Absence note: A paper note providing a valid reason for the student's absence must be submitted to the school for the absence to be considered excused
Attendance rate: Percentage of days present out of total days enrolled; attendance rate includes both excused and unexcused absences
Truant: A student with one or more unexcused absences
Chronic absentee: A student with 18 or more excused or unexcused absences (10 percent or more of days enrolled)
Chronic truant: A student with 9 or more unexcused absences for the school year (5 percent or more of days enrolled)
Excused absence: Students’ absences are considered as excused absences when they take place for one of the following reasons:
- Student illness
- Observance of a religious holiday (absence note required)
- Death in the immediate family
- Family emergency
- Circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for their child's safety or health (must be approved by the principal)
- Other situations beyond the control of the student (as determined by principal)
Unexcused absence: A student absence that is not for one of the six valid reasons is deemed an unexcused absence:
- An unexcused absence for all or part of a school day by a student in grades K through 12 is deemed a truant absence and the student is designated a truant student
- A truant absence by a grade 9 through 12 student is referred to as a "cut"
- A chronic truant is a K through 12 student who has 9 or more full-day unexcused absences for the school year