Attendance Information
Attendance Policy
Please refer to the district policy manual. Reference policies:
- 5200 - Pupils - Attendance
- 5200R - Pupils - Attendance Regulations
To Report An Absence - Elementary
To report an absence for your elementary school student, please call the school's number below.
- Clinton Elementary School: (973) 378 - 7686
- Jefferson Elementary School: (973) 378 - 7696
- Marshall Elementary School: (973) 378 - 7698
- Seth Boyden Elementary School: (973) 378 - 5209
- South Mountain Elementary School: (973) 378 - 5216
- South Mountain Annex Elementary School: (973) 378-2801
- Tuscan Elementary School: (973) 378 - 5246
- Montrose Early Childhood Center: (973) 378 - 2086
To Report An Absence - Secondary
To report an absence for your secondary school student, please call the school's number below. Alternatively, you can report the absence through PowerSchool.
- Columbia High School: (973) 762 - 5600 x 1225
- Maplewood Middle School: (973) 378 - 7660 x 3002
- South Orange Middle School: (973) 378 - 2772 x 2003
Reporting Absences Via PowerSchool (Secondary)
Instructions:
- Log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal (click here).
- Click on the Forms link.
- Click on "Student Absent Notification".
- Confirm / edit the date and time.
- Fill in the reason for the absence.
- Click Submit.
Additional Attendance Information
In order for students to learn and achieve their fullest potential, it is critical that they are in school and engaged in the learning process. Research shows that student absences impact a child’s ability to succeed in school.
A growing and compelling body of research demonstrates that chronic absence from school – typically defined as missing at least 10 percent (18 days) of school days in a year for any reason, excused or unexcused – is a primary cause of low academic achievement and a powerful predictor of which students will eventually drop out of school.
Parents need to contact the school to report the reason for each absence when their child is not in school. The reported absence will be coded as excused or unexcused based upon the state and district attendance policies. If the parent does not contact the school, then the absence will be recorded as unexcused.
All absences, excused and unexcused, count toward chronic absenteeism. A student may be denied course credit if they miss more than 10% of any course (chronic absenteeism). All unexcused absences count toward truancy. Information on the attached sheet outlines the differences between excused and unexcused absences and how all absences from school count toward chronic absenteeism and/or truancy.
If you have questions or concerns with your student’s attendance records, please contact your child's school.
Attendance Works: Keep Your Child on Track in Middle and High School.