Knox County Schools 
Attendance/Social Services Department Handbook 
(July 1995, 27 pages)  

Tennessee Department of Education 
Student Membership and Attendance Accountability Procedures Manual 
(September 1996, 60 pages) 

Procedure:  

1. The provisions of this law do not give a principal the authority to drop a child under the age of eighteen from the roll either temporarily or permanently. In any case where it seems desirable to do so, the principal shall complete the form, Compulsory School Attendance – Recommendation for Exemption (AD-103). In addition, the Exemption/GED agreement letter should be signed by the parent and the student and mailed to the Supervisor of Transfers. 
2. The Superintendent will refer all such matters to the Board of Education, and the principal will be notified of the Board’s action as soon as possible. Under no condition is the principal to drop a pupil under the age of eighteen from the roll until the Executive Committee of the Board has recommended such action and the Board of Education confirms the recommendation. 
   For consistency, it is suggested we follow past practices as defined in the old policy handbook:
3. Any non-handicapped student who has attained the age of eighteen (18) and exhibits in any class or assigned location a pattern of absence, tardiness, or other conduct which is detrimental to his/her own learning or to the instruction of other students may be suspended by the Board of Education. Any identified handicapped student with an unacceptable attendance or conduct pattern may be referred by the principal to a multi-disciplinary team (M-Team) for recommendation. Before recommending suspension or referring to the M-Team, the principal shall first notify the parent in writing and allow the student a reasonable time to establish an acceptable record of attendance and conduct. 
4. 08/96 - In an effort to meet the State Goal(s) for Dropout Rate of 10% at both the system and the individual school levels, the maximum number of dropouts for each school have been projected through the year 2000 (including exemptions from compulsory attendance). Upon reaching an individual school’s target number of dropouts, NO further exemptions will be signed and granted from the Board of Education. 

(memo issued 04/05/95 on procedure)