Attendance Policy
Attendance Policy
Main Office Phone Number: 814-237-5301
If you have questions about attendance or need to speak with our office staff, please call the above phone number and select option 1. Select option 2 to leave a Safe Arrival message instead.
Safe Arrival Phone Number: 814-231-1011 xtn 8553
If you know that your child will be late/absent, but are not able to reach us or send in an excuse note, please let us know by calling the above phone number and leaving a message with the following information: date, student name, and grade/team. This helps us make sure that students are safe and accounted for if they do not show up for school in the morning. You will still need to provide a note/email in order to excuse the absence.
Late To School
Students who arrive after 8:40 a.m. will need to sign in at the office for a tardy pass. Parents/guardians will need to provide a note explaining the reason for the late arrival. Notes stating the student overslept or missed the bus, traffic, among others are not considered legitimate excuses for tardiness. Unexcused late minutes will be added and counted toward full day absences.
Early Dismissal
Parent/guardian notes should be delivered to the Main Office before classes begin (on the day the student is to be excused early). Students will be given a pass to be excused, with time to collect their belongings and come to the office. A parent/guardian or an adult sent by the parent/guardian must come to the office to pick them up - we do not send early dismissal students to waiting vehicles unaccompanied. Parents/guardians who do not provide notes in advance should expect a wait while the student is contacted and collects their things.
Absence Excuses
If you have reported your child's absence via a Safe Arrival or other phone call, please know that we appreciate your call. However, state law requires an Absence Excuse for all absences to be returned to school within 72 hours of the date of absence. Excuses sent after the 72 hour window are considered unexcused. Written notes, emails from registered parent accounts, and submissions through ParentVUE are all acceptable ways to provide excuse notes.
3 or more unexcused absences: After accruing 3 days of unexcused absences, a First Offense will be filed. Further absences may require parents to attend a School Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) meeting, or may provoke a Second Offense being filed.
17 or more absences with parent notes (counting Educational Trips): Parents will receive attendance letters in the mail/email to notify them of the limit, and doctor excuses will be required for any additional absences.
Educational Trips
Please fill out and send an Educational Trip Form to the Attendance Secretary listing the dates you are requesting as educational trip days. These signed forms must be turned in to the Main Office to be reviewed by the Assistant Principal for approval. If an absence of longer than 3 days is expected, the Attendance Secretary will email a google form to the student with all homework assignments.
Contact
Esther Zheng
PFMS Attendance Secretary
xrz11@scasd.org
814-237-5301