La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § LXXIX-901

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section LXXIX-901 - Attendance

A. Students who have attained the age of seven years shall attend a public or private school or participate in an approved home study program until they reach the age of 18 years.

1. Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, students who have attained the age of five years by September thirtieth of the calendar year in which the school year begins shall attend a public or nonpublic day school or participate in an approved home study program until they reach the age of 18 years.

B. A student is considered to be in attendance when he or she is physically present at a school site or is participating in an authorized school activity and is under the supervision of authorized personnel.

1. Attendance shall be checked and recorded for each student on each school day and at the beginning of each class period in accordance with R.S. 17:232.B.(1).

2. This definition for attendance would extend to students who are homebound, assigned to and participating in drug rehabilitation programs that contain a state-approved education component, or participating in school-authorized field trips.

a. Half-Day Attendance. A student is considered to be in attendance for one-half day when he or she:

i. is physically present at a school site or is participating in an authorized school activity; and

ii. is under the supervision of authorized personnel for more than 25 percent but not more than half (26 percent-50 percent) of the student's instructional day.

b. Whole-Day Attendance. A student is considered to be in attendance for a whole day when he or she:

i. is physically present at a school site or is participating in an authorized school activity; and

ii. is under the supervision of authorized personnel for more than 50 percent (51 percent-100 percent) of the student's instructional day.

C. In order to be eligible to receive grades, full-day high school students must be in attendance a minimum of 26,400 minutes per semester or 52,800 minutes per school year for schools not operating on a semester basis. An equally divided number of minutes may be used to calculate minimum per-course instructional minute requirements. Elementary students must be in attendance a minimum of 52,800 minutes per school year.

1. Students attending high school classes operating in 90 minute blocks of instructional time shall be in attendance 80 days, or its equivalent, in order to be eligible to receive grades.

D. Each school shall develop and implement a system whereby a student's parent, tutor, or legal guardian is given notice when that student has been excessively absent from school and at intervals thereafter. This notification shall be provided each semester for those high schools operating on a semester basis.

E. Exception to the attendance policy can be made only in the event of extended personal illness, verified by a physician, or at the discretion of the principal.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § LXXIX-901

Promulgated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, LR 29:2347 (November 2003), amended LR 31:3078 (December 2005), LR 39:1442 (June 2013), Amended LR 451055 (8/1/2019), Amended LR 4936 (1/1/2023).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:6(A)(10), (11), and (15), 17:7(6), 17:10, 17:22(6), 17:391.1391.10, and 44:411.