Skip To Main Content

Attendance Overview

Attendance Emails

Baron Elementary

Email: BEAttendance@manheimcentral.org
Phone: 717-665-8903

Doe Run Elementary

Email: DRAttendance@manheimcentral.org
Phone: 717-665-8809

Middle School

Email: MSAttendance@manheimcentral.org
Phone: 717-664-1804

High School

Email: HSAttendance@manheimcentral.org
Phone: 717-664-8418

Attendance Forms

Find the Attendance Forms at Student Services

Attendance Policies

Refer to MCSD Policy #204 available via the District’s Policy Manual on the District’s website.

If a student is absent, an excuse from a treating physician is allowable OR up to 10 days of student absence may be excused by an acceptable parent note. Should this limit be reached, all additional absences for illness may only be excused with a note from a treating physician. Any parent written excuse following the 10 day limit will be coded as illegal or unexcused.

A student has 3 school days to submit an excuse note following a return from absence.  Excuse notes may also be emailed to the school's attendance office. 

If a student accumulates 6 (or more) illegal absences, a letter will be mailed to the parent, which will include an invitation to the Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) meeting. This is a team meeting,  including the parent and the learner (if age appropriate), to discuss and address concerns and create a plan of support and an improvement in attendance. Students who accumulate 6+ days of illegal absences are identified as ‘habitually truant’.

These plans, SAIPs, are individualized and will be reviewed by the school, parents, and learners regularly. If attendance does not improve following a SAIP, additional options to address continued truancy may include a referral to the District Justice Judge’s Office through a Truancy Citation (if 15 and older) AND/OR a referral to the Children and Youth Agency (Truancy Referral) for support and monitoring (if 14 or younger). 

The district limits the number and duration of nonschool-sponsored educational tours to 5 days or trips and college or postsecondary institution visits for which excused absences may be granted to a student during the school year.

General Guidelines

All guidelines may be subject to administrative discretion. Attendance Guidelines, Policies and Procedures apply to all Students in all Learning Modes. 

  • All students are expected to be in all classrooms when the bell rings.  
  • All students must sign in and sign out of the room from which they are leaving. 
  • No students are permitted in the building before 7:00 AM or after 4:00 PM without direct supervision or administrative approval.

All students K-12

  1. Students absent from the start of the school day until 10:49 AM of the school day = Tardy.
  2. Students absent from 10:50 until the end of the school day = ½ day absence.
  3. Students absent the entire school day = full day of absence.
  4. Students absent on a day that is an early dismissal or late start school day are counted as a full day of absence.

The school has an obligation to keep parents informed regarding all matters related to their son or daughter. Consequently, students 18 years of age or older are expected to have a parent signature on any excuse or school document. Exceptions to this policy will be made only upon written request from the parent/guardian.

Under 18 years of Age

  1. A tardy is defined as absent from the start of the day (7:50) until 10:49. An excuse must be provided for this time or it is coded as an ‘unexcused tardy’
  2. Students may accumulate a combination of up to 10 days of parent excusals and unexcused/illegal days per school year. Should this limit be reached, all additional absences will only be excused with a note from the treating physician. Excuses from a physician are preferred for illness and will not count towards the 10 day limit for parent excuse notes for absences.  Any parent/guardian written excuse notes following the 10 day limit will be coded as an illegal or unexcused day.
  3. Case by case exceptions may occur and must be reviewed and approved by the building principals. 
  4. A student has 3 school days to submit a signed excuse note following a return from an absent day. If a valid, written and signed excuse is not submitted within the 3-day period, absence is logged as illegal.
  5. In the High School, illegal/unexcused days may result in the student receiving a 0 for all school work missed during the day of absence.
  6. An attendance letter is mailed home when a student has 3 and 6 illegal/unexcused attendance days documented. 
  7. If a student accumulates 3- 5 days of illegal absences, a 3-day illegal notice letter will be sent to the parent/guardian. This letter includes specific information from the PA Attendance Law.
  8. If a student accumulates 6 (or more) illegal absences, a letter will be mailed to the parent/ guardian, which will include an invitation to the Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) meeting. This is a team meeting to discuss and address concerns and create a plan of support and an improvement to attendance. Students who accumulate 6+ days of illegal absences are identified as ‘habitually truant.’ 
  9. SAIP’s are individualized and will be reviewed regularly. If attendance does not improve following a SAIP, additional options to address continued truancy may include a referral to the District Justice Judge’s office through a Truancy Citation for a Judge to address AND/OR a referral to the Children and Youth Agency (Truancy Referral) for support and monitoring.

Over 18 years of Age (monitored by the High School administration):

  1. Student is absent and does not submit a written excuse within the 3-day period: absence is logged as unexcused. A one-day warning letter will be mailed home.
  2. If a student accumulates 3-5 days of unexcused absences a “3 day unexcused” letter is sent home, the student will need to sign a warning card as well as follow policy regarding make-up days. 
  3. If a student accumulates 10 days of absence a “10-day letter” will be sent, noting at 10 days of absences a doctor’s excuse may be required for every subsequent absence. (This includes all forms of absences)
  4. Upon accumulation of 5 additional absences after the “10-day warning letter” is issued, a 2nd letter may be sent requiring a doctor’s excuse for all future absences. All subsequent absences not substantiated by a doctor’s excuse will be considered unexcused. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

Excessive / Unexcused Absences

Continued and excessive unexcused absences will result in the formation of a Student Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) according to the Manheim Central policies and PA Act 138. The process for Excused absences is noted below:

  1. After the first unexcused absence, a letter will be sent to the parent.
  2. After the third cumulative unexcused absence, a warning letter will be sent to the parent.
  3. After the sixth cumulative unexcused absence, students are considered to be Habitually Truant, and an official notice of unexcused absences will be sent to the parents and a SAIP meeting will be scheduled.
  4. After 10 cumulative days of unexcused absence, a warning letter will be sent to the parent.
  5. After 15 cumulative days of absence, a doctor’s note will be required to have an absence excused (parent notes are not excused). Also, a referral to the social worker will be made.  Note: Proof of other reasonable causes for absence according to Policy 204 are also allowable. For students 14 and under, a referral may be initiated to Children and Youth Services.  For students 15 and over, the case may be referred for prosecution. This procedure follows the state laws on public school attendance. 
  6. A SAIP meeting (Student Attendance Improvement Plan) may be scheduled with parents and students.