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Student Attendance 

In order to better track attendance at the elementary school level, we request that parents/guardians telephone the Attendance Office or email the school attendance address by  8:30 AM on the morning of your child’s absence (you may even leave a message the evening before if you know your child is going to be absent). 

 

Seylar Elementary Attendance Line: 215‐257‐6272 (option #1) 

 

Seylar Elementary Attendance Email: SEYAttendance@pennridge.org

 

Your call/email will go directly to the attendance office to report the absence and the email will generate to all office staff to make sure it is recorded properly.  

 

Please provide the child’s name, the child’s grade, the parent/guardian’s name, and the reason  for the absence (sick, doctor’s appointment, funeral, etc.) Your telephone message/email correspondence will eliminate the need for you to send an absence note in with your child on the morning of their return. If your child needs to be out multiple days, please call the attendance office each morning of their absence.  

 

Additionally, a student is marked tardy if he/she arrives after 8:50 AM. A parent/guardian must come into the office to sign the student in if arriving after 8:50 AM. 

 

Should there be a need to pick your child up early, you can use the email option to notify the office staff during the day. These notifications should be sent as early as possible on the day and not after 2:00 PM. Please copy your child’s teacher to the email so that they will be aware of the change in dismissal. Please include the reason for the early dismissal.  

 

Anytime you are able to provide a note from your child’s doctor or dentist regarding an absence,  late arrival or early dismissal, the time away from school will be marked as non‐cumulative. You may scan and send it electronically to the above email address, or send the note in with your child when he/she returns to school.  

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding attendance, please contact Becky Ogden in our attendance office. 

 

Attendance Policy

The Pennridge School District enforces the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's School Attendance  Law. The law states: "A maximum of ten days of cumulative lawful absences verified by parental notification may be permitted during the school year. All absences beyond ten cumulative days  require an excuse from a physician."    

 

Absences include illness, quarantine, required court appearance, death in the family, educational tours and trips, as well as family vacations. The law clearly states no student may be absent from school more than ten cumulative days without a written doctor's excuse, including prearranged/approved educational trips or family vacations.     

 

Cumulative absences include: illness covered by parental contact (written excuse, fax, email,  verbal communication via telephone call), family vacation while school is in session (pre‐approval needed), truancy, and other absences not classified as non‐cumulative. Non‐cumulative absences include: extended illness verified by a doctor's note, death in the family, religious holiday as designated by the Department of Education, and out‐of‐school suspension.     

 

Should you plan family vacations during the school year, please understand this time away from school will be combined with all other absences. Should the total cumulative absences exceed ten days, a written doctor's excuse will be required, or the absences will be considered unlawful.  Please know that no family trips will be approved on any PSSA testing dates for your child’s grade level. Feel free to contact the school office if you need further clarification regarding the enforcement of attendance regulations.