Attendance Procedures
Pine Road's Attendance Procedures
The Lower Moreland Township School Board requires that school-age students attend school regularly, in accordance with Pennsylvania state laws. Effective education requires a continuous program of instruction and active classroom participation if students are to fully engage in school experiences and make consistent academic, social, and emotional progress.
Absence from School
Regular school attendance is necessary and mandatory during the days and hours that school is in session. Absences are to be reported prior to 8:45 a.m. by ONE of the following methods: Completing the Pine Road Attendance Form, emailing our attendance office at carchutowski@lmtsd.org, or calling our Safe At Home Absence Line at 215-938-0290 (option 1). The message provides prompts for the callers.
A Pine Road Attendance Form (must be submitted online) is to be used for all Absences and Tardies. Parents will be asked to indicate the reason for the absence/tardiness. Reasonable causes for absence are illness, quarantine, recovery from an accident, a death in the family, family educational trips, and educational tours and trips. In addition, students may be excused for observation of a religious holiday, dental or medical appointments, court appearances, family emergencies, or other urgent reasons. However, in an effort to provide a continuous educational program, parents are encouraged to schedule routine dental and medical appointments after the school day has ended. An absence note can also be emailed to the Attendance Secretary at carchutowski@lmtsd.org.
Guidelines: Students must present written verification of their absence by the third day of attendance following their return to school. Students who fail to present this written verification by the fifth day will have their absences classified as unverified and unexcused, per Board policy.
If a physician's note is submitted for sickness or medical appointments, the students’ absences will be classified as excused. It is important to note that if absences accumulate to 5, 10, or 15 days, a formal letter from the district will be sent to the address of record through US mail. This can be avoided if physician’s notes are submitted (if) applicable. If a student exceeds 15 absences, a meeting with the family and district will take place and a Student Attendance Improvement Plan will be drafted.
Students absent from school for five (5) or more continuous school days must present written verification of their absence by a licensed medical authority. Students who fail to present such written verification upon their return from school, will have their absences classified as unexcused.
Unexcused absences will result in building-level administrative interventions. Persistent unexcused absences may result in such actions as;
- Development of an Attendance Improvement Plan
- Referral to Pine Road's Instructional Support Team (IST)
- Referral to the School Psychologist/Community Liaison/Behavioral Specialist
- Truancy proceedings or involvement with Montgomery County Juvenile Court
Excusal for Educational Family Trips
Students are permitted to take 6 days for educational family trips per year. Before doing so, the Excusal from School Form, must be completed and submitted to carchowski@lmtsd.org for each pupil at least two weeks in advance of the day of the pupil’s first absence.