Dear Easton Families:

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure clear communication and accurate record-keeping, we are writing to clarify our attendance codes and explain how these codes are applied.

The following attendance codes are used to reflect students’ absences: 

Absence - any day during which a student is not considered “in attendance” as defined in these regulations.  

Excused absence - a student is considered excused from school if the school has received written documentation describing the reason for the absence within ten (10) school days of the student’s return to school, or if the student has been excluded from school in accordance with Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-210 (regarding communicable diseases), and the following criteria are met:

• a. Any absence before the student’s tenth (10th) absence is considered excused when the student’s parent/guardian approves such absence and submits appropriate written documentation in accordance with this regulation. 

• b. For the student’s tenth (10th) absence and all absences thereafter, a student’s absences from school are, with appropriate documentation in accordance with this regulation, considered excused only for the following reasons: 

  i. student illness (verified by an appropriately licensed medical                 professional);

  ii. religious holidays;

  iii. mandated court appearances (documentation required);

  iv. funeral or death in the family, or other emergency beyond the control of the student’s family;

  v.extraordinary educational opportunities pre-approved by the District administrators and in accordance with Connecticut State Department of Education (“State Department of Education”) guidance and this regulation; or

  vi.lack of transportation that is normally provided by a school district other than the one the student attends.

Mental Health Wellness Day - a school day during which a student attends to such student’s emotional and psychological well-being in lieu of attending school. Any student enrolled in grades kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, shall be permitted to take two mental health wellness days during the school year, during which day such student shall not be required to attend school. No student shall take mental health wellness days during consecutive school days.  Mental health wellness days shall be excused when permission by the student’s parent/guardian is documented by the student’s school, regardless of the number of absences a student has accrued in the school year. Mental health wellness days will not be included in reporting or referrals related to truancy. Mental health wellness day will count as an “absence” for determining chronic absenteeism.

New Feature in the Parent Portal: Report an Absence
We have added a new feature to the Parent Portal that allows families to report a student absence directly online. To view step-by-step directions, please click this link: Parent Reporting Absences Parents/guardians may also continue to use the school-level methods they have in the past if they so choose. 

Throughout the year, as students receive four or more absences and for every month thereafter when students are absent beyond nine days, parents will be notified via email of the number of absences to date from the following email address: 

Notification from ER9 School Districts <notification@target1100.brightarrow.com> 

*Please check your spam folder as the initial email may go directly to spam and not your inbox.*

The following attendance codes are used to reflect students’ attendance for partial school days circumstances:

• Tardy-Absent: Indicates that a student arrived late and was not present for at least half of the school day.

• Tardy-Present: Indicates that a student arrived late but was present for half the school day or more.

• Early Dismissal-Absent: Indicates that a student left early and was not present for at least half of the school day.

• Early Dismissal-Present: Indicates that a student left early but was present for half the school day or more.

Both schools in our district utilize a simple calculation to determine what constitutes half the school day. If a student is present for at least 50% of the total instructional time on a given day, they will be marked as “Present” under these special circumstances.

As our school day is 6 hours and 45 minutes, students need to be present for 3 hours 23 minutes to be considered “present” for the day. 

SSES -  8:55 AM - 12:18 PM = 3 hours 23 min (or present from 12:17 PM - 3:40 PM)
HKMS -8:05 AM - 11:28 AM = 3 hours 23 min (or present from 11:27 AM - 2:50 PM)

These updates are designed to provide a more precise understanding of student attendance and support both families and staff in maintaining accountability for instructional time. Please note that regular attendance remains a critical component of student success, and we appreciate your support in ensuring your child attends school consistently and on time.

If you have any questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s school office.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting your child's education.

Sincerely,