• Information for Pre-K Parents

    Pre-K Attendance Policy

     
    Highlands School District is dedicated to providing the Pre-K Program to the young learners in our community free of charge to help ensure a strong start to their education. Our goal is to have every student attend school on a regular basis in order to allow this to happen. Your continued support in this matter will be greatly appreciated.
     

    ATTENDANCE POLICY


    All Pre-K Counts students are expected to attend school every day. Our full-day program is 5 days a week, 180 days a year. Our half-day program is 5 days a week, for 2.5 hours (am or pm session) 180 days a year. Your child’s attendance is a MANDATORY REQUIREMENT in order to participate in this program.  Attendance is taken upon arrival every day. As a courtesy, we ask that you contact the school by 8 am if your child will not be attending that day. Since our site is regulated by the state for this program, we are required to report attendance on an ongoing basis. We understand that sometimes your child may be ill or there may be a family situation.  We ask that you commit to the following:

     

    • Your child arrives to their session ON TIME and are picked up on time.
    • You make every effort to schedule doctor appointments before or after your child’s session time. If you have an appointment and arrive late, please bring a doctor’s excuse.
    • If your child is absent, you must provide an excuse when they return with the date and reason.
    • Students are allowed 10 parent excuses for the school year. Excuses must be written and returned or emailed to teachers within 3 days. Excuses provided after 3 days from the absence will not be accepted. The absence will then be recorded as unexcused.
    • Legitimate doctor or court excuses do not count towards the 10 parent excuses. We accept original excuse copies or a scanned copy. Pictures of the excuses will not be accepted.
    • If the school nurse sends your child home for the day, the absences will be excused and not count towards the 10 parent excuses.
    • If you are planning a vacation or have a family situation, you must complete a form ahead of time (1-2 weeks) prior to the absence for approval. Not all requests will be honored.
    • In the event that your child reaches 10 unexcused absences, removal from the program may occur. We will make every effort to alert you if your child is in danger of being removed from the program.

    Examples of excused absences include: illness, hospitalization, incapacitation due to serious injury, ongoing health related ailments which temporarily prevent attending, a death in the family, and approved family events and situations.

    Illnesses that may keep your child home from school include: persistent cough or difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, unusual skin eruptions or rashes, redness and/or drainage from the eyes (pink eye) or a fever (100 degrees or higher). The student’s temperature should remain normal for 24 hours after a fever before returning to school.