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East Maine School District 63

Empowering all students to succeed in a changing world

Student Absence / Attendance

Student Attendance / Absence

Student Attendance

Chronic Absenteeism vs. Chronic Truancy

  • Chronic absence means “absences that total 10% or more of school days of the most recent school year, including absences with and without valid cause, as defined in Section 26-2a of this Code, and out-of-school suspensions for an enrolled student.” 105 ILCS 5/26-18(a). In contrast, a chronic or habitual truant is “a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for 5% or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days.” 105 ILCS 5/26-2a.
    • "Truant minor" is defined as a chronic truant to whom supportive services, including prevention, diagnostic, intervention and remedial services, alternative programs, and other school and community resources have been provided and have failed to result in the cessation of chronic truancy, or have been offered and refused.

Forms

Medically Homebound or Hospitalized

If you have a medically homebound or hospitalized student, please contact Rich for clarification. 

Student Absence

  • Excused: A valid cause for absence includes illness (including up to 5 days per school year for mental or behavioral health of the student), observance of a religious holiday or event, death in the immediate family, family emergency, other situations beyond the control of the student as determined by the school board, circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or safety, attending a military honors funeral to sound TAPS (grades 6-8 only), or other reason as approved by the Superintendent or designee. 

  • Additionally, a student will be excused for up to 5 days in cases where the student’s parent/guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat-support postings. 

  • Unexcused: All other absences are considered unexcused (including vacation)

We have shifted from 15 to 10 consecutive days of absence. Since many of our students leave during the break for extended vacations, here is an update/reminder of the procedure when students are away for 10 or more consecutive school days.

  • We must wait until the student has been gone for at least ten consecutive school days before dropping them; we cannot do this in advance. 
  • Once students have been absent for ten consecutive school days, they are dropped as of the last day they attended. 
    • In the state (SIS), this is the same date as they were here; in PowerSchool, this is the day after. Any attendance taken during those ten days needs to be cleared. This is the procedure to be used per ISBE.
  • For example, if a parent indicated that the student would be gone on an extended vacation and today, 05/04/2026, was the last day they were here, then 05/18/2026 will be the 10th consecutive absence day. You must clear out those 10 attendance days, then drop them as of 05/04/2026 in ISBE SIS and 05/05/2026 in PowerSchool.
  • I recommend opening your Google Calendar and creating an event for the date you must return to drop the student. Set reminders via email so that you get an email reminding you to drop the student. 
  • We no longer charge a $25.00 re-enrollment fee.

Note: The attendance code remains in effect if a student is absent for days 1 - 9. We unenroll students only when they are absent for more than 10 consecutive school days and have cleared attendance for those days.