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Attendance

Information

Zimmerman Elementary Attendance Procedures

The Attendance Reporting Line Number

  • 763-241-3555
     

Attendance

Regular attendance is essential if students are to be successful in school.  Chronic absences interrupt the education of your child.  School personnel will make every effort to encourage regular attendance, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the students and their parents/guardians. The complete Attendance Policy is available for your review at your school and the District Office.

Absent or Late to School

If your child will be absent or arrives late please call the school attendance line; 763-241-3555.  You may call 24 hours a day and leave a message.  If your child is not at school, and the school has not received notice of absence, the school will call or email the parent/guardian.

When reporting an absence, please include the following information:

  • Child’s name
  • Date of absence
  • Reason for absence
  • Name of person reporting the absence
     

Grade K-5 Absence Procedures

  • A student is considered tardy if he/she arrives within 45 minutes after the start of the school day.  
  • A student is considered absent for half a day if he/she misses more than 45 minutes at the start or end of a school day.
  • A student is considered absent for a full day if he/she misses four or more hours of the school day.  
  • A student is also considered absent for a full day if he/she arrives at school but is picked up within 45 minutes.
  • A doctor’s note or medical excuse form can be required for absences that extend beyond three consecutive days or ten total absences due to medical reasons. 
  • If a doctor’s note/medical excuse form is not provided within three days of the request, the absences will be considered unexcused.
     

Excusing Students from School

Please follow these guidelines when you need to have your student excused early from school:

  • The school will accept a phone call (with verification of identity), a note from home, or the parent/guardian coming in when excusing students early.
  • In all cases, students must be signed out of the office by the person picking up the child.
  • If the school is unsure of who is signing the child out, questions need to be asked of the adult and/or student to verify the legitimacy, i.e., child's birth date, child's middle initial, child telling the school who the adult is, showing an I.D., etc.
  • Students may not be picked up from the classroom but instead must be picked up from the office.
  • No calls with changes will be accepted after 12:00 PM.  This will ensure that we have enough time to notify all of our staff about the transportation change.
     

Time of Arrival

Our school day begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m. for grades K through 2.  Students will not be permitted into the school building before 8:30 a.m.  If the student arrives after 8:45 a.m., please report to the office to sign your child in.   All students are expected to be in their classroom ready to go by the final bell at 8:45 a.m.  If they arrive to their classroom after the final bell, students are considered tardy to school.  Arriving at school after the start of the day, without valid excuse as determined by the principal, is considered an unexcused tardy and will affect the student’s attendance record.  When a student accumulates five unexcused tardies, the tardies will be considered one unexcused absence.  Each five unexcused tardies accumulated thereafter will result in an additional unexcused absence.

Early dismissal

Early dismissals are discouraged.  Students leaving a few minutes early often miss important last minute instructions and/or reminders.  Interrupting classes to call students to the office also distracts other students and interrupts the end of the day classroom routines.  Early dismissals should occur only in rare circumstances.  Please make every effort to schedule appointments outside of school hours. Students leaving early will be marked as early out.  This is considered the same as a tardy.  

Release of students:  Late Arrival/ Leaving Early & Checking in/out of school

Students will only be released to persons listed on the emergency form unless a note is given to the office from the parent- verbal requests and phone calls for someone other than those listed on the emergency form are discouraged and will only be approved on a case-by-case basis.  If a student arrives late or leaves early, parents must sign their students in or out at the office.   

Truancy/ Unexcused Absences

There are consequences when students are continually absent from school without a valid excuse.  If an elementary student is absent three days within a single school year without a lawful excuse, that student is considered “continuing truant,” according to state law (statute 260A.02).  The school is required to notify a parent when a child is a continuing truant.  If the child continues to be truant, schools are mandated to report the truant behavior to the county. A student is considered “habitually truant” if he/she is absent from school seven or more days without lawful excuse. The complete Attendance Policy is available for your review at your school and the District Office.

Notification Guidelines Grade K-5

Tardy and Early Release (Unexcused)

  • When a student has been tardy and/or have early releases from school three times without a valid excuse, a letter will be sent home as notification that the school is concerned with the student arriving late/leaving early.
  • When a student has been tardy from school five times without a valid excuse, the principal will contact the parent/guardian regarding unexcused absences.
     

Absent

  • When a student has missed 5-9 days of school due to illness, a letter will be sent home as a notification that there is a concern and if this pattern continues, we may require a medical excuse form.
  • When a student has missed ten days of school due to illness, a letter will be sent home from school as notification that there is a concern and any future absences will require a medical excuse form.
  • When a student has missed three full unexcused days of school, a letter will be sent home from the school as notification that the student is considered to be “Continuing Truant”.
  • When a student has missed five full unexcused days of school, a letter will be sent home from the school as notification that the student is nearing the possibility of Educational Neglect.
  • When a student misses seven full unexcused days of school, a letter will be sent home from the school as notification that the student is considered to be “Educationally Neglected”.  At this time, the school will file an educational neglect petition with county social services.