At Cissna Park CUSD 6, we appreciate the partnership we share with parents in the success and achievement of our students. Our staff is committed to providing an excellent education for your child and believes that parent support is significant throughout your child’s educational journey. The first and most important aspect which you can control and can help us is with your child’s daily attendance. As the new school year begins, we wish to provide an opportunity through this letter to better inform our school families regarding attendance expectations.

Our school advocates and most parents agree that children should be in attendance when school is in session. However, some community members do not know that Illinois law also requires student attendance stating that “whoever has custody or control of any child between six and seventeen years of age shall assure that the child attend school in the district in which he or she resides and in which the child is enrolled during the entire time school is in session.”

Absence Procedures
In the event of an absence, the student’s parent/guardian is required to email the district office or call 815-457-2171 before 8:30 am to explain the reason for the absence. Include your name, your child’s name, and the reason for the student’s absence. You may make a courtesy contact to your child’s teacher about an absence, but the absence must be officially reported to the district office. If a call or email has not been received by the school by 8:30 am on the day of a student’s absence, a school official will call the home to inquire why the student is not at school. Failure to do so shall result in an unexcused absence. Upon request of the parent/guardian, the reason for an absence will be kept confidential.

At times circumstances dictate that a student absence occurs. When this happens, a designation of excused or unexcused is assigned to the student’s attendance record.

Excused Absences
Examples of excused absences include, but are not limited to:

• Illness (after 5 days a doctor’s note is required)

• Observance of a religious holiday or event

• Death in the immediate family

Unexcused Absences
An unexcused absence is defined as a willful absence from school with or without permission of the parents and without approval of school officials. Examples of unexcused absences may include, but are not limited to:

• Overslept/Missed the bus

• Non-medical appointment

• Parent chose to keep child home

Refer to the school handbook for more information on excused and unexcused absences.

Tardy and Early Sign Out
We ask you to consider the same criteria in ensuring your child arrives at school on time every day by 8:03 am and remains in attendance until the bell at 2:52 pm for elementary students and 3:00 pm for junior high/high school students.

Chronic Absence
Chronic absence means absences that total 10% or more of school days of the most recent academic school year, including absences with and without valid cause, and out-of-school suspensions.

Truancy
Students who miss more than 1% but less than 5% of the prior 180 regular school days without valid cause are truant. Students who miss 5% or more of the prior 180 regular school days without valid cause are chronic truants.

Attendance Assistance Program
If school supportive services or interventions do not remedy chronic absence or truancy circumstances, the Attendance Assistance Program (AAP) through the Iroquois-Kankakee Regional Office of Education (I-KAN) will be utilized to assist school personnel in working with students and families to identify barriers and set goals to improve student attendance so that students can be successful in the school environment. This is primarily done through referrals to the truancy prevention program.

School personnel may be enlisting assistance from the AAP whether your child is chronically absent, truant, or chronically truant. This is a positive step to work together with students and families to identify barriers, set goals, and improve attendance.

Our goal is to keep families better informed about your child’s absences throughout the school year. You may be receiving more notices than in the past in an effort to keep you informed and allow open communication on how we can work together to ensure your child is in attendance to have a successful school year.

Download the PDF Letter, "Attendance Parent Information, '24-25"