SEDALIA SCHOOL DISTRICT #200R 2310 Student Attendance
SECTION I: COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE & DEFINITIONS
In compliance with the Missouri Compulsory Attendance Law (§167.031 RSMo), the Board of Education
requires regular attendance for all children between the ages of seven and sixteen. To establish clarity and
eliminate ambiguity, absences are categorized as follows:
● Excused Absences (Documented): Absences supported by professional documentation submitted
within ten (10) school days of the return to school. This includes verified medical illness (noted by a
physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner), days of religious observance, death or critical
illness in the immediate family, pre-arranged military or educational visits approved by the principal, or
compliance with a legal subpoena.
● Excused Absences (Undocumented): Minor illnesses or family emergencies notified by a
parent/guardian via telephone or written note on the day of or first day following the absence. These
count toward the standard semester threshold but do not trigger punitive tracking if reasonable.
● Unexcused Absences / Truancy: Any absence occurring without the knowledge and consent of the
parent/guardian or school administration, or failure to provide any explanation within the designated
timelines.
SECTION II: STANDARDIZED MAKE-UP PRIVILEGES
The district has established a uniform make-up policy across all grade levels:
1. Timeline Alignment: For all absences—including excused, unexcused, truancy, and out-of-school
suspensions—students shall be granted time to complete make-up work equal to the number of days
absent plus one (1) additional day (with the exception of out-of-school suspensions - student work is due
upon returning to school). All work must be submitted by the morning following the final allowable
make-up day.
2. School-Sanctioned Activities: Students missing class due to field trips or extra-curricular events must
request work ahead of time. However, if a teacher does not have the assignment prepared in advance,
the student shall be governed by the standard make-up timeline upon return without penalty.
SECTION III: GRADE-LEVEL ATTENDANCE FRAMEWORKS
A. Elementary School (Grades K-3) & Middle School (Grades 4-5)
Note: Grade level classifications are strictly aligned to resolve text discrepancies.
● Attendance Threshold: Students are permitted up to eight (8) non-medical absences per semester
(representing approximately 9% of the student attendance days per semester). Any student transferring
mid-semester is allowed a prorated 9% of their remaining calendar days.
● Parent Notification Timeline:
○ 4th absence per semester: Mandatory attendance letter email notification sent to parent/guardian.
○ 6th unexcused absence per semester: Mandatory attendance letter, email notification and
secondary administrative warning.
○ 8th non-medical absence per semester: Formal attendance letter, email notice, mandatory
principal-parent conference, and potential referral to the juvenile office or the Missouri Division of
Family Services for parental educational neglect.
● Ten (10) Consecutive Day Rule: Any general education student absent for ten consecutive days
without communication shall be removed from the active rolls. Exception: This rule shall not be applied
automatically to students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan without

convening the respective multidisciplinary team to evaluate the nexus between the student's status and
the absences.
● Administrative Authority: Building administrators possess the authority to exercise professional
discretion to review and adjust remedies based on individual extenuating circumstances.
Students/families in violation of the attendance threshold may be subject but not limited to any of the
following administrative actions; parent contact, parent-principal conference, detention, loss of privileges,
in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, referral to the juvenile office, or the Children’s Division
of the Missouri Department of Social Services for parental educational neglect, or possible referral to the
Prosecuting Attorney.
● Retention Restrictions: Grade level retention shall never be implemented as an automatic penalty for
excessive absences. Retention may only be considered if the student has failed to make sufficient
academic and skills progress as a direct, verified result of the instructional time missed.
B. Junior High (Grades 6-8) & High School Frameworks (Smith-Cotton & Whittier Grades 9-12)
● Attendance Thresholds: High school configurations limit unexcused absences to eight (8) days per
class per semester for Smith-Cotton and four (4) days for Whittier High School. This figure represents
approximately 9% of the student attendance days per semester, which is the configuration for
Smith-Cotton Jr. High school.
● Whittier Reconciliation: If a parent fails to call Whittier High School by 8:15 a.m. on the day of an
absence, the student must provide a written parent excuse immediately upon return to prevent an
automatic truancy designation.
● Parent Notification Timeline (Grades 6-8):
○ 4th absence per semester: Mandatory attendance letter email notification sent to parent/guardian.
○ 6th unexcused absence per semester: Mandatory attendance letter, email notification and
secondary administrative warning.
○ 8th non-medical absence per semester: Formal attendance letter, email notice, mandatory
principal-parent conference, and potential referral to the juvenile office or the Children’s Division of
the Missouri Department of Social Services for parental educational neglect,( if applicable).
● Parent Notification Timeline (Grades 9-12):
○ Parents will be notified of attendance concerns, whether by class hour or by full or partial days, in
accordance with procedures to be established by the Smith-Cotton High School and Whittier High
School, subject to approval by the Superintendent or designee.
● Ten (10) Consecutive Day Rule: Any general education student absent for ten consecutive days
without communication shall be removed from the active rolls. Exception: This rule shall not be applied
automatically to students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan without
convening the respective multidisciplinary team to evaluate the nexus between the student's status and
the absences.
● Appeals Framework: An Appeals Committee composed of one teacher chosen by the family, two
teachers selected by the faculty, and the school counselor shall review excessive absence cases.
Appeals may be permitted for all forms of ‘good standing’ and truancy interventions to satisfy
constitutional due process.
● Administrative Authority: Building administrators possess the authority to exercise professional
discretion to review and adjust remedies based on individual extenuating circumstances.
Students/families in violation of the attendance threshold may be subject but not limited to any of the
following administrative actions; parent contact, parent-principal conference, detention, loss of privileges,
in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, referral to the juvenile office, or the Children’s Division
of the Missouri Department of Social Services for parental educational neglect, or possible referral to the
Prosecuting Attorney.