The Board recognizes that good attendance at school is basic to student learning. Attendance is a key 
factor in student achievement; therefore, students are expected to be present each day that school is in 
session. Parents have both a legal obligation and a moral responsibility to see that children are present 
every day that school is in session.

The Director of Schools shall establish and maintain an attendance program designed to ensure all schoolage children attend school and that alternative program options are available for students who do not meet minimum attendance requirements. This program shall be designed to address and adhere to all statutory and regulatory requirements established by the State of Tennessee. School administrators and faculties are expected to develop programs and practices to achieve or exceed student attendance goals established by the State Board of Education. For these reasons, the Knox County Board of Education has adopted the following policy regarding student absences.

The attendance supervisor/designee shall oversee the entire attendance program which shall include the  following:

1.  Adhering to all accounting and reporting procedures and their dissemination;
2. Providing alternative program options for students who severely fail to meet minimum attendance  requirements;
3. Ensuring that all school-age children attend school;
4. Providing documentation of enrollment status upon request for students applying for new or 
   reinstatement of driver’s permit or license; and
5. Notifying the Department of Safety whenever a student with a driver’s permit or license 
   withdraws from school.

Student attendance records shall be given the same level of confidentiality as other student records. Only authorized school officials with legitimate educational purposes may have access to student information 
without the consent of the student or parent(s)/legal guardians(s).

Absences shall be classified as either excused or unexcused as determined by the school leader or his/her  designee. Excused absences shall include:

1.  Personal illness;
2.  Illness of immediate family member;
3. Death in the family;
4.  Extreme weather conditions;
5.  Religious observances;
6. College visits;
7. Pregnancy;
8. School sponsored or school endorsed activities;
9. If a student’s parent and/or legal guardian is a member of the United States armed forces, including a member of a state National Guard or Reserve component called to federal active duty, the student shall be given:
   1. An excused absence for one (1) day when the member is deployed;
   2. An excused absence for one (1) day when the service member returns from deployment;
   3. Excused absences for up to ten (10) days for visitation when the member is granted rest and 
      recuperation leave and is stationed out of the country;
   4. Excused absences for up to ten (10) days cumulatively within the school year for visitation 
      during the member’s deployment cycle. The student shall provide documentation to the school  as proof of the service member’s deployment; and
   5. The opportunity to make up school work missed and shall not have their class grades adversely  affected for lack of class attendance or class participation due to the excused absence.
10.  Summons, subpoena, or court order; or
11.  Circumstances which in the judgment of the school leader create emergencies over which the 
    student has no control.

Any absence not complying with the above reasons for excused absences will be considered as unexcused.  Examples of unexcused absences are (a) family vacations taken during the school year and (b) Senior  Skip Day.

The principal or designee shall be responsible for ensuring that:

1.  Attendance is checked and reported daily for each class;
2. Daily absentee sheets contain sign-in/sign-out sheets and indicate students present or absent for  the majority of the day;
3. All student absences are verified;
4. Written excuses are submitted for absences and tardiness;
5. If necessary, verification is required from an official or other source to justify absences;
6. System-wide procedures for accounting and reporting are to be followed;
7.  Out-of-school suspensions (OSS) are not reported as an unexcused absence and are not a 
   chargeable offense for truancy in Juvenile Court; and 
   8. Students in a homebound program are not marked absent from school. Attendance for homebound students is recorded by the homebound teacher.  

GRADES K-12

Annually, the Director of Schools/designee will provide written notice to parent(s)/legal guardian(s) that 
attendance at school is required. Students shall be present at least fifty percent (50%) of the scheduled 
school day in order to be counted present. Students may attend part-time days, alternating days, or for a  specific amount of time as indicated in their Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan and shall be 
considered present for school attendance purposes. If a student is required to participate in a remedial 
instruction program outside of the regular school day where there is no cost to the parent(s)/legal 
guardian(s) and the school system provides transportation, unexcused absences from these programs shall be reported in the same manner.

Excuses for absences must be made in writing to the principal or administrative designee by a parent 
and/or legal guardian and must be submitted within five (5) days of the student's return to school. All 
absences, and/or corrections to absences must be recorded within the respective 20-day attendance 
reporting period or no later than ten (10) days following the end of each 20-day attendance reporting 
period.

APPEAL PROCESS

The parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of a student with excessive (more than five (5) unexcused absences) or 
those in danger of credit/promotion denial shall have the opportunity to appeal absences. Whenever 
possible attendance issues should be resolved at the school level. Parents/legal guardians who wish to 
appeal a student’s excessive (more than five (5) absences), shall communicate their appeal to the school 
principal. At the appeal, the principal will provide the parent/legal guardian written notice of the 
unexcused absences and the parent/legal guardian will have the opportunity to be heard. The burden of 
proof rests on the student or the parent/legal guardian. The parent will receive written notification of any  action taken regarding the excessive unexcused absences. 

The appeal shall be heard no later than ten (10) school days after the request for appeal is received.

Within five (5) school days of the Director of Schools/designee rendering a decision, the student’s 
parent(s)/legal guardian(s) may request a hearing by the Board, and the Board shall review the record. 
Following the review, the Board may affirm or overturn the decision of the Director of Schools/designee. 
The action of the Board shall be final.

The Director of Schools/designee shall ensure that this policy is posted in each school building and 
disseminated to all students, parents, teachers, and administrative staff.

PROGRESSIVE TRUANCY PLAN

Parents and/or legal guardians shall be notified each time a student has five (5) days (aggregate) of 
unexcused absences and that attendance at school is required. Additional notices shall be sent after each  successive accumulation of five (5) unexcused absences.

