Attendance is important factor for students’ success at school so Albuquerque Public Schools sends notices to families when the student is absent.
APS offered some tips for getting your child to school and when a student should stay home once the school year resumes on Monday.
When Students Are Sick
Consistent attendance can be disrupted by illness, especially during cold and flu season and while there are still COVID cases. APS recommends that students who are sick, contagious and/or in quarantine stay home. Families are asked to call the school so the absence can be marked as excused and students can make up the classwork they’ve missed.
Families with questions about sending students to school may contact their school nurse. Another tool is the district’s When is Sick Too Sick videos.
Families may still receive a text or email notification even for excused absences. APS must track all absences, excused and unexcused, and let families know when their child misses school.
Missing 5 Percent of School Days
Families will get notified when students miss 5 percent of school days, no matter the reason. They are encouraged to work with teachers and the school to get make-up classwork to help students get back on track. The more school students miss, the more they risk falling behind.
Missing 10 Percent or More of School Days
Families that get a letter saying their students have missed 10 percent, 20 percent, or more of school days – even if those absences are due to illness or a medical condition – should set up a meeting with the school to discuss ways of keeping students engaged in learning. This may mean working with the school nurse on a health plan for students with chronic or complicated health conditions. In some instances, having a plan will allow the district to stop sending families notices about student absences temporarily.
Missing 20 Percent or More of School Days
Letters that say a student has missed 20 percent or more of school must, by law, include language that says that the Children Youth and Family Department (CYFD) could be contacted. This is because missing this much school puts students at high risk of getting behind.
