Attendance

Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that their children attend school according to the Compulsory Attendance Provision of the PA State School Code. Academy Online students are expected to complete no less than a lesson per day when school is in session (reference CASD Calendar) for each of the major courses in which they are enrolled. The schedule of courses will be arranged through the Virtual Administrator (or by the assigned counselor). Students who do not attend school as mandated by state law will be considered truant (unexcused if 17 years of age or older). Parents and/or students will be held accountable for student attendance according to the truancy provisions of state law/regulations.

While the student handbooks provides detailed information on student attendance a summary of this information follows.

Excused Absences

The CASD recognizes that there are circumstances that will keep students from completing daily lesson requirements. Absences that would be considered excused fall into one of the categories shown. Students are expected to complete all work missed due to any absence.

Illness, health condition, family emergency- the parent/guardian is expected to notify the Virtual Administrator the day of the absence via email. If the student sees a doctor for the illness, a note from the attending physician should be submitted by mail.

Participation in a school-approved activity- Academy students who participate in extracurricular activities for which they are eligible shall be granted an excused absence. Affected online teachers should be notified prior to the event/activity.

Pre-arranged absence- upon request by the parents/guardians, students may be granted an excused absence according to the pre-arranged guidelines. The request should be submitted in writing (to the Virtual Administrator) and should state the reason and duration of the absence. Pre-arranged absences may be denied if there is a history of absenteeism, if students are experiencing academic difficulties (i.e. poor grades), and/or if they are deemed detrimental to the student’s academic progress.

Disciplinary actions- absences due to any disciplinary actions taken by the district administration are deemed excused absences.

Unexcused Absences (Note: Unlawful if students are 16 years of age or younger)

Any absence that does not fall into the excused category or is not adequately documented will be considered unexcused/unlawful (depending on the age of the students). Parents/guardians will be notified of any absences that are not excused. Students who accrue absences in this category shall be subject to meet with the Virtual Administrator along with their parents/guardians. At this meeting the Virtual School Administrator will specify the consequences of continued patterns of unexcused/unlawful absences to include reporting of the absences to the office of the magisterial justice and/or withdrawal from the CASD- CVA Academy Online program.

Written Excuses- PA State Law requires parents/guardians to submit a written excuse within three days of any absence. Failure to submit written excuses within the specified time period will result in the absence(s) being classified as unexcused/unlawful.