Attendance Policies 

In accordance with Illinois compulsory attendance requirements and Illinois State Board of Education, it is the policy of Oakdale Christian Academy and Child Care Center that students shall attend school on a regular basis. Students are expected to be in school unless they are ill or involved in some kind of family emergency. We believe that daily attendance, timeliness to class, and preparedness and participation in class will increase the student’s probability for successful performance and fosters the development of self-discipline and responsibility. It is the intention of the teachers of each grade to not only teach the subject matter, but also to encourage the positive attributes of regular attendance, punctuality, and participation. Students are expected to attend school, whether in person or remote. If a student exceeds more than 10 days absent in one school year without a major illness, that number is considered excessive and it will affect your child’s academics.

The following structures are in place for instruction and will be used:

• In-Person
• Combined In-person and Remote
• Full-time Remote depending on what is happening in our world

Oakdale Christian Academy and Child Care Center has an obligation to inform both students and parents/guardians of the student’s progress and attendance in all classes. Oakdale Christian Academy and Child Care Center will collect and review Absence/Tardy Data from Gradelink to check for Chronic Absenteeism and Tardiness and from our findings we will determine what systems of support and resources are needed to encourage chronically Absent or Tardy students and their families to encourage the habit of daily attendance to promote success for the students.

Parents/guardians are to follow proper procedures to inform the school when their child is absent, both for in-person and remote learning days, and to provide a reason for the absences.

It is important to note that while students are Remote Learning, they should follow teacher procedures to log into the class for instruction. Students are expected to attend all Remote Learning sessions provided by the teacher, and if they are not in attendance, they will be marked absent.

When Absent From School 

It is the parent or guardian’s responsibility to call the main office and give the reason for an absence or tardiness.. The parent or guardian is requested to call prior to 7:50 a.m. the day of the absence at (773) 779-9440. In the event that school personnel does not hear from parents/guardians about tardiness or absence before 8:30 a.m. the school will call parents or guardians to determine the reason for the student’s absence.

Parents who cannot call or email must write a note explaining the reason for the absence. The note should be written by the parent in its entirety and signed and dated. If this occurs on a remote learning day, the note can be scanned and emailed to the school email or turned in at the main office on the next in-person school day.

Oakdale will recognize these as “Valid Cause For Absence” means:

1. A student’s personal illness, mental or behavioral health of the student
2. A death in the immediate family,
3. A family emergency,
4. Observance of a religious holiday,
5. Medical appointment,
6. Vacations up to 5 school days
7. Other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian are for the mental, emotional.or physical health or safety of the student (the reasonableness of the parent’s or legal guardian’s concern is subject to evaluation by the principal’s designee, or other Board Officials, on a case-by-case basis).

8. A student’s parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat-support postings.

9. Other situations beyond the control of the student such as court appearances
   Other reasons approved by the Principal or designee.

Excused Absence-Means an absence for which there is a valid cause for absence, that is attested by a communication stating the cause for absence, and is approved by the principal or the principal’s designees, after the date of the absence, or is known to the principal or principal’s designees.

Unexcused Absence 

Absences for any other reason may be considered unexcused. An unexcused absence is defined as an absence from school for a reason other than those listed above as an Excused Absence and/or an absence not authorized by the student’s parent/guardian or the Principal or designee.

A physician’s note will be required to excuse a student and/or for returning to school after the third consecutive day of being absent from school or due to being sick will be requ. If medical documentation is not provided, the absence may be marked “unexcused and your child will not be admitted to school without a doctor’s statement.”

Examples of unexcused absences include:

• Working
• Missing the bus
• Vacations/going out of town.
• Car not starting
• Needed at home
• Other avoidable absences

Schoolwork missed because of unexcused absences must be made up in accordance with the Make-Up Work section below.

Truant Absences 

Truancy is defined as absence without valid cause for one or more periods of the student’s school day. A truant absence is an unexcused absence. After the 9th school day (5% of regular attendance days) on which a student is absent without valid cause, he/she is deemed to be truant under Illinois law. Interventions to address truancy may include attendance letters, parent/guardian conferences, and/or involvement of the administrative staff and/or local law enforcement. No punitive action, including out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, or court action will be taken against a chronically truant student unless available support services and other school resources have been provided to the student, or offered to the student and refused. Any person who has custody or control of a child subject to compulsory attendance who knowingly or willfully permits the child to persist in truancy, if convicted, is guilty of a Class C Misdemeanor and may be subject to up to 30 days imprisonment and/or fine up to $1,500.

Vacation Absences 

Oakdale Christian Academy and Child Care Center strongly encourages families to plan vacations to coincide with the school calendar so as to avoid taking valuable educational time away from their students. Students may ask their teachers to provide advance assignments. The teacher will provide in advance if they have been given ample amount of time to prepare assignments in advance. School work missed because of family vacation must be made up in accordance with the “Makeup Work” Section below.

Tardiness 

Students are expected to be in class on time so they may maximize their learning opportunities. Teachers and the Administration will monitor students’ tardiness. Students will be considered tardy if they arrive after 8:30a.m. On the fifth tardy to school per semester, parents/guardians will be notified of a mandatory meeting. Administration, Students and Parents or Guardians will discuss what are causes or reasons your child or children are consistently being tardy for school. The Administration will conduct Family Interviews, Parent Conferences, Student Counseling, and Family Counseling to share information about existing community services that are available to Chronically Truant students to improve their attendance.

When a student has a pattern of frequent absences because of illness/injury or has been out of school for a contagious condition, an administrator will request a doctor’s excuse. The Administration and Teachers will determine how to support a child who has been Absent or Tardy because of Chronic Illness.

Anticipated Absence 

An anticipated absence is defined as a situation in which a student and parent know in advance that the student will be absent on a school day. School work missed during this absence must be made up on the student’s return.

A student must submit a written explanation (note or email) to the school office from a parent/guardian.

Makeup Work During Absences

Students who are absent from school (in-person or remote) will be allowed to make up work for equivalent academic credit. The time allowed to do makeup work will generally be one school day for every one school day missed, starting with the first day the student returns to school (in-person or remote). In extenuating circumstances a student may ask his/her teacher, or the principal for additional time to make up work.

It is the responsibility of the student (and his/her parent/guardian), not the teachers, to get the assignments, complete them, and turn them in, and to arrange a time with the teacher to make up any missed quizzes or tests. Incomplete work or failure to do the work may result in a lowering of grades or failure in that subject.

Late Arrivals to School 

When a student arrives late to school, he/she must report to the office. The office will issue a tardy pass to admit him/her to class. Work missed may be made up if the teacher permits it. The date of the tardy will be recorded by the teacher in the Gradelink. Students will be allowed only four (4) tardies each semester for any reason, such as appointments, car problems, oversleeping, etc. The only exceptions shall be unavoidable medical or dental appointments which cannot be scheduled during non-school hours. These must be accompanied by parent verification in a written note or in a phone call to the School Office.

Leaving School Early 

Students who need to leave school early for medical purposes (doctor or dental appointments) must bring a note to the School Office before leaving school. The note must be written by the parent in its entirety. The note should include: (1) the requested dismissal time, (2) the reason the student needs to leave early, and (3) a parent signature.

If a student is ill during the day, the student must check out in the School Office before leaving the building. Students should not arrange for parents/guardians to pick them up, without first having been seen by the office Staff or Administration When students report they are ill, it should be reported to the school office immediately and the office staff will call the parents or guardians.

The date of Adoption for the Absenteeism and Truancy Policy is September 30, 2022. The Policy was re-evaluated on January 25, 2023 and submitted to ISBE on January 26, 2023.