Why is a parental signature still needed at school for our grandaughter who is 18?
Full Question:
Answer:
Attendance is mandatory for students age 18 in Nevada, with certain exceptions, such as a need to work full-time, support parents, etc. Local school boards are allowed to create attendance policies, which vary by district, for students required to be enrolled in order to enforce state laws. Under state laws, written affirmation by the parent or legal guardian of the pupil that the pupil was physically or mentally unable to attend school on the day of the absence may prevent the student from being held back.
The following are NV statutes:
NRS 392.040 Attendance required for child between 7 and 18 years of age;
minimum age required for kindergarten and first grade; waiver from
attendance available for child 6 years of age; developmental screening test
required to determine placement of certain children.
1. Except as otherwise provided by law, each parent, custodial parent,
guardian or other person in the State of Nevada having control or charge of
any child between the ages of 7 and 18 years shall send the child to a
public school during all the time the public school is in session in the
school district in which the child resides unless the child has graduated
from high school.
2. A child who is 5 years of age on or before September 30 of a school
year may be admitted to kindergarten at the beginning of that school year,
and his enrollment must be counted for purposes of apportionment. If a
child is not 5 years of age on or before September 30 of a school year, the
child must not be admitted to kindergarten.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a child who is 6 years
of age on or before September 30 of a school year must:
(a) If he has not completed kindergarten, be admitted to kindergarten at
the beginning of that school year; or
(b) If he has completed kindergarten, be admitted to the first grade at
the beginning of that school year,
(and his enrollment must be counted for purposes of apportionment. If a
child is not 6 years of age on or before September 30 of a school year,
the child must not be admitted to the first grade until the beginning of
the school year following his sixth birthday.
4. The parents, custodial parent, guardian or other person within the
State of Nevada having control or charge of a child who is 6 years of age
on or before September 30 of a school year may elect for the child not to
attend kindergarten or the first grade during that year. The parents,
custodial parent, guardian or other person who makes such an election shall
file with the board of trustees of the appropriate school district a waiver
in a form prescribed by the board.
5. Whenever a child who is 6 years of age is enrolled in a public school,
each parent, custodial parent, guardian or other person in the State of
Nevada having control or charge of the child shall send him to the public
school during all the time the school is in session. If the board of
trustees of a school district has adopted a policy prescribing a minimum
number of days of attendance for pupils enrolled in kindergarten or first
grade pursuant to NRS 392.122, the school district shall provide to each
parent and legal guardian of a pupil who elects to enroll his child in
kindergarten or first grade a written document containing a copy of that
policy and a copy of the policy of the school district concerning the
withdrawal of pupils from kindergarten or first grade. Before the child's
first day of attendance at a school, the parent or legal guardian shall
sign a statement on a form provided by the school district acknowledging
that he has read and understands the policy concerning attendance and the
policy concerning withdrawal of pupils from kindergarten or first grade.
The parent or legal guardian shall comply with the applicable requirements
for attendance. This requirement for attendance does not apply to any child
under the age of 7 years who has not yet been enrolled or has been formally
withdrawn from enrollment in public school.
6. A child who is 7 years of age on or before September 30 of a school
year must:
(a) If he has completed kindergarten and the first grade, be admitted to
the second grade.
(b) If he has completed kindergarten, be admitted to the first grade.
(c) If the parents, custodial parent, guardian or other person in the
State of Nevada having control or charge of the child waived the child's
attendance from kindergarten pursuant to subsection 4, undergo an
assessment by the district pursuant to subsection 7 to determine whether
the child is prepared developmentally to be admitted to the first grade. If
the district determines that the child is prepared developmentally, he must
be admitted to the first grade. If the district determines that the child
is not so prepared, he must be admitted to kindergarten.
(The enrollment of any child pursuant to this subsection must be counted
for apportionment purposes.
