Truancy/Discipline
Court
2007-2008
Notice
to Parents/Guardians of School Age Children
The
28th Judicial District Families in Need of
Services (FINS) Program in collaboration with the
LaSalle Parish School Board’s Child Welfare &
Attendance Program wish to notify LaSalle Parish
residents of
Truancy/Discipline
Court
.
What is the purpose of
Truancy/Discipline Court
?
The
purpose of Truancy/Discipline Court is to alleviate
unexcused absenteeism and unexcused tardiness and
promote good compulsory school attendance and
to assure students are receiving an education without
interruption of instruction time due to discipline
problems and/or habitual tardiness, as well as, to
assure the safety of all students and faculty in
LaSalle Parish Schools.
Also, with new state mandates regarding high
stakes testing and school accountability, good school
attendance and abiding by school rules is a must for
academic and life long success, but most importantly,
it’s the law. (
Louisiana
R.S. 17:233
&
Louisiana
R.S. 17:416)
What are
Compulsory
School
Attendance ages?
Every child in the state is required by state law to
attend public or private school from the child’s
seventh (7th) birthday until his/her
eighteenth (18th) birthday, unless the
child graduates prior to his/her 18th
birthday. Any
child below the age of seven (7) including
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students who legally
enrolls in school shall also be required to adhere to
school attendance regulations.
(
Louisiana
R.S.
17:221)
What are the current regulations
regarding school attendance for LaSalle Parish
Schools?
Our LaSalle Parish School Calendar this year accounts
for 168 student days scheduled for 390 instructional
minutes per day.
A.
In
order to be eligible to receive grades, Elementary
students (Pre-K through 8th), shall not
exceed 16 days per year of absences.
B.
In order to be
eligible to receive grades/credits,
high school students (9-12) shall not exceed 8 days
per semester of absences.
1.
High school
students (9-12) attendance shall be kept on a per
period basis.
2.
For high schools counting attendance
by periods, a student shall be present for more than
50% of a period to be counted as being in attendance
for that class period.
Are there exceptions to
Compulsory
School
Attendance?
The only exception to the attendance
regulations shall be extenuating circumstances that
are verified by the Supervisor of Child Welfare and
Attendance. Only
the following shall be considered extenuating
circumstances under which absences shall be exempt
from provisions of compulsory attendance laws:
1.
Extended personal physical or emotional
illness as verified by a physician or dentist.
2.
Extended hospital stay as verified by a
physician or dentist.
3.
Extended recuperation from and accident
as verified by a physician or dentist.
4.
Extended contagious disease within a
family as verified by a physician or dentist.
5.
Prior school system approved travel for
education.
6.
Death in the family (not to exceed one
week).
7.
Natural catastrophe and/or disaster.
8.
For any other extenuating circumstances,
parents must make a formal appeal in
accordance with the due process procedures established
by the school system.
What if my child has an excuse?
All excuses, including original
doctor/dentist verification, for a student’s absence
must be presented to the school within five (5) days
of the student’s return to school to be considered
for extenuating circumstances.
Doctor’s notes presented after this time will
NOT be considered.
Parent notes for illness are excused for the
purpose of making up work but count towards the number
of days per year a student is allowed to miss and are NOT
considered an extenuated circumstance.
Who
will be referred to
Truancy/Discipline
Court
?
If
your student meets
the following criteria listed below, he/she will be
referred to Truancy/Discipline Court of the LaSalle
Parish 28th Judicial District:
1.
All
LaSalle Parish Schools students who exceed 8 days
absence the first semester or a total of 12
days absence within the second semester or as
deemed eligible for referral by the SCWA and who
do not provide a valid excuse according to the
criteria for extenuated circumstances as listed above,
will be referred to Truancy/Discipline Court.
3.
All
LaSalle Parish Schools students who are habitually
tardy as defined by LA R.S. 17:233 will be referred to
Truancy/Discipline
Court
.
4.
Any
student who accumulates three in-school or out-of
school suspensions and/or is found guilty of any
disciplinary infraction that would warrant immediate
action by the Principal of the school will be referred
to
Truancy/Discipline
Court
.
What
happens if my child meets the criteria for referral to
Truancy/Discipline Court
?
1.
A list of students who have met the
referral criteria above will be presented to the FINS
Officer by the Supervisor of Child Welfare &
Attendance upon consultation and recommendation by the
student’s teacher and/or principal.
2.
Both the parents or guardians and the
student will be notified in writing of the date and
time in which they are commanded to appear in Court.
3.
Upon entering Court, the parent/guardian
must pay a Court fee of $20.00 which shall be
collected by the Judge’s designated official at the
time they enter the court room.
4.
The Judge as well as other designated
officials will address any and all students summoned
for this date regarding the charge of either truancy
or discipline or both.
5.
The parent/guardian and student will be
asked to sign an Informal FINS Contract agreeing to
abide by school rules and comply with the attendance
regulations of the school and/or assure their student
arrives to school on time.
6.
Court will be adjourned. At this time,
the Judge and other officials may opt to meet with
some students and parents/guardians in closed session
and shall have the option to order additional
interventions/remedies.
7.
Non-compliance to attend, refusal to
sign the Informal FINS Contract, or failure to adhere
to the FINS Contract will result in a referral to the
District Attorney for formal court proceedings to
enforce the provisions relative to Revised Statute
17:221 and Children’s Code Article 730 regarding
laws that pertain to school attendance, compulsory
ages, abiding by school rules, duty of parents,
excessive absenteeism, and FINS.
When and where will
Truancy/Discipline Court
be held?
Truancy/Discipline
Court will be held as shown below or as deemed
necessary.
Tentative
Court
Dates for
the 2007-2008 School Year are as follows:
Monday,
October 1, 2007 - 1:00 p.m.
Monday,
November 12, 2007
- 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday,
January 23, 2008 - 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday,
March 19, 2008 - 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday,
April 30, 2008 - 1:00 p.m.
It will be held at the LaSalle
Parish Courthouse Courtroom in
Jena
,
Louisiana.
If I have questions regarding my child’s
attendance or disciplinary concerns, who do I contact?
You first need to contact your
child’s teacher and/or school principal if you have
questions regarding your student’s attendance or
discipline concerns.
If you need further assistance, you may contact
Melinda Edwards, LCSW, Supervisor of Child Welfare
& Attendance at 992-2161.
