August 31, 2005- For Immediate Release
Columbia County Schools - 6430 Pollards Pond Road, Appling, GA 30802
For information contact 706-541-0650

 

 

Modifications to the Attendance Protocol

are Recommended for Absences Due to Special Events

 

As most people would agree, attendance is a key contributor to a student’s success in school.  A new Georgia State Board Rule (160-5-1-.10) expands on the original state law and mandates that each county develop an attendance protocol to address truancy with implementation required for this school year (2005-2006).

 

After many phone calls from parents expressing concerns about the implementation of the new attendance protocol, and the many requests to be absent for special events not listed in procedure JBD, the Columbia County Attendance Protocol Committee has agreed to modifications in the Attendance Protocol for absences due to special events as recommended by Columbia County Schools.  These modifications are outlined below:

 

  1. Excused for this school year only (2005-2006):
    • Travel arrangements made prior to the implementation of this attendance protocol.
    • Vacation dates that are dictated by a parent’s seniority in the workplace.
    • Youth group activities or mission trips planned prior to the implementation of this attendance protocol.
  1. Absences to be reviewed case by case (ongoing):
    • Travel plans pre-arranged by families new to our area.
    • Families who have vacation times dictated by military assignments.
    • Travel opportunities as “once in a lifetime” trips.
    • Non-custodial parents and grandparents, who do not live locally, who wish to visit with child during school year.
  2. Excused with or without stipulations (ongoing):
    • Special family occasions – maximum 2 days excused per event (examples: special birthdays or anniversaries, weddings, reunions).
    • Youth Conferences – maximum 2 days excused per event (examples: religious, athletic, or academic conferences that the student has been recommended, nominated or elected to attend).
    • Extra-curricular or athletic competitions – must be state or national level activities.
    • Theatre and dance productions (often local productions occur during the school day and are attended by our students and teachers).

 

In Columbia County, the Chief Judge of the Superior Court coordinated a student attendance protocol committee made up of community representatives, including law enforcement officials, school officials, school social workers and local government agencies.  The committee met several times this past spring to develop an attendance protocol that would be adopted by the Columbia County Board of Education and used to identify, report, investigate and prosecute cases of allege violations of O.C.G.A. 20-2-690.1, related to mandatory school attendance and addressing the issues of truancy with parents and guardians.  Details of the Attendance Protocol can be found at http://www1.ccboe.net/boepolicies/j/jbd.pdf.

 

 

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