Attendance

School Attendance Matters: Every Day Counts!

LTSD understands how important families, teachers, and schools are in helping students succeed in school. Attendance is crucial to building a strong foundation for success in school and success after graduation.

Showing Up Matters, Every Student Matters.

Too often students, parents and schools do not realize how quickly absences, excused and unexcused, can add up to academic trouble.

Chronic absences—missing 10 percent of the school year, or just 2-3 days every month—can translate into third-graders unable to master reading, sixth-graders failing courses, and ninth-graders dropping out of high school.

Every day missed is a day of instruction missed, a day of classroom interaction with students and teachers that can’t be recovered.
Attendance matters as early as kindergarten. Studies show many children who miss too many days in kindergarten and first grade can struggle academically in later years. They often have trouble mastering reading by the end of third grade.
Chronic absence does not just affect the students who miss school. If too many students are chronically absent, it slows down instruction for other students, who must wait while the teacher repeats material for absentee students. This makes it harder for students to learn and teachers to teach.
Preschool is a great time to start building a habit of good attendance. Young children with poor attendance in preschool also lose out on valuable learning time and if chronic absence continues into kindergarten, it can pull down academic achievement.

Absences

How do I excuse my child's absences?

On days children are absent from school, parents are required to call the school (Nurse Barbieri-609-702-5555, then press 2 for student absence or reach the school nurse press 3) before 8:00 a.m. An answering machine will take your call. You can call the night before. Simply state your child's name, grade and teacher. If the school has not received any kind of notification concerning an absent child, every effort will be made to contact the parent at home or at work. If necessary, emergency phone numbers as per the "Emergency Card" will be utilized. If the school is unable to contact anyone regarding a child’s absence, the School Resource Officer and/or police will be notified and asked to go to the home to perform a “well child” check.

What is an excused absence?

Absence, tardiness or departure from school before the end of the school day shall be excused for the following reasons:

Student illness (doctor’s note required)
Death in the student’s family (parent note required)
Quarantine (doctor’s note required)
Doctor or dental appointments which cannot be arranged for any other time (doctor’s note required)
Religious holidays (parent note required)
Court appearances (legal documentation required)

Board Policy #5200

Located Here

A full day of school for full-day students is four or more hours of actual class time.

A student must be present in school all day to be eligible to participate in, or attend, any school event held that day or evening. Students must be present in school on Friday to participate in, or attend, any school event held during that weekend. (This includes all special 8th grade activities.) Special conditions require administrative review.

New Jersey attendance law requires that all children between the ages of 6 and 16 attend school regularly. Parents/guardians must ensure student attendance and punctuality. Please arrange family vacations when school is not in session. Unauthorized absences from school, lateness to school or early dismissals from school, will not be condoned and every effort will be made to eliminate the cause of these problems. District policy states that students who are absent from school for Take Your Child to Work Day will be excused with proper documentation, but will NOT be eligible for perfect attendance.

How do I arrange an absence for my child?

While the district does not encourage extended, prearranged absences, we recognize that circumstances may arise that require a student to be away from school for an extended period of time. If your child will be absent for multiple consecutive days, please notify the school in writing in advance, including the dates of the absence and the reason. Please be aware that, in accordance with state attendance regulations, any absence lasting more than ten (10) consecutive school days will result in the student being disenrolled from the district. Upon your child’s return, you will be required to re-enroll through the district registration office.

Regular school attendance is essential for continued academic progress. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping us informed and supporting your child’s learning.

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section