Student Absences and Utah’s Compulsary Attendance Laws
Because we are committed to providing every Murray student with a quality education, Murray teachers, counselors, and administrators are concerned when a student misses school. The primary task of the Utah State Board of Education and this district is to ensure that all students master the Core Curriculum, and absences from school can interfere with a student’s opportunity to achieve this goal.
Utah Compulsory Attendance laws (53A-11-101) mandate that every school age child be in school. The parents/guardians are responsible for their children’s regular attendance at school. Failure to send your children to school can result in a misdemeanor and/or a referral to Truancy Court.
We understand that occasionally a student must be absent from school for reasons deemed acceptable to the parents, this district, and the court. If your child must be absent from school, please call the school office to report the absence each time your child is not in school. When the absences are extended due to serious illness, the district and the court require a statement from the doctor explaining the illness and when the student is expected to return to school.
To ensure that your child is at school every day possible, we encourage parents/guardians to consider the following:
- Arrange dental and medical appointments after school hours whenever possible. If a student is excused during the school day, it is for the time taken by the appointment itself and travel from and back to school.
- Schedule special lessons and sports activities before or after school hours
- Arrange family activities and travel in conjunction with holidays and breaks, keeping district policies and state laws in mind.
If unexpected or unusual circumstances arise, please contact your child’s principal and teacher’s to discuss how we can work together to best meet your child’s needs, your desires, and the school’s expectations.
For more specific information, please refer to the MURRAY SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUANCY POLICY
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our attendance policies, please contact the Director of Personnel & Student Services, Mr. Dean at the Murray School District Office, (801) 264-7400.
