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Attendance

School Attendance Policies

Research shows that school attendance and student achievement are directly related. Virtual school attendance is just as important. iFlagler full time students are expected to spend the same amount of time on their virtual classes as they would in brick-and-mortar classes.  
In order to be successful, students should stay on pace by completing and submitting a minimum of 5% of the required work for each week for each class. Students in grades K–8 are expected to spend a minimum of 5–6 hours per day working online. 9–12 grade students are expected to spend a minimum of 6–7 hours per day working online. In some cases, even more time will be necessary for success. The advantage of the virtual class setting is that the hours can start and end at the student’s convenience. With 24/7 access, students can even complete course work on Saturdays and Sundays.

Weekly attendance will be monitored according to pacing guides. Students more than 5% behind pace in three or more classes will be marked absent for the week. Five days absent will be entered in Skyward.

Students who do not submit assignments for 10 consecutive days will be considered truant. If contact from the student and family is not made, and absences are not excused, then truancy proceedings will be followed.

iFlagler follows the district policy for excused and unexcused absences. Doctors notes and parent notes for excused absences must be submitted to the iFlagler office.

Missing/Late Work

Students are expected to submit weekly assignments to stay on pace. This is also how attendance is determined. When students do not follow the pacing guide, they end up falling behind academically. To keep students learning and to align with the attendance policy, teachers will enter a temporary grade of one point for each missing assignment every two weeks on Wednesdays. Students will have the opportunity to complete these assignments for full credit within the following two weeks. This will give students flexibility in completing assignments while staying on track. After the two week window, the one point grade will be changed to a zero. After zeros are entered for assignments a month overdue, students are able to make up those assignments only if time permits. This will give everyone a clearer picture of how a student is progressing.

In summary, students must follow the pacing guide and submit work weekly. This will help ensure students are progressing as needed to be successful, while also keeping them in attendance compliance.

District Attendance Policies

Excused Absences

State law and district attendance policy allow the parent/guardian to write notes to document and excuse up to ten days of student absence for illness or excusable reasons per year; five days in the first term (August–January) and five days in the second term (January–June).

Beyond those ten days, if a student has a serious reason to miss additional days, the school principal can review parent requests to excuse up to five more days per year for a total of 15 days. That is a significant amount of time out of school especially when students have to make up the missed work and keep up with the new work. Students do not receive credit for work made up for unexcused absences, which will impact their grades.



Beyond 15 days per year, only doctor/therapist or court notes are accepted to excuse absences. It is very important to document all days of absence with a note, which must be turned in at school even if the reason for absences does not allow the day to be excused. It is important to note that family vacations are not excusable days. Questions about attendance should be directed to the attendance clerk at your child's school.



Unexcused Absences

When students begin to accrue "unexcused absences," the district is required to monitor the student's attendance. Calls are made to the home on the day of absence. Letters are sent home when the students begin to have more unexcused absences.
 
When the unexcused days total ten in a 90-day period or five in a 30-day period, the school counselor is required to hold a Student Study Team (SST) meeting to talk with the parent/guardian about why the student is missing school and make a plan to reduce the number of unexcused absences. Remember, students can easily fall behind in learning when they miss days of school.
 
If the unexcused absences do not stop, the district is required to refer the student's family for additional services. Failure to have a child attend school is a legal violation. In severe cases, the parent/guardian may be required to go to court to explain the situation to a judge and can be placed on probation. No one wants this to happen, so it is very important that the home and school work together toward student achievement and success.

Attendance Makes a Difference

Good Attendance: 9 or Fewer Absences
  • Students with good attendance generally achieve higher grades and enjoy school more.
  • Students benefit most from their educational opportunities if they attend school regularly and on time.
Warning: 10–17 Absences
  • Students absent an average of 15 days per year will miss a year's worth of school before their senior year. 
  • When students miss a day of school, it actually puts them two days behind their classmates.
Chronic Absenteeism: 18 or More Absences
  • Excused and unexcused absences represent lost time in the classroom and lost opportunities to learn.
  • Missing just one day every two weeks adds up to 18 days in a year.