Absence Reporting
For safety reasons and to comply with state law, parents must notify the school office in writing, by phone, or via the PowerSchool Parent Portal within the first hour of school. If the school does not receive notice, the school secretary will call parents at home or work to confirm the absence. If we cannot reach parents, we will contact the student’s emergency contacts.
Please submit your student’s absence using one of the following two methods:
We have simplified the process for reporting student absences. You can now notify the school of an absence directly through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. This digital option is available alongside our traditional phone-in system to ensure your child’s attendance is recorded quickly and accurately.
New to the PowerSchool Portal? Contact the school office so we can email your account password. If you already have access, follow the portal attendance guide below. As always, you can also report an absence by calling 847-318-4385.
View the D64 Parent Portal Attendance Reporting Guide. Using the Parent Portal allows you to report:
- Daily absences
- Future absence reporting (ex: travel dates)
- Late arrivals with time specifications
- Early dismissals with time specifications
- A confirmation email of your reported attendance will be sent with each submission
* It is important to use a private email address that your students cannot access
Once logged into the Parent Portal, you can monitor and review all attendance information for your student. This will include:
- All Parent Portal reported attendance
- All letters/notifications sent by the school regarding attendance
- An interactive dashboard with graphs and charts for absences/tardies
To report an absence, please call the school office anytime, day or night, to access the voicemail system. Field's office phone number is 847-318-4385.
When calling, please provide:
- Student Details: Full name and classroom/homeroom
- Absence Details: Date(s) and reason for absence.
- Illness Details: Please share symptoms or diagnosis.
- Influenza Specifics: Please provide whether influenza was formally diagnosed by the healthcare provider, which type of influenza was diagnosed, and whether treatment (i.e., Tamiflu) was prescribed.
Excused: A valid cause for absence includes illness, observance of a religious holiday or religious instruction, death in the immediate family, family emergency, other situations beyond the control of the student, other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s safety or health, or other reason as approved by the Superintendent or designee.
For a student to be released from school as an excused absence to observe a religious holiday or for religious instruction, parents should give written notice to the Building Principal at least five calendar days before the student's anticipated absence. Teachers will provide the student with an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirement. Please see Board Policy 7:80 Release Time for Religious Instruction/Observance for additional information.
Unexcused: Absences due to vacations, attendance at a cultural or sporting event, or participation in a team sport, acting or fine arts performance are considered unexcused.
Chronic Truancy
The Illinois School Code defines a chronic or habitual truant as a child who is absent without valid cause (i.e., unexcused absence) for 5% (nine days) or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days. District 64 therefore monitors student attendance regularly and runs an absenteeism and truancy program to ensure students attend school. To address high rates of unexcused absenteeism, a sequence of escalating interventions is followed, leading to a Truancy Referral Form submitted to the North Cook Intermediate Service Center.
Illness Lasting 5+ Consecutive Days
A healthcare provider’s note is required if your child is absent five or more consecutive days due to illness; please bring the note to the Health Office upon the child’s return to school.
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