R 3212  ATTENDANCE
A.    	Review of Attendance Data

	1.     	A record shall be kept of the attendance of each teaching staff member, including 			teachers; educational services personnel; administrators; and other certificated 			staff members.  Any absence, for part or all of a school day, shall be recorded 			along with the reason for the absence.  The record will distinguish sick leave, 			professional days, unpaid leaves of absence, personal leave, bereavement leave, 			and any other leaves of absences taken by the teaching staff member.  The 				teaching staff member’s attendance record will include notation of verification of 			an absence where such verification is required by the Superintendent or by Policy 			and Regulation 1642.01.  The teaching staff member’s rate of absence shall be 			calculated at least once per school year and entered on the teaching staff 				member’s attendance record.  A teaching staff member’s attendance record shall 			be part of the teaching staff member’s personnel file. 

	2.     	A cumulative attendance record shall be assembled for each school in the school 			district and also for the school district as required by the New Jersey Department 			of Education.

	3.     	An attendance summary shall be prepared from the cumulative attendance record.  		The attendance summary shall show the rate of absence for each school in the 			district and also for the school district. 

B.    	Attendance Reporting and Improvement Plan

	1.  	Planning

		a.     	Each absence of a teaching staff member shall be reported by the teaching 				staff member in accordance with the school district’s procedure.

		b.     	The absence of a teaching staff member shall be provided to the teaching 				staff member’s Principal or supervisor designated by the Superintendent, 				as appropriate, who shall determine if a substitute or replacement is 				required for the period of the absence.

		c.     	A report of such absences shall also be provided to the Superintendent or 				designee.

		d.     	The Principal or supervisor designated by the Superintendent shall 					determine if an absence requires further verification.  Reasons for further 				verification may include, but are not limited to, the following:

			(1)    	A pattern of absences on the same day(s) of the week;

			(2)    	A pattern of absences before or after nonworking days;

			(3)    	The habitual exhaustion of personal leave.

		e.     	The Superintendent or designee will meet with Principals and supervisors 				to discuss attendance records of teaching staff members.  The attendance 				records shall be analyzed for patterns of absences, such as excessive 				absenteeism in a given department, school, or work place in the school 				district, among certain groups of teaching staff members, for certain 				specific causes, or on certain days of the week, month, or year.  Specific 				strategies for reducing the rate of absences shall be developed.

	2.     	Implementation

		a.     	The Superintendent or designee or the teaching staff member’s Principal 				or supervisor designated by the Superintendent shall be responsible for 				implementing a plan for the improvement of teaching staff member 				attendance. 

		b.     	The teaching staff member’s Principal or supervisor designated by the 				Superintendent shall encourage the regular attendance of teaching staff 				members in their workplace, school, or department.  The teaching staff 				member’s Principal or supervisor designated by the Superintendent shall 				maintain contact with absent employees and may confer with teaching 				staff members who return from an absence of any duration.

		c.     	The Superintendent shall direct Principals and supervisors designated by 				the Superintendent to incorporate a teaching staff member’s attendance 				record in the teaching staff member’s evaluation.

		d.     	The teaching staff member’s Principal or supervisor designated by the 				Superintendent shall report to the Superintendent or designee any teaching 			staff member whom the Principal or supervisor designated by the 					Superintendent suspects of misusing sick leave or falsifying the reasons 				for an absence.

	3.     	Counseling

		a.     	The Superintendent, Principal, or supervisor designated by the 					Superintendent may schedule a conference with a teaching staff member 				where the number and/or pattern of the teaching staff member’s absences 				or the reasons offered for the teaching staff member’s absences may 				indicate a concern.

		b.     	Prior to the giving of any admonition, reprimand, or imposition of 					discipline of any kind, the Superintendent, Principal, or supervisor 					designated by the Superintendent shall determine the nature of the 					absences and consider any extenuating circumstances.

		c.     	A written report of any attendance conference shall be prepared and 				retained with the teaching staff member’s evaluations.  The teaching staff 				member shall be permitted to examine the report and affix their comments, 			if any, to evaluation reports.

C.    	Record of Attendance

	1.     	A record shall be kept of the attendance of all teaching staff members, including 			supervisors.  Any absence, for part or all of a school day, shall be recorded with 			the reason for the absence.  A teaching staff member’s attendance record shall be 			part of the teaching staff member’s personnel file.  
	2.     	The record will distinguish sick leave; professional days; unpaid leaves of 				absences; personal leave; bereavement leave; and any other leaves taken by the 			teaching staff member.  The teaching staff member’s attendance record will 			include notation of verification of an absence where such verification is required 			by the Superintendent, Policy 1642.01, or any other law or Board policy. 

	3.     	A teaching staff member’s rate of absence shall be calculated at least once per 			school year and entered on the teaching staff member’s attendance record. 

	4.     	At the end of each school year, the Superintendent of Schools, Principals, and 			teaching staff members’ supervisors designated by the Superintendent will review 		attendance records for teaching staff members.  

D.    	Attendance Improvement Plan

	1.     	The attendance record prepared for teaching staff members shall be analyzed for 			patterns of absence, such as excessive absenteeism in a given school or work 			place, among certain groups of employees, for certain specific causes, or on 			certain days of the week, month, or year. 

	2.     	Specific strategies for reducing the rate of absences shall be developed.

	3.     	The Superintendent shall designate an administrator or supervisor to be 				responsible for implementing the approved plan for the improvement of teaching 			staff member attendance in the school district and in schools in the district. 

	4.     	The record of a conference(s) dealing with excessive absenteeism may serve as an 		element in the evaluation of any teaching staff member’s performance.

E.     	In-Service Training

	1.     	The teaching staff member’s Principal or supervisor designated by the 				Superintendent shall meet with teaching staff members at the beginning of each 			school year to:

		a.     	Inform teaching staff members of Board policy and district regulations on 				attendance;

		b.     	Familiarize employees with the procedures to be used in requesting, 				reporting, and verifying absences; and

		c.     	Acquaint teaching staff members with the degree to which attendance will 				affect evaluation reports.

Date issued:  12/18/95
Date revised:  11/16/09, 12/19/23