Attendance Policy

Weber School District Attendance Policy

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

Any person having control of a minor between six and 18 years of age is required to send the minor to a public or regularly established private school during the school year of the district in which the minor resides.

It is a misdemeanor for a person having control of a minor to willfully fail to comply with the requirements of this chapter. A district board of education shall report cases of willful noncompliance to the appropriate juvenile court. Officers of the juvenile court shall immediately take appropriate action.

A person having control of a minor between six and 18 years of age is exempt from Utah State Code 53A-11-102 if the minor is excused from attendance by the district board of education for one of the following reasons:

1. a minor over age 16 may receive a partial release from school to enter employment if the minor has completed the eighth grade or the minor's services are required for the support of a parent. Minors excused under this subsection are required to attend part-time schooling as prescribed by the board; or

2. on an annual basis, a minor may receive a full release from attending a public, regularly established private or part-time school or class if:

a. the minor has already completed the work required for graduation from high school;

b. the minor is taught at home in the branches prescribed by law for the same length of time as minors are required by law to be taught in the district schools. A minor excused to enter employment under subsection 1 may be excused from attending required part-time schooling if the minor is taught the required number of hours at home;

c. the minor is in a physical or mental condition, certified by a competent physician if required by the district board, which renders attendance inexpedient and impracticable;

d. there is no school or class taught for the required length of time within 2.5 miles of the minor's residence or place of employment and free transportation is not provided to a school or class located beyond 2.5 miles;

e. proper influences and adequate opportunities for education are provided in connection with the minor's employment; or

if after expending earnest and persistent efforts, the Superintendent or his designee has determined that a minor over the age of 16 is unable to profit from attendance at school because of inability or a continuing negative attitude toward school regulations and discipline.

3. In each case, evidence of reasons for granting an exemption must be sufficient to satisfy the district board. Boards excusing minors from attendance issue a certificate stating that the minor is excused from attendance during the time specified on the certificate.

4. A HOME SCHOOL may be an alternate to public school if it meets state and local district requirements in the law. The responsibility of the local school board is to evaluate home schools annually to see that:

a. the home school is "regularly established" to produce an educational program "sufficient" to provide the student with the minimum educational program as required in the public schools.

b. time for conducting school is to coincide with the regularly established school year required by the state.

c. educational curriculum must be adequate to cover the curriculum of education (branches) prescribed by law.

d. the procedure for a home school to be recognized will include the following:

(1) filing an application with the Superintendent and the Board of Education designating a name for the home school and defining educational intentions.

(2) disclosure of curriculum and agreements of cooperative use of public school materials and/or part-time participation in classes evaluation time, fees, etc.

(3) determination of equivalent attendance requirements such as 180 days and 5-1/2 hours per day (minimum time).

(4) designation of an instructor who is capable of educating students in the home school.

e. The method of exit from and re-entry to the public school system is critical. The Board of Education reserves the right to designate re-entrance levels by examination. The instruments used must be no more difficult than those required of regular public school children.

(1) Periodic review, at least annually, must be done by representatives of the Board of Education to satisfy the "intent" of quality education in the home. Examination of the roll book, lesson plans, curriculum records, etc., may suffice.

(2) High school credit, graduation or diplomas, textbook use, testing, program assistance, partial attendance, supplies, field trips, athletics, etc., will be mutually agreed to at the time a home school makes application to be established. Evaluation of progress and re-entry placement needs to be done prior to the senior year (12th grade) to be considered for graduation or diploma.

(3) The Board of Education has the ultimate decision as to which students receive diplomas and/or graduate. The evaluation of the student's program needs to be done at each high school prior to the 12th grade (senior year) to be considered for a diploma from the public school system.

(4) A procedural packet of information will be sent to each home school at the time of application regarding the responsibilities of the home school and the Board of Education.

5. That any minor who has reached the age of sixteen years and whose school experience has, in the judgment of school officials, demonstrated that such minor is unable to profit from school attendance, either because of the student's continued negative attitude toward school regulations and school discipline, may be excused from school attendance upon recommendation of the Superintendent, or his designee, and approved by the Board of Education.

6. The evidence of the existence of any such reasons for non-attendance must be in each case sufficient to satisfy the Board of Education, or due process officer, acting in the name of the superintendent of the district in which the child resides, which, if satisfied, shall issue a certificate stating that the holder is exempt from attendance during the time therein specified.

Source: Utah Code Annotated 53A-11-101 thru 105