How to find out if your child is attending school and other Philadelphia attendance resources
The School District of Philadelphia has several online resources for parents, guardians, and students struggling to get to school regularly.
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What does it mean if my child is “chronically absent”?
Pennsylvania considers a student who misses more than 10% of school days to be chronically absent.
How do I find out if my child is attending school?
A parent or guardian can contact their child’s school or gain access to student records online, through the Parent & Family portal. After clicking on this link, you can create an account, if you haven’t already.
Using this link, one can create an account, which requires a confirmation code. You can call your child’s school to get their confirmation code or look it up via this link to the Parent & Family portal.
You will need the student’s ID number, date of birth, and an email address.
Click here for additional directions.
» READ MORE: Chronic absenteeism is surging in Philly’s early grades, putting thousands more at risk of lasting academic harm
Once logged in, where do I go?
Once a parent or guardian is in the portal, look for the “Attendance” option on the left side of the screen to see what days your student has missed school, been late, or had unexcused absences.
You can also access the attendance record using the Calendar section on the left side of the screen, which will show the days when the student has missed school.
Here is a video showing how to use the portal:
Campus Parent Tutorial Video; Campus Parent Stepper (MS/HS); Campus Parent Stepper (Elementary).
Click here to see translated versions in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, Khmer, Russian, and Vietnamese.
Will I be notified if my child missed school?
Once the student has been absent from school for at least three days without a permitted excuse, the district notifies the parent or guardian. The District staff will provide parents or guardians with a written notice to the student within 10 school days of the student’s third unexcused absence.
What is a School Attendance Improvement Conference?
When a student is deemed chronically absent, the student and the student’s parent or guardian will be invited to attend a School Attendance Improvement Conference (SAIC). By a student’s sixth unexcused absence, a School Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) will be created to provide resources to help the student and family.
The SAIP will occur even if the student and the parent fail to attend the scheduled conference.
If the student continues to be absent, the student may be referred to truancy court, which can address and help resolve issues that contribute to absenteeism.
A social service agency contracted by the city will be in contact with the family to help with resources.
What happens if my child is referred to Family Court?
If the student continues to be absent, the family will receive a notice from the Family Court. The city’s Department of Human Services (DHS) will also become involved in the family’s case.
The Family Court is able to assign a judge who will evaluate the student and the parent and/or guardian. If the child continues to be absent, the family may be referred for intensive child welfare services.
Once my student is deemed chronically absent and is in danger of failing, what can I do? Who can I call?
The links below are resources for parents, guardians, and students struggling to get to school regularly:
School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Attendance and Truancy
Student Attendance Protocol: Quick Reference
Truancy Protocol for District Students and Families
School District Code of Conduct
Suquinagua is a Temple University journalism student.