Earl Kitchener Elementary School Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Arrival Check Programme

Prepared for posting by Grade Five student P.S.

Purpose

Parents, guardians and caregivers have the primary responsibility for the safety of their children. Parents are required to inform the school of pupil absences or lateness and be accessible for arrival check contact. Arrival Check is a means by which parents and schools can account for any pupil's unexplained failure to arrive at school. By using a system of procedures along with the daily attendance taking, schools can make reasonable efforts to contact parents, guardians, or caregivers.

1. Every child of compulsory school age shall attend school on every school day unless excused from attendance (e.g. due to illness, appointments or as otherwise scheduled e.g. P.A. days) Students are required to attend classes punctually and regularly.
2. Parents, guardians, caregivers are responsible for communicating planned pupil absences, length of absence, if known, or lateness, to the school on a timely basis. Messages can be left on the school's answering machine at any time during the evening or early morning. The phone number is 905-528-0223
3. Attendance will be taken and recorded each day by the teacher, at the beginning of classes in the morning and in the afternoon. The names of students who are absent are reported to the office each day at the beginning of classes in the morning and in the afternoon. Reasons for absence where known is recorded.
4. Unexplained absences of students will be followed up by the school secretary each day in accordance with information provided by the parents, guardians or caregivers.
5. Parents, guardians, and caregivers are responsible for providing the school with complete and current emergency information to enable the school to make any necessary arrival check follow-up contacts. Where access to a telephone is not available, parents, guardians, caregivers need to provide for an alternative means for the school to make contact.
6. The school will notify the parents/guardians in writing of the inability of the school to carry out arrival check steps for their children.
7. The school will maintain a daily log of calls from parents or others who report absences, or lateness and actions taken by school staff in accordance with the provisions of the arrival check program.
8. Police will be contacted when school and the home can not reasonably account for the failure of a child to arrive at school. The safety and protection of the child must be considered. Where the school is not able to make contact with parents, guardians, caregivers or arrival check contacts and has reason to believe a child may be at risk, school personnel may contact the police.