District Officials: Parents Discuss District's Attendance Polices With Your Children

Sunny and warmer weather, local rallies, and other activities may tempt students to skip school without their parents permission.

Students at McKay High School in Salem Photo By: Tim King

(SALEM) - As the Salem-Keizer School District enters its final few weeks, district officials are urging parents to discuss with their children the district's policy on attendance.

Patti Hoffert, Assistant Director of Secondary Education says now that the rainy weather has been replaced by warmer, sunny days, students may be tempted to miss or skip school for the day.

By skipping school, students harm their own academic progress and make it more difficult of their classmates to learn as well Hoffert said.

The Salem-Keizer School District Attendance Policies:

Students may not leave school or stay at home from school without permission from their parent or guardian.

Excused absences include: illness of the student, serious illness or death of a family member, or a medical appointment that cannot be scheduled outside the school day.

For an absence to be excused, parents must make a direct call or provide the reason in writing to the school.

When a student is absent without permission, this is an unexcused absence.

Students are not allowed to make up work and/or take tests they missed during unexcused absence.

In addition, school district policy calls for progressive discipline including in-school suspension or detention for the unexcused absences, with consequences increasing for multiple infractions.

Area police say they will be enforcing daytime curfew laws.