Attendance
Open School Attendance Line: 303-982-7053
It is important that Open School students are in school on time every day to take advantage of the benefits of our rich school community. Besides the obvious detrimental effect that excessive absenteeism has on a student’s academic life, students who attend inconsistently also miss out on the opportunity to negotiate conflict resolution with peers and navigate friendships.
If a student will not be in attendance, parents/guardians should call the Open School attendance line as soon as possible on the day of the absence. Families of students in grades PK-8 will receive a phone call home if their student is absent but not called in by 9:30 AM.
Excused and Unexcused Absences
Excused
Parents must provide a valid reason for an absence to be considered excused. The following could be considered valid reasons for an excused absence:
- A student who is temporarily ill or injured
- A student whose absence is approved by school administration on a prearranged basis (see below)
- A student who is absent for an extended period due to physical, mental, or emotional disability
- Absences including funerals, illness, injury, legal obligations, medical procedures, religious observations, and extenuating circumstances
- A student who is attending a school sponsored activity or who is receiving Jeffco educational services shall not be considered absent for attendance reporting purposes
We encourage families to be in contact with the Advisor or a school administrator if a student is dealing with ongoing circumstances that may result in regular school absences.
Unexcused
Unexcused absences are defined as absences not called in by the parent/guardian or those not covered by the grounds for excused absences listed above. Each unexcused absence will be entered on the student's attendance record. A student who is in the building will be considered unexcused if he/she is out of class without prior agreement.
If there are unexcused absences in excess of 10 days in a school year, the family may be required to provide documentation to substantiate continued absences in order for those absences to be marked excused.
Pre-Arranged Absences
A prearranged absence form (links below) can be completed for any absence that will cause students to miss 3 or more days of school (family vacations, college visits, or other extended absences). This form must be signed by teachers and submitted to the main office at least three days prior to the scheduled absence.
Elementary Pre-Arranged Absence (PK-6)Secondary Pre-Arranged Absence (7-12)
Attendance in Jeffco
The importance of regular, daily school attendance as a basis for academic achievement cannot be overemphasized. Attendance is a shared responsibility of the student, the families and the school.
It is the family’s responsibility to ensure their student attends school and to notify the school when their student is absent for a legitimate reason, such as an illness or family emergency. Each family should also ensure their student’s school has their correct contact information so that the school is able to communicate about any attendance issues that may arise.