All present and accounted for

A Draytonville Elementary first grade class went three weeks with perfect attendance before the streak ended this week.

All students were present in substitute teacher Nancy McAloney's classroom for 18 straight days until one student was counted absent Tuesday. She is on a longterm substitute teacher assignment for first grade teacher Michelle Whelchel, who is on maternity leave.

The school began the perfect attendance initiative this school year. Classes with 10 days of perfect attendance receive ice cream as a treat.

A second grade class just completed a 12-day streak of perfect attendance while another class has gone six days with perfect attendance.

"We are very proud of these classes," Draytonville Elementary Principal Janice Ford said. "We want all students to be in class every day it's possible."

State law requires students to attend school for 180 days. Students can have up to 10 unlawful absences before violating the state's school compulsory attendance law.

Elementary and middle schools can miss adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind law if their overall attendance rate is lower than 94 percent. Students who miss more school days than allowed by law run the risk of not receiving credit for class.

The Cherokee County School District has set a goal of 96 percent student attendance this school year. That would place the district above the 2006 state average of 95.3 percent.

"Attendance is a critical issue in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Research has shown school attendance is the number-one indicator in student achievement," said Jackie Queen, the district's director of attendance, discipline and transportation. "It can impact whether a student receives academic credit in high school and can lead to an elementary student being held back for missing too many days."

Parents are asked to send a doctor's excuse or note when their children return to school, explaining the student's reason for being absence. Queen said parent notes help schools document student absences for the purpose of determining credit at the end of the year.

All county schools offer attendance makeup days where students can recover time missed because of classroom absences. For example, Gaffney High has six attendance makeup days listed in this year's student handbooks.

Students skipping school remains an issue even with the makeup days offered by schools. A student is considered truant after missing three consecutive days without an excuse.

The district spends an estimated $5,000 annually on postage to send home letters notifying parents about poor attendance issues.

School administrators are required to develop an attendance intervention plan for students who do not attend school regularly. Students can be referred to the Department of Juvenile Justice if their school attendance does not improve.

"We send letters, make phone calls and do home visits on a regular basis to notify parents about the importance of making sure their children attend school," Queen said. "The best place for a student to be is in a classroom with a teacher where learning can take place."