FAMILIES

24 Hour Attendance Number and Email for Absences  
ATTENDANCE LINE: (651) 325-2499  
ATTENDANCE EMAIL: mays.attendance@spps.org 

Attendance Policy

Attendance is mandatory in the state of Minnesota in order to make certain that all children acquire the necessary skills for success as adults. Establishing good attendance patterns in the elementary years is one of the best ways to ensure a student will stay in school through graduation. Absences must be reported to school each day. School hours are 7:30am to 2:00pm.  

Did you know?  

A student who has been absent without lawful excuse for 5 or more full days is considered truant. For those students under the age of 12 years, the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are held responsible for the attendance of the child. Please use the above attendance number or email to report your child absent or late for school.  

Any student who is going to be absent or late for school for any reason must be called in by a parent or guardian EACH AND EVERY DAY. Any absences not reported will be unexcused. 

Excused Absence

The burden of a child being excused from school is placed on the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the child. A school has the right to accept or deny an application for an excuse. Therefore, schools can develop reasonable policies for school attendance and reject excuses offered by the child or parent.  

The following are acceptable reasons for absences:

• Illness
• Religious holiday
• Extreme family emergencies, such as a death in the family, a house fire, etc.
• Scheduled doctor or dentist appointment

The following are unacceptable reasons for absences:

• Student needs to babysit
• Travel/vacation without prior approval
• Transportation problems (e.g. or won't start)
• Missed the bus
• Overslept
• Weather

State law requires that children between grades K-6 attend school. After three cumulative days of unexcused absences, Maxfield staff will contact the parent or guardian by letter or phone call to share our concerns.

Medical and Dental Appointments

Your cooperation in arranging regular medical and dental checkups outside of school hours is appreciated. If a student must be excused for such an appointment during the school day, please send a note to the school stating the time the child will need to leave school and who will pick up the child. Your child will be expected at school before and after the appointment.

Parent/Guardian Procedures

Call (651) 325-2499 or email (mays.attendance@spps.org) the attendance office by 8:30 a.m. to report absences with the following information:

• student’s first and last name
• grade
• teacher’s name
• reason for absence
• your relationship to the student
• a phone number where you can be reached in case we have questions

If you do not call the school, or the school is unable to contact you regarding the absence, you must provide your son/daughter with a note verifying the absence​.  

Notify the Attendance Office ahead of time if your son/daughter will be gone for an extended period of time (surgery or hospitalization, vacation, etc.).

Notify the Attendance Office if your son/daughter will leave early for an appointment via a note, phone call, and/or email.  

School’s Procedures

If an absence has not been reported, we will attempt to call the parent/guardian at home or work.  All absences are considered ​ unexcused until verification can be made.  

Consequences of Unexcused Absences and Tardies:  

• Students with unexcused absences shall be subject to discipline in the following manner in accordance with the Pupil Fair Dismissal Act, MN Statutes Section 120A.40 and Ramsey County Family Truancy Intervention Program (FTIP).  
• Students with 1-3 unexcused absences or 5 out-of-building tardies will be sent written notification (Attendance Alert Letter) regarding the school attendance issue with a warning that failure to improve will result in a referral to the Ramsey County Family Truancy Intervention Program (FTIP).
• If a student is more than 3 hours tardy, it is counted as a full day absence.
• Students with 5-7 unexcused absences, or 10 out-of-building tardies, will be referred to FTIP.
• Students with additional unexcused absences following an FTIP meeting, or with 15 or more tardies, will be required to attend an In-School Contract meeting with the Attendance Liaison and/or School Counselor.
• Students with 7-10 unexcused absences or 20 tardies will be referred to a School Attendance Review Team (SART) Hearing.  

PLEASE NOTE: When a student is late coming to school a parent must come into the building to check them in. Our goal is to have good communication between families and school. Students who are walking or being dropped off in the morning should not arrive at school any earlier than 7:15 a.m. as Benjamin E. Mays staff are busy preparing for the day and are unable to supervise students. At 7:15 a.m. they are allowed to enter the building to go to breakfast, their lockers, and classrooms 

 

We must be able to reach parents/guardians during the day, at home, at work, or through a neighbor or relative. Please be sure that the home and emergency phone numbers listed for your students are kept up to date by updating them in Campus Parent or by contacting the front office. Should your child become sick or injured at school, we will try to contact the parent/guardian first and then work our way through the emergency numbers. The student may not leave the school until a parent/guardian signs the child out in the school office.

We also communicate other important information with families and through automated phone calls, email and text messages. It's important your contact information is up-to-date.

If you have questions, please call the front office.

Students and families may not be sure if a child is too sick to attend school. Ordinarily we ask that children be sent to school even if they seem a little tired or irritable in the morning as long as they do not have any of the signs or symptoms listed below.

• Keep your child home if he or she:
  • Has a fever of 100 degrees or more during the previous evening or night or in the morning.
  • Has vomited or had diarrhea during the night or in the morning.
  • Has a rash that may be caused by a disease or if the cause is unknown, check with your family physician before sending the student to school.
• Missing School for Illness:
  • If student is at home sick, please call the school attendance line daily to report the reason for absence.
  • If a student will be absent for more than one day, parents can contact the school for homework.
  • Students with over 7 days of absences due to illness will be required to bring a health care provider’s verification and must be checked/excused by the school nurse.  If your student has a chronic illness please notify the School Nurse.

We embrace our diversity. All school documents can be translated or interpreters made available upon request

Spanish - Todos los documentos pueden ser traducidos o interpretados oralmente si usted lo solicita.

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Somali - Dhammaan dukumiintiyada iskuulka waa la turjumi karaa ama waxaa la heli karaa turjumaan haddii la codsado.