Attendance

Students are required to attend school each day it is in session and to attend all scheduled classes and/or required programs. The progress of students will be based on fulﬁlling the requirements of their classes, including regular participation in classroom instruction.

Osseo Education Center states that classroom attendance and success are directly related. The following attendance procedure is an endeavor to assure this success and is part of the School Board Policy 503.

Reporting an absence

Please call the Osseo Education Center attendance line before 10 a.m. on the day of an absence.

Excused absences

Appointments for dentist, doctor, mental health professional, orthodontist, legal matters, funerals, illnesses, in- or out-of-school suspension, late bus, religious reasons, or severe weather will be excused.

Situations such as sibling adoption or birth; family, student, or personal concern; family illness; or prearranged vacation may be excused at the principal’s discretion.

Unexcused absences

Absences due to sibling child care, no stated reason, missed the bus, and non-school extracurricular activities (dance, music, sports/activities lessons, etc.) will not be excused.

Continuing Truant

MN Statute 260A.02 Subd. 3 states that when a child under 12 years of age has three days of unexcused absences, he or she is considered a continuing truant.

Habitual Truant

MN Statute 260C.007 Subd.19 states that when an elementary child is absent from attendance at school without lawful excuse for seven days, he or she is considered a habitual truant.

Attendance procedures

The district has a defined procedure for recording full, half-day, and partial-day attendance. Staff members monitor student attendance and work with families to ensure regular school attendance. If a student starts to show a pattern of missing all or a portion of the school day, staff will contact the child's parents/guardians. If a student has excessive absences (excused or unexcused), an administrator may become involved.

Follow-up for unexcused absences may include a letter from school staff seeking to resolve frequent, unexcused absences.

If the attempts to resolve unexcused absences are not successful and the student has accrued six unexcused absences, a referral will be made to the Hennepin County Attorney’s office for a Parent Group Meeting (PGM). After the PGM, if there are three additional days of unexcused absences, a referral will be made to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for Educational Neglect.

In order to learn and comply with Minnesota’s compulsory instruction laws, students need to have consistent, regular attendance

Attendance Line

763-315-9760

Student Responsibility

The responsibility of the student is to attend each scheduled class or activity. Classroom experiences are meaningful and essential components of the learning process. Meeting class attendance requirements helps instill concepts of self-discipline, exposes the student to group interactions with teachers and fellow students, enables the student to hear and participate in class discussions, and involves the student in educational experiences not available in other circumstances. Instructional and learning opportunities lost through absence from class may not be retrievable.

Parent/Guardian Responsibility

Teacher Responsibility

School's Responsibility

Procedure for Excusing a Student’s Absence

In order to excuse all or any part of the day, parents/guardians should notify the school on the day of the absence, by calling 763-315-9760 and following the prompts to report an absence. If a parent/guardian is unable to notify the school on the day of the absence, attendance personnel may call the parent/guardian to verify the student’s reason for absence or a note can be provided upon the student’s return to school.

Prearranged Absences

If a student plans to be absent for more than five consecutive days, prior approval of an administrator is required for the absence to be granted as “excused status”. The final decision as to whether or not absences are excused rests within school administration.

Students leaving during the school day:

If a student needs to leave OEC during the school day for a non-assigned school activity they must contact their case manager and office staff. When leaving campus, the student must sign out at the front office. If the student leaves campus without permission, s/he cannot return to school property on the same school day. Students are responsible for obtaining transportation for all non-school related activities.

Illness:

If a student becomes ill during the day or an emergency situation arises, s/he must have the approval of the nurse or an administrator BEFORE leaving. Failure to follow these procedures may result in an unexcused absence or truancy.

Appointments:

Students with appointments (medical, dental, etc.) will be requested to bring verification of the appointment (upon return) to the main office.

All students are expected to participate in their assigned classes. If a student chooses not to participate in a class, it will result in an unexcused absence or truancy unless given permission and working with another staff member.

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