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Keystone Oaks School District

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Attendance & Truancy Guidelines

Elementary Schools - Attendance Information

For parents/guardians with children in elementary school:

If your child is late to school, absent from school, or needs to be dismissed from school early, please email the information below to the building secretary or you may submit it through the attendance notification that you will receive through ParentSquare. You may also send in a paper excuse, which is available for download by clicking this link: School Excuse Form.

Information to include in the absence email:

  • Student Name:
  • Student Grade:
  • Date(s) student was tardy, absent, or is to be dismissed early: 
  • Reason for tardy, absence, or early dismissal: 
  • For early dismissals, person who will pick up child: 
  • Phone number where parent/guardian can be reached:

Excuses must be sent in within three days of the student returning to school or the absence will be marked as illegal.

Vacation Request Form
Up to five (5) pre-approved days are allowable per student for the purposes of vacation. Those five (5) allowable days will count towards the 10 parent excuses allowable per student each school year. Approval of days will be at the discretion of the building principal. Vacation Request Form K-8

Requirements for approval:

  • Request must be submitted to the main office at least one (1) week prior to the anticipated beginning date of the requested absence(s) in order to be considered for principal approval.
  • The District may limit the number and duration of non-school sponsored educational tours or trips for which excused absences may be granted to a student during the year.
  • Upon return to school from the approved trip, the student will have up to the number of approved days missed to complete and submit the assigned work on the work completion form for their individual teachers. Students will receive a zero (0) for all incomplete assigments.

For questions about attendance, please contact the building secretary where your child attends elementary school:

Fred L. Aiken Elementary School

Dormont Elementary School

Myrtle Avenue Elementary School

Middle & High School - Attendance Information

Keystone Oaks Middle School and Keystone Oaks High School utilize an email address solely for attendance purposes. 

These email addresses should be used for reporting all aspects of attendance:

  • Daily Absences
  • Early Dismissals
  • Late Arrivals
  • Vacation Requests

The email address can also be used to send the school a copy of a medical excuse. Simply take a picture of the medical excuse and send it to the appropriate email address. These email accounts are monitored. 

For dismissal changes after 2 p.m., please contact the school directly:

  • Keystone Oaks High School: 412-571-6000, Option 1
  • Keystone Oaks Middle School: 412-571-6000, Option 2

Keystone Oaks Middle School - Vacation Request Form
Up to five (5) pre-approved days are allowable per student for the purposes of vacation. Those five (5) allowable days will count towards the 10 parent excuses allowable per student each school year. Approval of days will be at the discretion of the building principal. Vacation Request Form K-8

Requirements for approval:

  • Request must be submitted to the main office at least one (1) week prior to the anticipated beginning date of the requested absence(s) in order to be considered for principal approval.
  • The District may limit the number and duration of non-school sponsored educational tours or trips for which excused absences may be granted to a student during the year.
  • Upon return to school from the approved trip, the student will have up to the number of approved days missed to complete and submit the assigned work on the work completion form for their individual teachers. Students will receive a zero (0) for all incomplete assignments.

Keystone Oaks High School - Attendance Waiver Request Form
Up to five (5) pre-approved days are allowable per student for the purposes of vacation. Those five (5) allowable days will count towards the 10 parent excuses allowable per student each school year. Approval of days will be at the discretion of the building principal. Download the form: Attendance Waiver Request Form 9-12[43]

Requirements for approval:

  • Request must be submitted to the main office at least one (1) week before the absence to be approved.
  • Following principal approval, the student will be given a homework completion form that required the student's teachers signatures and prompts the teacher to provide work that will be completed during the absence. Turn this back into the main office before the absence.
  • Upon return to school, the student will have up to 5 days to complete and submit the assigned work on the homework completion form to their individual teachers. Students will receive a "0" for all incomplete assignments.

Attendance & Truancy Laws and Guidelines

Showing up for school has a significant impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

To help ensure that students attend school regularly, the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires school districts to follow its Compulsory Attendance and School Attendance Improvement Plan. This law is a cross-agency collaboration with the Department of Human Services and the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, and aligns with state agency efforts to provide comprehensive guidelines for schools, families and communities.

Additional information is also included in Policy 204: Attendance, which is available online.

These are the guidelines for unexcused absences for children in first grade through age 18, per state regulations and as outlined in Keystone Oaks Policy #204: Attendance.

  • Three Unexcused or Illegal Absences
    •  A letter will be sent to parents/guardians within 10 days of the third absence.
    • The District may offer a School Attendance Improvement Conference with parents to discuss the issue.

 

  • When a student UNDER fifteen years of age reaches six illegal absences:
    • The student should be referred to the Student Assistance Program.
    • Consultation with DHS Navigation Hub, the Community Resources Navigators, must be done.
    • A referral to Childline must be made.
    • A citation may be filed with the local magistrate against the person in parental relation.

 

  • When a student is fifteen years of age or OLDER has reached six illegal absences:
    • The student should be referred to the Student Assistance Program.
    • Consultation with DHS Navigation Hub, the Community Resource Navigators, must be done.
    • A citation must be filed with the local magistrate against the student OR the person in parental relation.
    • Staff may refer the student to Childline if additional unexcused absences continue to incur after being referred to an Attendance Improvement Program, or if the student refused to participate in the program.

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school, regardless of the reason, it can cause them to fall behind academically. When your child is absent, an excuse must be turned in within 3 days of the absence.

It is important that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. If you have questions about the district’s attendance policy or the new state guidelines, please contact your building principal.