At Colonia High School (CHS) you can have 8 unexcused absences per semester. This may differ per class such as marking period, health, and gym classes. Any absences after that can result in a loss of credit for that class.
Policy per class
There are many reasons why the number of unexcused absences varies per class. One of them is because of the duration of the class in the school year. Marking period classes, such as SAT prep and CCRA, have 4 unexcused absences since it is half of a semester. CHS gives students two unexcused absences in health classes since they take place during one-half of the marking period. CHS gives students 6 unexcused absences from gym class considering that health takes up a quarter of physical education classes.
Woodbridge Township adopted the state’s policy in 2019. No changes to the policy have happened even after coping with a pandemic and mandatory multiple-day absences due to Covid-19. In the Woodbridge Board of Education policy student handbook it states, “In order to be considered to have successfully completed the instructional requirements of the grade, a student must be in attendance 163 days.”
Excused Absences
In accordance with New Jersey’s Education Department’s absentee policy, CHS gives students excused absences for certain days taken off such as Take Your Child to Work Day. Take Your Child to Work Day is when you go to your parent or guardian’s workplace for a day. Participation in the observance of Veterans Day is when you honor the veterans who fought for the country. Something might happen to a busing district that prevents a student from having transportation to school. Religious observance such as holidays that are not on the school calendar. CHS gives students three excused absences if they are a junior or a senior for college visits.
Unexcused absences
Everything listed above is the excused absences that CHS allows you. Excused absences do not consist of, sicknesses and doctor notes. This can be for anything such as Covid-19, surgery, and the emergency room. If you have COVID-19 during the school year, the school will ask you to stay home for five days. The absences will not be excused if you stay home for those five days.
An absence will not be excused if a student misses school because they are in the emergency room. hospital or urgent care. A doctor can give you a note to miss a day or a few of school. If you miss those days, the absences will not be excused. Even though those notes are not excused, you can get the absences appealed. Unexcused absences can be appealed by going to a guidance counselor and proving you had an excuse to be absent.
Also, funerals are not an excused absence. English teacher at CHS, Danielle Allen points out that “students are excused from school to go to work with a parent but are not excused to attend a parent’s funeral services. It doesn’t make much sense.”
Policy per state
This absentee policy differs by state and city. In New York, high school students are allowed 22 unexcused full-day absences per year. In Texas, however, they allow up to ten unexcused absences per year. While CHS allows 16 unexcused absences per year. New Jersey’s Department of Education’s website states, “Missing only two days a month would result in being Chronically Absent from school.”
Policy per school
Schools around CHS differ in their absences. JP Stevens High School allows students to have up to ten unexcused absences per year and five per semester.
“Students absent for 18 school days in one school year (or 9 school days for a semester course, or 5 school days for a marking period course) may not be promoted to the next grade and may not be able to participate in extracurricular, athletic, or magnet programs.” according to, Jersey City Ed. Jersey City Ed also said that excused absences include illnesses and quarantine which are not excused in the Woodbridge Township, but it is supposed to be throughout New Jersey.
Nurse interview
Nurse Beebe said that Doctors’ notes should not be excused. She thinks that because a student can go on vacation and just get a doctor’s note for it. She said that we should have at least one more absence, especially for health classes. This is because health classes have two absences for a health class, and illnesses are unpredictable for only two days.
She also thinks reasonable excuses to stay home are the flu, fevers, vomiting, COVID-19, pink eye and contagious illnesses. She feels it is wrong to send students to school sick due to worry about missing credits from a class. If she has a sick student in her office, she will send them home and contact the parent.
Student interview
“Doctor’s notes should be excused because if a student is sick. They should get excused, not unexcused,” Rachel Tandean, a student at CHS said. She thinks that a student’s maximum absences should be 8 days per semester with an excuse for all sicknesses.
For her, reasonable reasons to be absent from school are when you’re sick or grieving, religious reasons, and family events. She said that if she feels like she can go to school her parents will make her go to school, but if she feels so sick and can’t go and needs a rest, her parents will understand and won’t make her go.
The wrap up
Some parents may make their kids go to school while being sick due to worry of loss of credits. This will get other kids sick and more people will be out of school. Practice good hygiene by washing your hands, sanitizing your hands often, sanitizing your phone, limit the touching of your face and wear a mask if you are ill.
Brian Beck • Dec 3, 2024 at 8:10 pm
Back in my day if you had “headaches”, you could get a chronic illness note from your doctor and miss as much time as want. Stinks you can’t do that anymore. I think the board of Ed should loosen up a bit!!
Alexa Beck • Dec 3, 2024 at 8:13 pm
Lol yes they should!
Noreen Dwyer • Dec 3, 2024 at 4:56 pm
It seems to me the Woodbridge board of is very unreasonable.no student should be forced to go to class unwell. I also feel funeral of family members should be excused. Go to work with a parent day is nice but not necessary.
Constance Beck • Dec 3, 2024 at 4:36 pm
Clear and concise Information on policy. The article is accurate and well written. Anyone reading it will know what they need to refer to and follow under each circumstance. Surely there are items not agreeable to everyone and may be challenged.
Alexa Beck • Dec 3, 2024 at 4:44 pm
Thank you so much!