Report An Absence

Only the following reasons are EXCUSED:

• Illness verified with a physician statement, including date and time of visit. The statement must be received within 2 weeks of the appointment or the absence will be marked as unexcused. 
• Funeral/death in the family. 
• Medical, dental and legal appointments. Statements must be received within 2 weeks or the absence will be marked as unexcused. 
• Nurse sends the student home sick. (If due to a fever, the following day will be excused as well.)
• Observation of a religious holiday. 
• College visit (2 per year). 
• Other reason acceptable to the building administrator or as permitted by law. 

An UNEXCUSED Absence is: 

• Parent calls to report an absence but no official statements are provided (i.e. physicians statement, legal appointment statement, etc.). 
• Parent decides to keep student at home. 
• Vacation - out of town
• Any absence not covered under the definition of excused absences. 

TRUANT absences are: 

• When a parent or guardian does not contact the school when the student is absence. The total number of days truant are reported to the state of Indiana. 

REPERCUSSIONS

• All absences are monitored and disciplinary action may result. EVSCV may have a Pre-Court conference upon reaching 10 unexcused/truant absences where parents, students and the school create a plan to prevent additional absences. 

If your child is absent more than a few days, you may get a call from the school to make sure everything is okay. If you need help, please let the school counselor or social worker know.

After five absences, the school may send you a letter informing you that your child has missed 5 days of school. You may also receive a letter from the Judge.

At 8 days absent, you may receive a phone call reminding you about the attendance policy.
If your child has missed 10 days, you will be asked to take part in a pre-court conference or meeting with school staff. This conference is designed to provide you with a greater level of support and prevent you and your child from having to go to court over attendance.
After you have had a pre-court conference and a Legal Notice has been given, your child is required to attend school unless they have a Doctor’s statement, Court excuse or a Funeral excuse. The school nurse can also excuse your child. If your child continues to miss days, you and your child may be referred to Pre-court with the Judge (1st-8th grades) and Truancy Roundtable (9th-12th grades). You may get a visit from the EVSC Truancy Officer. The officer will work closely with you to work through attendance issues and get your student back on track.

If your student continues to miss, the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's office may decide to take legal action.

Students who miss additional days of school after the pre-court conference are required by Indiana law to have a medical statement from a physician or be seen and possibly sent home by the school nurse. Failure to follow this law will result in a referral to Child Protective Services or Juvenile Court, depending upon the circumstances and the age of the student.

Students may have credits denied for excessive truancies. This is not automatic but at the school administrator’s discretion and based on individual circumstances. Continued truancies may also result in loss of a driver’s license or work permit. The Social Security Administration monitors to make sure students are attending school regularly. A restructuring of payments could occur for students who do not attend regularly.

You can monitor your child’s attendance using the Parent Portal, or you can call your school social worker or counselor.