MINUTE COUNTS"

LaSalle Parish Schools Calendar this year accounts for 168 instructional days scheduled for 390 minutes per day. Students are expected to be attendance every minute of every day.

Louisiana State Law mandates compulsory school attendance and every parent or legal guardian of a student shall enforce and be held accountable for the attendance of their student at the school to which the student is enrolled and assure their student’s attendance at school every day scheduled by the local school board until their eighteenth (18^th) birthday. Parents will be asked to sign a notification letter on the 3^rd unexcused absence or tardy and attend a conference with school personnel if deemed necessary. A student’s attendance disciplinary history prints on his/her report card every six weeks as additional notification.

As defined by State Law, a student shall be considered habitually absent or habitually tardy as described below:

The only exception to the attendance regulations that will be considered shall be extenuating circumstances that are verified by the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance as described below:

1. Extended personal physical or emotional illness as verified by a physician or dentist
2. Extended hospital stay as verified by a physician or dentist
3. Extended recuperation from and accident as verified by a physician or dentist
4. Extended contagious disease within a family as verified by a physician or dentist
5. Prior school system approved travel for education
6. Death in the family (not to exceed one week)
7. Natural catastrophe and/or disaster
8. Mandated Court Appearances as verified by a Court Official
9. Military deployment/leave
10. For any other extenuating circumstances, parents must make a formal appeal by contacting the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance for determination of Extenuated Circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

All excuses, including original doctor/dentist verification, for a student’s absence must be presented to the school within five (5) days of the student’s return to school to be considered for extenuating circumstances.

Denial of Credit Procedure: When a student has exceeded the allowable days of absence as defined by Bulletin 741, School Administrator’s Handbook, and no extenuated circumstances are documented, a committee appointed by the Principal will review the student’s absences before credit is denied. If no extenuated circumstances are confirmed by the committee, the student and parents receive written notification of the decision to deny credit and are informed of the appeal process. Appeals are made to the Supervisor of Child Welfare Attendance and must be requested by the parent/legal guardian and/or student within 72 hours of receiving notification of denied credit by the School. Following the appeal hearing, the School and parent/legal guardian are notified of the final disposition.

TRUANCY/DISCIPLINE COURT REFERRAL CRITERIA PROCEDURE

Truancy/Discipline Court for the 2009-2010 school year will occur on a regularly basis.   You are hereby notified that if your student meets the following criteria listed below, he/she will be referred to Truancy/Discipline Court which is an informal Court process and intervention strategy of the LaSalle Parish 28^th Judicial District Families in Need of Services Program (FINS) in collaboration with LaSalle Parish School’s Child Welfare Attendance Program: 

1. LaSalle Parish Schools students who exceed 5 days unexcused absence or unexcused occurrence of being tardy within any school semester or as deemed eligible for referral by SCWA and who do not provide a valid excuse according to the criteria for extenuated circumstances as listed above, will be referred to Truancy/Discipline Court.

2. Any student who accumulates three in-school or out-of school suspensions and/or is found guilty of any disciplinary infraction that would warrant immediate action by the Principal of the school will be referred to Truancy/Discipline Court.

In cases of continued disciplinary problems, absences or occurrences of being tardy, when interventions fail to correct the problem, violations are subsequent to referral to formal Court where additional penalties may be imposed upon the parent/legal guardian as defined by State Law including but not limited to additional fines, community service, and/or imprisonment.