7. Each school district shall prepare and administer before the beginning
of each school year a developmental screening test to a child:
(a) Who is 7 years of age on or before September 30 of the next school
year; and
(b) Whose parents waived his attendance from kindergarten pursuant to
subsection 4,
(to determine whether the child is prepared developmentally to be
admitted to the first grade. The results of the test must be made
available to the parents, custodial parent, guardian or other person
within the State of Nevada having control or charge of the child.
8. A child who becomes a resident of this State after completing
kindergarten or beginning first grade in another state in accordance with
the laws of that state may be admitted to the grade he was attending or
would be attending had he remained a resident of the other state regardless
of his age, unless the board of trustees of the school district determines
that the requirements of this section are being deliberately circumvented.
9. As used in this section, "kindergarten" includes:
(a) A kindergarten established by the board of trustees of a school
district pursuant to NRS 388.060;
(b) A kindergarten established by the governing body of a charter school;
and
(c) An authorized program of instruction for kindergarten offered in a
child's home pursuant to NRS 388.060.
NRS 392.122 Minimum attendance requirements; school district authorized to
exempt medical absences from requirements; notice and opportunity for
parent to review absences before credit or promotion is denied; information
to parents concerning duty to comply.
1. The board of trustees of each school district shall prescribe a
minimum number of days that a pupil who is subject to compulsory attendance
and enrolled in a school in the district must be in attendance for the
pupil to obtain credit or to be promoted to the next higher grade. The
board of trustees of a school district may adopt a policy prescribing a
minimum number of days that a pupil who is enrolled in kindergarten or
first grade in the school district must be in attendance for the pupil to
obtain credit or to be promoted to the next higher grade.
2. For the purposes of this section, the days on which a pupil is not in
attendance because the pupil is absent for up to 10 days within 1 school
year with the approval of the teacher or principal of the school pursuant
to NRS 392.130, must be credited towards the required days of attendance if
the pupil has completed course-work requirements. If the board of trustees
of a school district has adopted a policy pursuant to subsection 5, the
10-day limitation on absences does not apply to absences that are excused
pursuant to that policy.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 5, before a pupil is denied
credit or promotion to the next higher grade for failure to comply with the
attendance requirements prescribed pursuant to subsection 1, the principal
of the school in which the pupil is enrolled or his designee shall provide
written notice of the intended denial to the parent or legal guardian of
the pupil. The notice must include a statement indicating that the pupil
and his parent or legal guardian may request a review of the absences of
the pupil and a statement of the procedure for requesting such a review.
Upon the request for a review by the pupil and his parent or legal
guardian, the principal or his designee shall review the reason for each
absence of the pupil upon which the intended denial of credit or promotion
is based. After the review, the principal or his designee shall credit
towards the required days of attendance each day of absence for which:
(a) There is evidence or a written affirmation by the parent or legal
guardian of the pupil that the pupil was physically or mentally unable to
attend school on the day of the absence; and
(b) The pupil has completed course-work requirements.
4. A pupil and his parent or legal guardian may appeal a decision of a
principal or his designee pursuant to subsection 3 to the board of trustees
of the school district in which the pupil is enrolled.
5. The board of trustees of a school district may adopt a policy to
exempt pupils who are physically or mentally unable to attend school from
the limitations on absences set forth in subsection 1. If a board of
trustees adopts a policy pursuant to this subsection:
(a) A pupil who receives an exemption pursuant to this subsection is not
exempt from the minimum number of days of attendance prescribed pursuant to
subsection 1.
(b) The days on which a pupil is physically or mentally unable to attend
school must be credited towards the required days of attendance if the
pupil has completed course-work requirements.
(c) The procedure for review of absences set forth in subsection 3 does
not apply to days on which the pupil is absent because the pupil is
physically or mentally unable to attend school.
6. A school shall inform the parents or legal guardian of each pupil who
is enrolled in the school that the parents or legal guardian and the pupil
are required to comply with the provisions governing the attendance and
truancy of pupils set forth in NRS 392.040 to 392.160, inclusive, and any
other rules concerning attendance and truancy adopted by the board of
trustees of the school district.