Student Absence Reporting
Whenever a student is away from school, the staff at the school has the responsibility to record the
absence and a reason for the absence, if one is available. An absence is assigned a district reason
("Excused Absence", "Unexcused Absence”, “Late" and "Excused Late") along with a short remark.
The initial use of the term "Excused Absence" originates from Section 7(4) of the Education Act, which
states:
a student is excused from attending school on a day on which the school is open if:
(a) the student is unable to attend by reason of sickness or other unavoidable cause,
(b) the day is recognized as a religious holiday by the religious denomination to which the student
belongs,
(c) the principal of the school has suspended the student from school and the suspension is still in
effect,
(d) the student has been expelled from a school and has not yet been enrolled in another
education program, or
(e) the board or, if the student is enrolled in a private school or resides in unorganized territory, the
Minister
(i) determines that the parent of the student has shown sufficient cause as to why the
student should not be required to attend school, and
(ii) excuses the student from attending school for a prescribed period of time.
In other words, a student absence should only be recorded as "Excused" if the absence is due to
sickness, religious holidays, suspension/expulsion, permission from the Board, or truly unavoidable
circumstances.
NOTE: The Education Act does not define late reasons.
The division has standardized absence and late reasons which allow consistent reporting.
Below is a list of district standard attendance/late codes and reasons, along with an interpretation using
the Education Act:
Absence Reason Example of Use Education Act Interpretation
Absent No reason given Absent - Unexcused
Confirmed Absent School notified with reason Absent - Unexcused
not conforming to
Education Act excused
Illness Student is sick Absent - Excused
Distance Learning The family indicates that they Absent - Excused
are choosing to keep the
child at home due to
concerns over COVID, either
a generalized concern or due
to a specific case in the
classroom.
Source: Student Information 1 August, 2023
Absence Reason Example of Use Education Act Interpretation
Other Medical Any medical/dental other than Absent - Excused
illness
Religious Holiday The day is a holy day in the Absent - Excused
student's religion
Bereavement Death in Family Absent - Excused
Transportation Issue Bus not running or late Absent - Excused
Out of School Suspension Student is suspended from Absent - Excused
school
Unavoidable Examples are legal or safety Absent - Excused
Circumstances issues - school will make a
note of reason
In School - Not in Class Examples are testing out of Not Absent from School
class, call to office
Field Trip/School Activity Student is absent from Not Absent from School
classes due to participation in
a school - recognized field
trip or other school activity
In-School Suspension Student serves suspension at Not Absent from School
the school
Lates
Late No reason given Unexcused Late
Excused Late Late for school and parents Excused Late
are aware of the reason why
The Unavoidable Circumstances reason should only be used for those circumstances that cannot be
described by any other code, and is deemed to be truly a reason that would legitimately keep a student
away from school (e.g., a legal or safety issue, family circumstances, etc.). This category is not
intended to be a "catch-all" and should be used very sparingly and it is strongly suggested that a
PowerSchool Log Note be included every time it is used.
The Confirmed Absence reason should be used for absences that the school is made aware of, but
would not be classified as an "unavoidable circumstance" or other reason. Examples include family
holidays, parental decisions to keep a student out of school for a period of time, and students having
to work.
Source: Student Information 2 August, 2023
Examples of use of the other reasons include:
Absence - student is away without school being notified.
Illness - student exhibits symptoms of cold, flu or other illness. During flu seasons please provide staff
with a short list of symptoms so that Alberta Health Services can be informed about the types of illness
present in the school population.
● Other Medical- includes anything other than illness (medical/dental appointments, injury
etc.).
● Religious Holiday- student is away because the day is a holiday in that student's religion.
Bereavement- death in family, attendance at funeral.
● Transportation Issue - Yellow bus not running, transportation problems due to weather.
● Out of School Suspension- will be applied by school staff for a student that has been
suspended from school.
In School - Not in Class, Field Trip/School Activity and In School Suspension are used when the
student is absent from a class, but is involved in a different activity under the care and control of the
school.
Facility Problem - No Classes - this indicates that the school is not able to offer the scheduled
classes because the building is closed, for example as the result of a water main break or a fire.
LATES:
Late - Student is late reporting to school or class, without parent being aware.
Excused late - Student is late reporting to school or class and parents are aware of the reason why.
Best Practices for Extended Vacation absences:
When families indicate the children are going on an extended vacation, the student does not need to be
removed (transferred out) from enrolment at the school. Confirmed absence code would be used.
In the following scenarios it would be appropriate to remove (transfer out) the student:.
● They have left and indicated they will not be returning for the remainder of the school year.
● A request for the student record has been received from another school or school authority.
● The lack of attendance spans the September 30 count date. In this case contact Student
Information to discuss.
Source: Student Information 3 August, 2023
