Simsbury Public Schools

CENTRAL SCHOOL 29 Massaco Street, Simsbury, Connecticut 06070 Phone 860-658-4732 Fax 860-658-3620 Beth Hennessy, Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The district vision for the Simsbury Public Schools states, in part, that we “engage students with a meaningful and rigorous academic foundation”. Therefore, regular and punctual student attendance in school is essential to our educational process. As you are aware, based upon Connecticut state law, the Simsbury Public Schools has a well-defined attendance policy. To align with recent changes in State regulations, the Board of Education modified this policy as related to absence notification and the definition of excused absences. As such, I wanted to take some time to outline those changes as we enter the new school year.

If your child is going to be absent from school, you are asked to call the Health Office (860-658-4732 ext: 312) on the day of the absence. In addition, written documentation must be submitted for each incidence of absence within ten (10) school days of the student’s return to school. An incidence of absence is considered consecutive days of absence. The first nine (9) days of absence will be excused upon receipt of a signed note from the student’s parent/guardian, or a note confirming the absence by the school nurse or by a licensed medical professional, as appropriate. Please be aware that neither e-mail nor text message may be used to satisfy the requirement of written documentation.

Although I understand that most students will not accumulate this number of absences, for a student’s 10th absence, and all absences thereafter, documentation of the absence must be submitted as outlined above, and must also include the reason for the absence and documentation from the school nurse and/or a medical professional. For a full explanation of this necessary documentation, I would ask that you refer to the section on school attendance in the student handbook. You may also find the entire policy online at: http://www.simsbury.k12.ct.us/uploaded/District_Content/BOE/BOE_Policies/Student_Series_5000.pdf.

Certainly, as is always the case, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Respectfully,

Beth Hennessy