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ATTENDANCE

Pennwood’s attendance policy is rooted in the belief that students’ consistent commitment to their academics leads to success. Student attendance refers to the daily completion of educational activities related to learning such as but not limited to completing lessons, assignments, assessments, portfolio items, labs, etc., engaging in mandatory state and local assessments, participating in approved extra- and co-curricular activities, and interactions with school staff in LiveLessons or in-person events.

 

Please read over the following guidelines in our Pennwood handbook thoroughly. Pennwood's attendance information is written in accordance with Pennsylvania Compulsory School Attendance Laws.  ​

Pennsylvania Compulsory School Attendance Laws

All students from age 6 to 18 must be enrolled and attend school. Upon accumulating three illegal absences, Pennsylvania Compulsory School Attendance Laws require that a first official notice be mailed to the parent(s)/guardian(s). Letters are also sent when a student accumulates six and ten illegal absences. PA Compulsory School Attendance Laws classify a student as "truant" upon accumulating three illegal absences. PA Compulsory School Attendance Laws classify a student as "habitually truant" upon accumulating six illegal absences. At this six-day interval, a SAIC (Student Attendance Improvement Conference) meeting will be offered to the family to discuss the absences. A truancy citation can be filed with the local Magisterial District Judge at ten illegal absences. After an investigation into ten (10) consecutive absences, the student will be withdrawn from Pennwood Cyber Charter School for truancy, and the Resident District will be notified of the withdrawal. Children and Youth will also be notified for students under the age of eighteen (18).

 

If you receive an attendance notification, kindly respond promptly. Be aware that illegal absences can result in the inability to make-up missed assignments and academic decline.  

Marking and Verifying Attendance

The Learning Coach/Caretaker is responsible for documenting student attendance in Pearson Online Classroom and is responsible for verifying the accuracy of attendance records through authenticating student lesson completion and participation. There is a direct correlation between attendance and engaging in educational activities such as lesson completion. Simply logging on will not count towards the day’s attendance if there is no evidence of engaging in educational activities such as lesson completion or synchronous contacts (LL, phone call).

Hours of Schooling/Attendance

Students must meet all regulatory requirements for attending public schools in the state. These regulatory requirements include attending school for 180 days and completing a required number of hours of instruction per year. Pennwood Cyber Charter School exceeds the 180 days and has a mandated 195 days of schooling for all students. Hours of schooling per day and/or week are accumulated by completing lessons, assessments, portfolio items, labs, attending direct instruction sessions, attending educational field trips, participating in state mandated assessments, and by participating in other educational activities. Failure to attend mandatory LiveLesson sessions, state testing, or respond to WebMail and phone call messages from teachers may be counted against documented attendance.

Attendance Tracking

Pennwood's Engagement Team monitors and reviews attendance records on a weekly basis, including identifying and recording excused absences and unexcused absences as well as auditing lesson completion and participation. The Attendance Office has the right to audit and adjust a student’s attendance in accordance with lesson completion and participation.

 

The attendance system prohibits further editing of attendance data at certain points (usually ten school days). Any requests for adjustments to the previously verified records must be submitted to the Attendance Office in writing for review and if approved, the Attendance Office will make the adjustment.

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The Pearson Online Classroom attendance system is the record of student attendance. It is, however, one of many sources used to determine if a student is meeting the minimum program requirements. If it has been determined that a student has not completed enough work or that other program requirements have not been fulfilled, further sanctions up to and including withdrawal may occur. Simply completing lessons will not keep a student’s alarm status “On Track”. If a student regularly does not complete enough work to remain “On Track”, despite repeated assistance and intervention from the school, then the student may accumulate unexcused absences and/or be withdrawn.

 

Pennwood Cyber Charter School will work closely with families in the event a student has unexcused absences from school. Our goal is to work collaboratively with families to prevent truancy and improve student attendance and achievement. Please contact Mr. Jordan Wiegand at (717) 219-7907 to discuss any attendance-related issues.

Excusable Absences

Excusable absences include:

  1. Legitimate illness.

  2. Medically/legally documented appointments.

  3. Death in the immediate family.

  4. Exceptionally urgent reasons that affect the child as determined by the administration.

  5. Religious holiday observance.

  6. Educational Trip experiences pre-approved by the administration.

 

All other absences are considered to be illegal. Absences for non-medical or legally related appointments, employment, or other circumstances not covered under the seven excusable absences above will be coded as illegal/unexcused regardless of a parent(s)/guardian(s) submitting a notification of their absence. All excuses must be submitted within three school days of the absence.

 

If a child is absent for three or more consecutive days, a medical excuse is required for these absences.

Excessive Excused Absences

Once a student accumulates ten excused absences (documented by a parent/guardian), all future absences will require a medical excuse. A notification letter will be sent to the parent/guardian(s) when a student has reached these criteria. Failure to provide documentation from a medical professional for each additional or partial absence will result in the absence being coded as illegal/unexcused. These absences can result in truancy violations or disenrollment from Pennwood Cyber Charter School. Be aware that excessive excused absences can result in the inability to make-up missed assignments and academic decline.

Educational Trips

If a student is participating in an educational trip, the Caretaker or Learning Coach must submit a request to the school by Webmailing the Pennwood Attendance office. The Pennwood Attendance office must receive the Educational Trip request at least two (2) weeks prior to the planned trip. The leave must be approved by School Administration. Learning Coaches and/or Caretakers should communicate with teachers about adjusted work completion goals.

Truancy

To maximize student learning, regular attendance is imperative. Pennwood Cyber Charter School offers a great deal of flexibility surrounding how many hours students spend each day on schoolwork and on what days of the week they complete schoolwork. Caretakers are held legally responsible for ensuring that their students are fully participating in school, even if they have designated another individual as their student’s Learning Coach. The information below is intended to help Caretakers understand how to avoid having their student be considered truant, and to understand the consequences of truancy.

 

To avoid truancy, the Caretaker must ensure that the following activities are taking place:

  • The student completes assigned lessons and assessments weekly, maintaining 6% overall completion each school week.

  • The student is available for regularly scheduled telephone calls with teachers.

  • The student attends any assigned mandatory LiveLesson sessions; this includes one weekly live session where the student can be seen on camera per PA state law

  • The student can demonstrate that they are doing their own schoolwork.

  • The student attends mandatory state testing.

  • The Caretaker or Learning Coach has communicated with the Attendance Office in advance if they need to deviate from the regular school calendar (for example, switching a vacation and school day).

 

The final decision whether an absence is considered excused or unexcused will be made by the Manager of Engagement, Principal or CEO. Please note that three (3) unexcused absences are not in compliance with the law

SAIC (Student Attendance Improvement Conference)

A SAIC is a conference where the child's absences and reasons for the absences are examined in order to improve attendance, with or without additional services. All of the following individuals may be invited to the conference:

  • The student

  • Caretaker 

  • Learning Coach

  • Appropriate school personnel

  • Recommended service providers

 

Pennwood Cyber Charter School will hold a SAIC conference even if the caretaker or learning coach declines to participate or fails to attend. Pennwood will document the outcome of any SAIC in a written school attendance improvement plan (SAIP). The SAIP should include accessing academic and social/health supports from the school and community organizations, an outline of family/parent and student responsibilities, and levels of performance monitoring that include rewards and consequences. 

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