Attendance

School hours are 8:30 am until 3:00 p.m. Connecticut law requires children to attend school regularly. Consistent attendance at school is extremely important and helps prepare students for life.

Please call the school by 8:00 a.m. if your child will not be attending school that day, or if your child will be late for school. If your child has an appointment which causes your child to be tardy or absent, you must send a note in with your child the day/time he/she returns to school.

A student should not be absent from school without the knowledge and consent of a parent. An absence shall be considered excused when a student does not attend school due to:

illness or injury;
death in the immediate family;
religious obligation;
an emergency; or
other circumstances approved by the Director.

All other absences will be considered unexcused. Whenever a student is absent, a parent must notify the school prior to 9:00 a. m. on the day of the absence. If it is not possible to telephone the school on the day of the absence, the parent is requested to send a written excuse on the day of the student’s return.

If a long-term absence is anticipated, please call the school for further information. If your child will be absent from school for a religious or cultural observance, please notify the classroom teacher in advance.

A "truant" is defined as a student enrolled in ISAAC who has four unexcused absences in one month or ten unexcused absences within a school year. Attendance will be monitored and action taken to correct unexcused absences. This action may include a parent-teacher conference, referral to the Director and/or referral to state or legal authorities.

The determination of whether an absence is excused will be made by the Director or his/her designees. Parents or caregivers having control of the student may appeal that decision to the Board of Directors or its designee, whose decision is final.

Students may not arrive at school before 8:15 a.m. Students who arrive after 7:30 a.m. are expected to wait in the all purpose room until passing time at 8:15 a.m. Students are not to wait outside or to be in any other part of the building. Students who arrive early to receive extra help or to work with a teacher must have prior permission from the teacher they are seeking help with. Such students need to check in with the school office and then proceed immediately to their work area. Students are offered breakfast from 7:45-8:25 AM.

Parents are asked to park in the upper parking lot at dismissal time to pick up students. Our walkers are dismissed in the lower parking lot so we ask that you do not park in the lower parking lot unless handicapped parking is needed. We encourage carpools. For more information about carpooling, call the school office.

Parents are expected to come to the school office to sign students out if picking up the student at any time other than regular dismissal time. Early dismissal is discouraged and should be requested only in emergency and/or unusual situations. Should someone other than the parent/caregiver come to pick up the child, that person must be certified in writing by the parent/caregiver as the one to whom the child may be released. Persons unknown to the school office will be required to present identification.