Attending Class In West Orange: How Many Days Can A Student Miss?

We all need to take a day off now and then… students included.

But according to a recent report, around 10 percent of the students in New Jersey had “high chronic absentee rates” during the 2013-14 school year, meaning that they missed more than 18 days of school.

The report – done by the Advocates for Children of New Jersey – cited West Orange’s public schools among the districts in need of improvement.

• See related article: West Orange’s Schools Have High Absentee Rates

WEST ORANGE’S ATTENDANCE RULES

In West Orange’s public schools, a student must be in attendance for 162 or more school days in order to complete the instructional program requirements of the grade/course to which he/she is assigned.

However, “A waiver of these attendance requirements may be granted for good cause by the school principal upon recommendation of a review committee.”

• See the district’s full attendance policy online here.

STATE LAW

According to the NJ Department of Education, student absenteeism can lead to “low academic achievement, school dropout, delinquency and gang involvement.”

“School districts that have established multi-systemic approaches and policies pertaining to student absenteeism typically experience fewer numbers of dropouts and a greater number of graduates,” the NJDOE states on its website.

The New Jersey compulsory education law requires all children between the ages of 6 to 16 to attend school.

State attendance regulations require each district board of education to develop, adopt and implement policies and procedures regarding the attendance of students, including the adoption of a definition of “unexcused absence,” the provision of mandated services for students with between one and nine cumulative unexcused absences, and a mandated court referral for “truant students,” those with ten or more unexcused absences.