General Info
Attendance Policy

Absences
All students are expected to attend school and to be on time.  In the event that your child is absent from school, please notify the school as soon as possible on the day of the absence.  A student is considered absent if they are not present in school for at least half of the school day. The chart below indicates the minimum number of minutes a student must attend school in order to be marked present. Even if a student is tardy to school or has an early dismissal, students who are present in school for less than the minimum number of minutes will be marked absent.

Full Day number of required minutes:  180 minutes
Half Day number of required minutes:  103 minutes

Absences will be documented excused, unexcused, or truant.

The Natick Public Schools require the following procedures to verify pupil absences or tardiness and to address pupil safety concerns:

Parents are expected to call the school as soon as it is determined that a child will be absent or tardy.  Please call the absentee call in line 508-647-6571 as early as possible and prior to 8:20 a.m.  You may call this number at any time and leave a message on the answering machine.

We encourage you to call on the day prior to your child's absence if you know such will occur (medical appointments, out of town visits, etc.)


Call Back System
School personnel will call any parent who has not notified the school by 9:00 a.m. on the day of your child's absence.  If we do not hear from you, we must call your home, work, or our attendance officer to be sure of your child's whereabouts.
Regular attendance is essential to a student's success in school.  Therefore, students are required to attend school regularly.


TARDINESS
It is important for children to be at school on time so they can make effective progress.
Any student who arrives after 8:40, the start of the academic day, will be marked tardy.


ABSENCES DUE TO ILLNESS
Although regular attendance is expected, a sick child should never be sent to school.  A child should be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Reasons for recommending a child's exclusion from school include:
Colds, cough, runny nose
Temperature over 99 degrees F.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (unless on medication)
Undiagnosed rash*
Conjunctivitis*
Scabies*
Impetigo*
Pediculosis (head lice)*
Ringworm*

*Note: Because of the contagious nature of these health conditions, if a child comes to school with these symptoms, he/she will be dismissed. All cases of infectious disease must be reported to the Board of Health (508-647-6460).  Pupil's release certificates are given by the Board of Health on all reported cases.  These certificates must be presented at school before the pupil can be readmitted.