Absences/Tardies

  • State Law 232.01 states that children attending school must be in attendance daily unless the individual is sick or there is an emergency in the family.  This law implies that pupils are expected to be in school from 8:25 until 3:15 each day. 

    Student Absences

    Please call the school by 9:15 A.M., if your child is going to be absent.  This phone call tells us that you know that your child is safe at home.  By 12:00 noon each day, our Connect-Ed system will call you with an automated message stating that your child is absent.  If you have called school to report the absence, you will not receive this automated message.  If your child is absent, and we do not receive a phone call, then the absence is considered unexcused and you will receive an automated call.

    Convenience Absences

    Sometimes, parents request that a child be allowed to miss school for trips or other family events.  We understand that many times there is great value in these trips or events. However, please understand that the absences will be still be marked as unexcused.  Please know that if such an absence does occur, our children will be missing valuable instruction.  They will be expected to make up the work… however, it can never equal the classroom instruction that was missed.

    Tardies and Early Dismissals

    Being in school from 8:25-3:15 is a contributing factor to our students’ success.  Arriving in a classroom late or leaving early not only disrupts your student’s learning, but the learning of all the other students in the classroom.  A record of tardies, as well as absences, is reported to parents at the close of each quarter and is recorded on the student’s permanent record.  Please keep in mind that three tardies and/or three early dismissals are equal to one unexcused absence. When a student leaves school before our regular dismissal time, his or her education is interrupted, and unfortunately, so is that of the other students in the classroom.  We take our students’ education at McNeal seriously.  It is our goal to make all the time our kids spend with us as meaningful as possible.  We encourage you to always think twice before requesting to have your child leave his or her classroom early.  We trust that you also see the importance of your child’s attendance at school and know that you will limit requests for your child to leave early to extreme emergencies.

    * Please reference the School District of Manatee County Student Code of Conduct for more detailed attendance information.