If a parent and/or legal guardian does not provide documentation within five (5) days of the student’s 
return to school excusing those absences, or request an appeal hearing with the principal, then the Director of Schools shall implement the progressive truancy plan described below prior to referral to juvenile court. 

Progressive truancy plans must meet the following requirements:

1. Tier one of the progressive truancy plan must include schoolwide, prevention-oriented supports;
2. Tier two must be implemented upon a student’s accumulation of five (5) unexcused absences, as
   specified in the LEA’s progressive truancy plan, and must include, at a minimum:
   1. A conference with the student and the parent, legal guardian, or other person having
      control of the student;
   2. A resulting attendance contract to be signed by the student, the parent, legal guardian, or
      other person having control of the student, and an attendance designee. The contract must
      include:
      1. A specific description of the school’s attendance expectations for the student;
      2. The period for which the contract is in effect; and
      3. Penalties for additional absences and alleged school offenses, including
         additional disciplinary action and potential referral to juvenile court;
   3. Regularly scheduled follow-up meetings, which may be with the student and the parent,
      legal guardian, or other person having control of the student to discuss the student’s
      progress;
   4. An individualized assessment by a school employee of the reasons a student has been
      absent from school; and
   5. If necessary, referral of the child to counseling, community-based services, or other in-school or out-of-school services aimed at addressing the student’s attendance problems;
      and
3. Tier three must be implemented if the truancy interventions under tier two are unsuccessful. Tier
   three may consist of one (1) or more of the following:
   1. School-based community services;
   2. Participation in a school-based restorative justice program;
   3. Referral to a school-based teen court; or
   4. Saturday or after-school courses designed to improve attendance and behavior.

PROMOTING SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Faculties shall encourage student attendance and completion of classroom assignments according to the  following guidelines:

1. Assuring quality classroom experience. Maximum effort shall be made in all classroom settings 
   to provide a quality learning experience for each individual and to ensure that each day's class 
   time is important. 
   2. Emphasizing regular attendance. Teachers shall inform students that time on task is essential 
   to learning, that instruction loses context with lapse of time, and that, if students are absent from 
   class, work that has to be made up outside of the regular classroom environment does not provide 
   the same opportunity for learning as the regular class time. 
   3. Making-up assignments. If a student must be absent from school for any reason, excused or 
   unexcused up to ten (10) days, upon returning to school, he/she shall be given the opportunity to 
   make up any and all assignments that were missed during the student's absence. The student must 
   request make-up assignments within three (3) days after returning. Teachers shall set a reasonable 
   time for the completion of the work. Failure of a student to initiate a request for make-up work 
   within three (3) days will result in lost opportunity for credit for that assignment.

Students who are suspended or expelled from school for more than ten (10) days shall be offered 
placement in the Alternative School Program for the duration of the suspension or expulsion, unless the 
student is considered to be a danger to the school community.

Students who refuse Alternative School placement, or are dismissed from the Alternative School Program  early for any reason, or have been considered a danger to the school community shall not be given the  opportunity to request make-up assignments.

Students who are denied the opportunity to receive make-up assignments may appeal to the School 
Attendance Review Committee, then to the Director of Schools and Board. The Director of Schools will 
establish an administrative procedure to govern this appeal process.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN

In order to be counted present on any and all accounting attendance records, students in grade Pre-K shall  attend school for a time period of at least 50% of their scheduled day. Students who attend less than 50% of their scheduled school day shall be recorded and reported as absent on any and all attendance records.

STATE-MANDATED ASSESSMENT

Students who have an excused absence the day of scheduled End of Course (EOC) exams will be allowed 
to take a make-up exam. Excused students will receive an incomplete in the course until they have taken 
the EOC exam.

Students who have an unexcused absence shall receive a failing grade on the EOC exam which shall be 
averaged into their final grade.

CREDIT/PROMOTION DENIAL

Credit/promotion denial determinations may include student attendance; however, student attendance 
may not be the sole criterion. If attendance is a factor prior to credit/promotion denial, the following 
shall occur:

1.  The student and the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) shall be advised if the student is in danger of 
   credit/promotion denial due to excessive absenteeism. 
   2. Procedures in due processes are available to the student when credit or promotion is denied. 

DRIVER’S LICENSE REVOCATION

More than ten (10) consecutive or fifteen (15) reported unexcused absences by a student during any 
semester renders a student ineligible to retain a driver’s permit or license or to obtain such if of age.

In order to qualify for reclaiming a driver’s permit or license, the student must be enrolled in school, 
maintain attendance requirements and cooperate with the Tennessee Department of Safety.

Legal References:

1.  TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.08(1)(a); T.C.A. § 49-1-3006. 
   2. T.C.A. § 49-6-3017(c). 
   3. T.C.A. § 10-7-504; 20 U.S.C. § 1232g. 
   4. TRR/MS 0520-01-02-.17(1)(c). 
   5. TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.03(15); T.C.A. § 49-6-2904(b)(5). 
   6. T.C.A. § 49-6-3019. 
   7. T.C.A. § 49-6-3007; T.C.A. § 49-6-3009. 
   8. TN Department of Education, Student Membership and Attendance Procedures Manual (2017). 
   9. TN Department of Education, Student Membership and Attendance Procedures Manual (2017); T.C.A. § 49-6-3007, T.C.A. § 49-6-3009. 
   10. TN Department of Education, Student Membership and Attendance Procedures Manual (2017). 
   11. TRR/MS 0520-01-02-.17. 
   12. T.C.A. § 49-6-3201. 
   13. T.C.A. § 49-6-3007. 
   14. T.C.A. § 49-2-203(b)(7). 
   15. T.C.A. § 49-6-3017(c). 

Approved as to Legal Form 
By Knox County Law Department 10/31/2023 
/Gary T. Dupler/Deputy Law Director