6A-1.044. Pupil Attendance Records

(1) Pupil attendance records shall be maintained for any student enrolled in public schools who is earning high school credit as provided in Section 1003.436, F.S., who is funded as provided in Chapter 1011, F.S., and the Appropriations Act, or who is required to be in attendance by the compulsory attendance requirements as provided in Chapter 1003, F.S.

(2) The automated student attendance recordkeeping system as provided for in Rule 6A-1.0014, F.A.C., shall be the attendance system as used in this rule.

(3) The presence, absence, or tardiness of each student shall be checked once each day at a time or times prescribed by the school board and all absent and tardy pupils shall be recorded daily in the Automated Student Attendance Recordkeeping System as described in the Department of Education Comprehensive Management Information Automated System Attendance Recordkeeping Handbook. The attendance recordkeeping system shall provide complete and accurate attendance data and shall make provision for maintaining auditable records for three (3) years or until applicable audits are completed. The attendance records shall also show the dates of a student’s enrollment, withdrawal or re-entry in the school for the applicable year. Data shall not be recorded in temporary records, and then transferred at a later date to attendance records, except for the first ten (10) days of each school year.

(4) Attendance of all pupils must be maintained during the one hundred eighty (180) day school year or the equivalent and summer school when applicable as provided by law and rules of the State Board shall be required, except for absence due to illness, or as otherwise provided by law.

(5) For the purpose of compliance with this rule, a pupil shall be deemed to be in attendance if actually present at school, or away from school on a school day and engaged in an educational activity which constitutes a part of the school-approved instructional program for that pupil.

(6) For the purpose of recording attendance, attendance of pupils shall be reported as follows:

(a) Each pupil who is scheduled at a school center for the minimum required school day, and who is recorded as being present or tardy, shall be reported as present one (1) day.

(b) Each pupil who is scheduled at a school center for instructional purposes for a partial day, and at an area vocational-technical center, a vocational school, a community college, a university or another school center for a partial day shall be reported as present or absent for the appropriate portion of the day at each center.

(c) The attendance of a pupil who is assigned to an on-the-job instructional program which does not require his or her presence at a school center for on-the-job instructional purposes shall be reported as being in attendance when documented through the use of a time card to report actual days in attendance and a time card or work schedule to report instructional or work hours. Both the time card and schedule should be signed by the employer or instructional supervisor.

(d) The attendance of a pupil who is assigned to an instructional program which does not require his or her regular presence at a school center for instructional purposes shall be reported as present or absent at an assigned school center.

(7) The Automated Student Attendance Recordkeeping System shall be retained at the school or district level as directed by the superintendent of schools.

(8) The district school board is authorized to destroy the records contained in or produced from the Automated Student Attendance Recordkeeping System after three (3) years or the completion of an audit by the state audit agency, whichever period is longer, provided that the district shall comply with the legislative intent of Chapter 257, F.S., as expressed in Section 257.37, F.S., and shall permanently preserve attendance information for each pupil as required by Rule 6A-1.0955, F.A.C. Attendance information must be permanently preserved for pupils not covered by Rule 6A-1.0955, F.A.C.

(9) The principal shall be responsible for the administration of attendance policies and procedures and for the accurate reporting of attendance in the school under his or her direction. The principal shall assure that all teachers and clerks are instructed in the proper recording of attendance, and it shall be his or her duty to see that such instructions are followed. The principal or designee shall inspect and determine the completeness and accuracy of the records contained in the Automated Student Attendance Recordkeeping System for each of the required full-time equivalent student membership periods. At the end of each school year the principal or designee shall certify the completeness and accuracy of the automated attendance records indicating that all attendance records have been kept as prescribed by law and rules of the State Board. The method used to certify the records is based on internal district procedures. The automated student attendance records shall be readily accessible in a form prescribed in subsection (12) of this rule for state auditing and monitoring purposes. An attendance record containing any material inaccuracies, resulting from willful or intentional falsification of data by or for the principal, shall be considered a false report for which the principal shall be subject to penalties as provided by law.

(10) For FTE auditing purposes, if the principal or designee failed to sign an attendance record or report, a signed and dated certified statement from the principal or designee identifying that the record was the record used to report attendance for a particular school year, that the record has not been changed since that time, and that attendance was reported as prescribed by law and rules of the State Board may be substituted for the lack of an original signature. If neither the principal nor designee is an employee of the school district when the absence of a signature on an attendance record is discovered, the superintendent or designee may sign the certified statement. If attendance records are incomplete as to verification of full-time equivalent student membership for funding purposes prior to July 1, 2001, other records maintained by the school district may be used to verify membership provided a signed and dated certified statement is appropriately attached as provided in this subsection.

(11) The Automated Student Attendance Recordkeeping System shall be prima facie evidence of the facts which it is required to show.

(12) Forms ESE 950 Automated Individual Student Attendance Record, Grades PK-12; ESE 953 Automated Individual Student Attendance by Period Record, Grades 9-12; ESE 954 Automated Individual Student Attendance by Period Summary, Grades 9-12 and ESE 981 Automated Student Attendance by Period Summary, Grades 9-12; ESE 955, Automated Multi-Day Student Attendance Register, Grades PK-12; ESE 956, Automated Multi-Day Student Attendance by Period, Grades 9-12; ESE 957, Automated Multi-Day Adult Student Attendance Register; are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule to become effective November 2002. These forms may be obtained from Education Information and Accountability Services, Division of Accountability, Research and Measurement, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02(1), (2)(n), 1003.01, 1003.23 FS. Law Implemented 1003.23 FS. History–New 2-20-71, Amended 9-17-71, 10-18-71, 8-19-72, 11-18-72, Repromulgated 12-5-74, Formerly 6A-1.44, Amended 9-16-87, 1-11-88, 7-5-89, 10-3-91, 11-26-02, 2-25-09, 11-23-21, 4-30-24.