From the Office of School Attendance Enforcement
Greetings and welcome to the office of Mississippi Department of Education, School Attendance Enforcement website of Jefferson County Public School District.
This site was set up as a source of information regarding attendance according Mississippi Law (§ 37-13-91) also the District’s rules and regulations.
Mission: This office will continue to respect each person, knowing each case is different and deserves total commitment. While this office will follow the law as it is written however all are treated equally – no favoritism.
Vision: There are goals set in place for this district, which includes all (students, staff and parents) and this office is striving achieve it. That goal is to see the graduation rate increases to 100% while the dropout rate decrease to 0% our lifetime.
Challenge to parents/guardians:
Request a school handbook in an effort to know what is required from you and your child.
Get involved with your child’s school. Believe it or not your child will do better in all aspects if they do not know when you will show up.
Call your child’s teacher to see how the child is doing as well if your child has days that both you can not account for (unexcused).
Know the correct time that the district requires your child to be at the school so an unexcused day will not be charge to your child.
SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q - Why have you charged my child with days he/she did not miss?
A – This office received referrals from your child’s school. I do not know if any child is absent but I am required to inform the parent of the school’s report.
Q – Who said my child was absent?
A – The process is the child’s teacher must call the roll, and then if your child is not there he or she is marked absent. This information is then transmitted to the school’s office, and put in the computer. Once a week a report (referrals) is generated then given to this office. From this report, letters are mailed out to the parent informing them of what has been reported.
Q – I sent in my child’s excuses. Why weren’t they excused?
A – According to the District’s handbook (this is an example of a great need for one) the excuses must be in to the child’s school within 72 hours of the child’s return for them to be accepted.
Q – How can I go back and get the days removed?
A – This is again according to the handbook and the principal. The principal is held accountable for the days as well as changing them after the 72 hours.Getting involved with the school will allow these and other questions to be answered according to the district’s handbook.