No matter what the reason, an absence is an absence.

Daily attendance supports academic success. The habit of regular and punctual attendance is a quality that will follow a student throughout life. We expect all U-46 students to arrive on time and attend school daily.

The Board of Education has established the 2024-25 school year calendar, and it consists of 176 instructional days for students, with five emergency days built into the calendar. A full day of attendance for students must be a minimum of four clock hours of instruction for students in full-day kindergarten or 1st grade and five clock hours of instruction for students in 2nd through 12th grade.

On a regular school day, students in full-day kindergarten or 1st grade who received less than 240 minutes of instruction but at least 120 minutes, can be claimed for a half day of attendance. Students in 2nd through 12th grade who receive less than 300 minutes of instruction but at least 150 minutes of instruction can be claimed for a half-­day of attendance.

Consider the following before keeping your child home. 

1. Does your child have a fever of 100°F or higher? 
2. Has your child vomited in the past 24 hours? 
3. Does your child have diarrhea?
4. Are your child’s eyes crusty, bright red, and/or discharging yellow or green fluid (conjunctivitis/pink eye)?
5. If your child complains of a sore throat, is it accompanied by fever, headache, stomachache, or swollen glands?
6. If your child complains of a stomachache, is it accompanied by fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, sharp pain, and/or a hard belly?
7. Does your child have a persistent, phlegmy cough?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, please keep your child home from school and consider seeking medical attention. Keep your child home until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours or until the doctor indicates that they can return to school.

Send your child to school if they have...

• a mild cold, headache, or stomachache that is not accompanied by fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.
• an earache with no fever and can concentrate on their work.

Download a copy of this checklist - When To Keep Your Child Home / Cuándo mantener a su hijo(a) en casa

Source: Absenteeism and Truancy: Interventions and Universal Procedures. Adapted with permission. 

Regular attendance helps students enjoy school more and feel connected to their community. It also boosts academic performance and enhances social skills.

Reporting a child's absence is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Parents/guardians are expected to call their child’s school before any absence. Just as concern would be felt if a student did not arrive home after school, the same concern exists if a student does not come to school. In addition to the call, schools may require notes from home following the student’s absence. Parents are asked to follow the individual school policy on this matter. When reporting a child's absence, the parent/guardian will need to provide the student's name, grade level, student ID number if applicable, and the reason for the absence.

Excused vs. Unexcused Absences

Excused absences are those with a valid cause and which have been reported to the school by a parent or guardian. Unexcused absences are absences for which there is no legitimate cause. Excused absences include: 

• • Illness (including mental or behavioral health)
  • Exclusion related to an infectious disease as mandated by IDPH
  • Observance of a religious holiday
  • Death in the immediate family
  • Family emergency
  • Circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent or guardian for the safety or health of the student. The reasonableness of the concern shall be subject to evaluation by the principal or principal’s designee, on a case-by-case basis.