Attendance

A significant part of your child’s educational experience is derived from classroom participation, activities, discussion, and relationships. Daily attendance is crucial for your child to attain the maximum benefit from the school experience. It is the responsibility of the child and the parent to maintain the child’s attendance in accordance with the Infinity calendar. If a child has three unexcused absences, this will be reported to his/her home district to be handled by their truancy personnel. Poor attendance may necessitate a meeting with the Director to come to a mutual agreement on how to improve your child’s attendance at Infinity. State law requires that after ten consecutive days of unexcused absences, the child must be dropped from our rolls and will no longer be allowed to attend Infinity. ABSENCE A child who is ill should not be sent to school. This may result in his/her health becoming worse and it exposes other children to the disease if it is communicable. “Rest at home is best.”

For the protection and safety of our students, we ask parents to email or call the school at (717) 238-1880, before 9:00 a.m., on the days their child/ren is absent from school for any reason. The office will call the parents, if not notified. If a child will be absent for more than one day, we request that parents notify the school each day the child is out.

If your child will be absent for any reason other than illness (doctor's appointment, religious observance, family trip, etc.), please make arrangements ahead of time with the office and with your child's teacher.

When students miss classroom instruction, much of the content may not be able to be made up. However, your child’s teacher will be able to inform you whether or not missed work and assignments can be made up.

EXCUSED ABSENCES Excused absences include the following: 1. Illness upon receipt of a written excuse from parents. Parents’ excuses for illness will be accepted with limitations: a. Per state law, all excuses for absences must be turned in to Infinity Charter School within three days after the pupil’s return, or the absence will be recorded as unexcused; and, b. For three or more consecutive days of illness absence, Infinity Charter School requires a statement from a physician verifying the child’s inability to attend school. The limit for excused illness absence will ordinarily be an accumulation of ten days during the school term. 2. Family emergencies. 3. Prearranged doctor and dentist appointments. (Kindly make every effort to schedule these outside of school hours.) 4. Authorized school activities. 5. Prearranged absences for purposes of accompanying parents on trips upon receipt of a written request from the parents. The written request by the parents shall include the purpose of the trip, an itinerary of travel, and the period of absence. Students will be required, at the convenience of the teacher, to complete all work missed due to prearranged absence for a trip. A student will be permitted to take no more than two prearranged absences per school year, not to exceed a total of five school days. Trips may not be taken during the first, or last, seven days of the school year, or during the days PSSA tests are scheduled. 6. Attendance in a religious instruction program, as permitted by the School Code. The School shall, upon written request of the parents or guardians, release from attendance a student participating in a religious instruction program acknowledged by Infinity Charter School. Such instruction shall not require the child’s absence from school for more than thirty-six hours per school year, and its organizers must inform Infinity Charter School of the child’s attendance record in the religious instruction program. Infinity will not provide transportation to religious instruction.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES Unexcused absences (i.e., truancy) include the following: 1. Absence from school without knowledge or permission of parents and school authorities. 2. Leaving school during school hours and going directly home without office permission. 3. Absence from school with parental consent for reasons other than those considered excusable.

A pupil who has been truant shall complete all work missed and make up the time s/he was truant. In case of continued nonattendance without acceptable reasons, a student may be suspended. Re-admittance will be granted only after a satisfactory conference is held between the pupil, his/her parents, and the CEO/Director.

Also, please remember that three or more unexcused absences are reported to the student’s home district, to be handled by their truancy personnel.

INCLEMENT WEATHER/EARLY DISMISSAL

Infinity complies with the Central Dauphin School District regarding the closure or delay of schools due to inclement weather. Only the Director may authorize school closure. If this happens before the school day, it will be announced via local media outlets (television and radio stations). You will also receive an automated call and/or text message. In addition, check for school delays on Infinity’s website, www.infinityschool.org.

If we are closed for any reason after the beginning of school, we will only release students according to the “Release of Students” procedure. In the event of inclement weather that affects dismissal, each school district generally dismisses at a different time. Therefore, to avoid confusion, we will call each family living outside Central Dauphin School District to give them specific information. Families living in Central Dauphin School District will receive an automated call/text. In the event of an early dismissal, students will be sent home via their normal means of transportation, unless otherwise notified. (For example, if an early dismissal is called on a Tuesday, and your child is typically a bus rider on a Tuesday, we will send him/her on the bus, unless parents notify the office.)