Attendance Policy

Regular attendance by all students in the Public/Charter Schools of New Jersey is a well established, long standing State Policy (N.J.S.A. 18A-38:25, 26) that has been repeatedly upheld by the courts of the State as well as by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Regular attendance is fundamental to the academic achievement of students. The self-discipline and sense of responsibility students acquire clearly relate to post elementary and high school experiences in the world of work or in additional educational endeavors. The Golden Door Charter School places high value on student attendance and requires high standards for its students.

Attendance is required for all Golden Door students during the days and hours the school is in session. It is expected that each student be in full attendance in all classes and reports to all classes on time.

All student absences, except those that are exempt from the policy, are classified as "chargeable" absences. These chargeable absences are applied toward the maximum number of chargeable absences that a student may have for the year.

Chargeable Absence

A student may not exceed a total of 20 chargeable absences for a full academic year. The teacher is responsible for record keeping of the daily period attendance.

The Notification Process

1) The Warning Letter

The classroom teacher will generate a form letter that he/she will mail to the home of the student informing the parent/guardian of excessive absences. The teacher will keep a copy of the letter and also send a copy to the administration. This warning will state that because of excessive absences, their son/daughter is in danger of failing.

2) Phone Call to Parent/Guardian

A phone call will be made to the parent/guardian of the student alerting them that because of their child's excessive absences, he/she is in danger of failing.

3) Administrator & Parent Conference

If the excessive absences persist after the phone communication has been made, the Administration will require the parent come in for a conference regarding the excessive absences. The parent will be given a second in danger of failing notice to sign.

4) Denial of Promotion

Once the Administration has exhausted all of the above precautions, notices and warnings and the student continues to maintain excessive absences having reached the twentieth chargeable absence, he/she will be retained in their current grade for the upcoming school year.

Absences that are exempt from the Attendance Policy (not chargeable) include the following:

  1. Post Elementary School Visits - Students will be allowed 5 days in the 8th grade in order to visit high schools of interest. Written verification from the institution will be required. The verification must include the date of visit and must be signed by the appropriate school official.
  2. Field Trips - Which are out of school as approved by the administration.
  3. Personal observance of recognized religious holiday(s) as published by the New Jersey Department of Education.
  4. Death in the immediate family, which includes a parent or guardian, sibling, grandparent, and others at the discretion of the administration.
  5. Bedside/home instruction.
  6. Administrative excuse with required documentation, which includes, but is not limited to, the following: (a) Chronic illness with written verification from a physician, which should be registered in the nurse's office by September 15th of the academic year or within three weeks of the diagnosis. In the event that verification of the chronic illness is not provided within the time limits set forth above, it must be provided promptly after the first absence caused by the chronic illness. (b) Court appearance with written documentation from the court. (c) Suspension from school.

Classified students are expected to adhere to the same attendance regulations as general education students unless otherwise specified in the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Any additional exception would be determined by the child study team in consultation with the school administration.