Louisiana State Law mandates compulsory school attendance and students are expected to be in attendance every school day scheduled by the local school board until their eighteenth (18th) birthday.
Our LaSalle Parish School Calendar this year account for 168 student days scheduled for 390 instructional minutes per day. In order to be eligible to receive grades/credits:
A. Elementary students Kindergarten through 8th grade, shall not exceed 16 days per year of absences.
B. LaSalle High School students 9th through 12th grades, shall not exceed 8 days per semester of absences.
C. For Jena High School, who operates on a 4x4 block schedule, students shall not exceed 8 days per semester of absences in whole credit courses and 4 days of absences in 1/2 credit courses.
1. High school students (9 - 12) attendance shall be kept on a per period basis.
2. For high schools counting attendance by periods, a student shall be present for more than 50% of a period to be counted as being in attendance for that class period.
The only exception to the attendance regulation shall be extenuating circumstances that are verified by the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance. Only the following shall be considered extenuating circumstances under which absences shall be exempt from provisions of compulsory attendance laws:
1. Extended personal physical or emotional illness as verified by a physician or dentist
2. Extended hospital stay as verified by a physician or dentist
3. Extended recuperation from and accident as verified by a physician or dentist
4. Extended contagious disease within a family as verified by a physician or dentist
5. Prior school system approved travel for education
6. Death in the family (not to exceed one week)
7. Natural catastrophe and/or disaster
8. For any other extenuating circumstances, parents must make a formal appeal in accordance with the due process procedures established by the school system.
All excuses, including original doctor/dentist verification, for a student's absence must be presented to the school within five (5) days of the student's return to school to be considered for extenuating circumstances.
When a student has exceeded the allowable days of absence and no extenuated circumstances are present, the Principal or his designee and two teachers (where possible) should review the student's absences before credit is denied. If no extenuated circumstances are confirmed by the committee, the student and parents receive written notification of the decision to deny credit and are informed of the appeal process.
Also, with the implementation of Truancy Court by the 28th Judicial District Families in Need of Services (FINS) Program in collaboration with the LaSalle Parish School Board's Child Welfare & Attendance Program, if a student meets the following criteria, he/she will be referred to Truancy Court:
1. Jena High School students who exceed 6 days absence per semester or as deemed eligible for referral by SCWA and who do not provide a valid excuse according to the criteria for extenuated circumstances as listed above, will be referred to Truancy Court.
2. All other LaSalle Parish Schools students who exceed 8 days absence the first semester or a total of 12 days absence within the second semester or as deemed eligible for referral by SCWA and who do not provide a valid excuse according to the criteria for extenuated circumstances as listed above, will be referred to Truancy Court.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding school attendance, contact the Principal of your child's school or Melinda Edwards, Supervisor of Child Welfare & Attendance at (318)-992-2161.
LaSalle Parish School District - Truancy Court
