Pike County Schools Truancy
A Fundamental Guide for Parents and Students
Kentucky law recognizes the value of regular school attendance, requiring that all children ages 6 to 16 attend school. Children under the age of 6 who are enrolled in school are also subject to compulsory attendance laws. It is the parent's legal responsibility to enroll their children in school in accordance with the law.
What is a Truant?
Any student who has attained the age of six (6), but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for three (3) days or more, or tardy without valid excuse on three (3) days or more, is a truant.
What is a Habitual Truant? - A student that has been reported twice as a truant.
Any student who has attained the age of six (6), but has not reached his/her eighteenth (18th) birthday, who has been absent from school without valid excuse for six (6) days or more, or tardy without valid excuse on six (6) days or more, is a habitual truant.
For the purposes of establishing a student's status as a truant, a student's attendance record is cumulative for an entire school year.When students transfer from one Kentucky district to another, attendance information from the previous district shall become part of their official attendance record for that school year.
After six (6) or more unexcused absences, the Director of Pupil Personnel may refer the student and or parent to the Pike Co. Court System for truancy violations.
No Pass - No Drive Law
Students who are age sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years old who become academically deficient in attendance shall be reported to the Transportation Cabinet for driver's license, permit or driving privilege revocation, under the Kentucky No Pass - No Drive Law.
They shall be deemed academically deficient if they have not received passing grades in at least four (4) courses, or the equivalent of four (4) courses, taken in the preceding semester or tri-mester.
They shall be deemed deficient in attendance when they drop out of school or accumulate nine (9) unexcused absences for the preceding semester or tri-mester. Suspensions shall be considered unexcused absences.
Students age sixteen (16) through twenty-one (21) in Pike County Schools with a valid drivers license that has been deemed academically deficient or deficient in attendance in the preceding tri-mester shall not be provided school driving privileges.
Medical Excuses and Parent Notes
All absence events and tardies will be considered unexcused until the appropriate written excuse, or documentation, is provided to the school. These notes, excuses, etc., must be turned in to the school with three (3) days after the absence event or tardy. If not received in three (3) days, the absence event/tardy will remain unexcused.
Pike Co. Schools will accept five (5) parent notes per year for consideration for excused events. A total of five (5) parent notes will be accepted for the entire school year
School Excuses
Examples of acceptable excuses for school absence:
- Student Illness
- Funeral
- Religious Holiday
Examples of excuses that are unacceptable and will be unexcused:
- Student stayed up too late
- Student missed the bus
- Student overslept
- Student didn't feel like going to school
- Student stayed home to help parents
- Someone else in the household is ill
- Parent overslept
- Parent doesn't know if school is in session
The Pike County Board of Education believes that there is a direct relationship between poor attendance and lack of achievement. Students who have good attendance generally achieve higher grades, enjoy school more, and are much better adjusted to live in our society.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many days after I'm absent from school, will I have to turn in my parent note or my medical excuse?
Answer: 3 days.*(Students are allowed five (5) parent notes per year. Any absence covered by a parent note will be considered excused up to five (5) per year).
2. If I miss school, will my parent/guardian receive written notification?
Answer: Yes. After 3 or more days unexcused absence, a truancy letter will be sent to the parent or guardian from the school. After 6 days unexcused absences, a final notice letter will be delivered to the home by a deputy DPP. At this time, the parent or guardian should contact the school.
3. What can happen after I miss more than six (6) days unexcused absences from school?
Answer: The student or parents may then be referred for legal action to the County Attorney or the Court Designated Worker for educational neglect or habitual truancy.
4. What if I forgot to bring my parent note or medical excuse?
Answer: Parent notes and medical excuses are the responsibility of the child and parent, not the responsibility of the attendance clerk or school secretary.
5. As a parent, how can I check on my child's attendance record?
Answer: By contacting the school (printed records will be made available upon request) or by accessing the 'Parent Portal" of Infinite Campus.
6. What is Infinite Campus?
Answer: Infinite Campus is the web-based data collecting system used in all public schools in Kentucky to collect data on attendance, grades, enrollment and many other student records.
7. How do I access the "Parent Portal" of Infinite Campus?
a. Contact the school attendance clerk to get your login and password for Infinite Campus Parent Portal
b. Go to our district website at: www.pike.kyschools.us
c. Look on the left side and find Parent Portal.
d. Click on Parent Portal and then began your login.
8. If a student transfers from another school district, will their attendance record follow them? Answer: Yes. Attendance records accumulate even if the student transfers from school to school.
9. Can I lose my drivers' license or driving permit if I have poor grades or attendance?
Answer: Yes. All students age 16 or 17 that have 6 or more unexcused absences per tri-mester or fail 2 or more classes will be reported to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for license revocation.
10. If my drives' license or driving permit is revoked, when can I get them back?
Answer: After one complete semester of being compliant with attendance or grades.
11. Will I lose my drivers' license or driving permit if I drop out of school?
Answer: Yes. Any 16 or 17 year old student that drops out of high school must be reported to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for license revocation.
12. If I'm over 18 years old, can I be charged with truancy?
Answer: Yes. The Director of Pupil Personnel for Pike Co. Schools is aggressively pursuing 18+ offenders.