In order for children to learn, both academically and socially, they need to attend school on a consistent basis. It is the parents' responsibility to make sure that their children attend school, unless they are absent for one of the following reasons:
- An illness or injury that prevents participation in regular school activities
- A medical or dental appointment that can only be made during school hours (please try to schedule appointments after school hours whenever possible)
- An acute, serious illness or death in the family
*Please limit family vacations to our scheduled vacation periods.
**Please note: Children should not be sent to school if they have had a fever in the last 24 hours, have a temperature higher than 98.6, have vomiting or diarrhea, or have an unidentified rash.
If your child cannot attend school due to one of the reasons listed above, the absence is considered an excused absence. Absences for family vacations are not excused; the staff is not required to provide work for children who are absent for this reason.
If your child is absent for any reason, please do the following:
- Notify the school by phone if your child will not be attending school that day.
- Notify the school when your child will be coming in late due to a medical or dental appointment, even if the child will be attending school later in the day.
- Send in a note with your child when she or he returns stating the reason for the absence, the dates of absence, and your signature.
If the child is marked absent by the teacher and we have not heard from his or her parent, a staff member or parent volunteer will call his or her home. This is done to ensure the safety of the child.
If a child has more than 4 unexcused absences or tardies during a month or more than 10 at any time during the school year, we will request that the parent participate in an attendance assessment meeting. An attendance assessment meeting will also be held if there is an unusual pattern of absences. The purpose of such a meeting is to determine if family assistance is needed to ensure that the child attends school consistently.
If we are unable to contact the parent or a parent will not attend meetings regarding attendance, the matter will be referred to The Juvenile Matters Court Unit of the Family Division of Connecticut Superior Court, as specified in Connecticut General Statute 10-198a.
Because Side by Side is a charter school committed to the success of every child, we reserve the right to require a child to attend summer school if he or she has been excessively absent. This may be a condition for promotion.