UPDATED FOR 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR
“Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.””
Attendance is a crucial part of academic and skills success at school. There is no substitute for classroom instruction. Not only do students require instructional time in the classroom, attending school on time for a full day teaches them valuable life skills.
Patterns of missed school time, whether for absences, tardiness, or early dismissals will result in a meeting with school staff. Please Note When Off Campus Lunch Privileges Begin: Students who have three or more lateness in a month will lose Off Campus Lunch privileges for five consecutive school days. Students will start fresh each month. This update will coincide with our incentives and supports that are currently in place. When students have reached two tardies a month, they will receive outreach from a school counselor or their advisor.
Frequent absences, tardiness, and early dismissal cause undue academic hardship on students because they have missed essential classroom instruction. Therefore, students who have missed more than 15 days of school for excused or unexcused absences or have been tardy and/or dismissed early more than 45 times and have low scores will be considered promotion-in-doubt and may not be promoted to the next grade.
Additionally, the faculty and staff at BUGS are mandated reporters of educational neglect. Frequent absences, tardiness, and early dismissals may form the basis of a report of educational neglect. More than 7 consecutive absences, 10 cumulative absences, or a pattern of excessive tardiness and early dismissal may form the basis of an educational neglect report.
Families should be aware that a good attendance record is extremely important, especially in 7th grade, as attendance could be used as a screen for the high school admissions process. If a student has accumulated more than 10 combined absences and latenesses, it is very important that the student provide medical or other documentation so the school can record and code these absences/late arrivals appropriately. Excused and unexcused absences are perceived differently by the high school admissions departments.
Please refer to the BUGS Family Calendar and make note of field study dates before making appointments that require early dismissal or late arrival to school.
Attendance Procedures
ABSENces
When a student is going to be absent, we ask that families email the Attendance Team at attendance@bugsbrooklyn.org or call the Main Office at 718-280- 9556, with the student’s name, date/s of absence, and reason for the absence. When a student is absent and the Attendance Team has not received notification by the morning of the day of absence, an absence notification will be sent home to family. If we don’t receive a reply from the family that day, the team will make a phone call home to confirm the notification was received.
Please see FAQs below for more absence related information
Tardies
Every child is expected to arrive at school by 8:04am. Any student arriving at school after 8:04 is considered tardy. When a student arrives after 8:04am, they sign in late at the BUGS door. After 8:30am, students must stop by the main office to sign in.
Families have the option to receive automated tardy emails from the Attendance Team every time their child is late. Families must go to ‘Communication Preferences’ in TeacherEase to set up automated notifications.
Please see FAQs below for more tardy related information
EARLY Dismissal
If a student must leave school before the regular dismissal time of 2:54 pm, the parent/guardian must complete the Early Dismissal Form (Linked Here) by 4:00 pm one school day in advance. To ensure students’ safety at all times during the school day, students will NOT be allowed to self-dismiss early, regardless of their grade level. Please note that students will only be released into the care of an adult listed as a parent/guardian or Emergency Contact on Teacherease. You may update contact information prior to filling out the form.
Early Dismissal Procedure:
The student reports to the Main Office at the time of early pick to retrieve their personal tech and sign out for the day.
Teachers Do Not dismiss students directly from the classroom.
The parent/guardian who is picking the student up must present their ID and sign in with BUGS security on the left side in the main lobby.
The security guard in coordination with the main office ensures that the adult picking the student up has been cleared to do so and signs them out.
Although we strongly encourage families to schedule appointments outside of school hours, we understand that is not always possible. When there is an appointment scheduled during the school day, the parent/guardian should plan to send their child in tardy or have them dismissed early depending on the appointment time. Please note that early dismissals are not allowed during Field Study Days and any school events that require students to be offsite.
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ’s
What is an Excused Absence?
A student’s absence will only be coded as an ‘excused absence’ when official documentation has been submitted to the Attendance Team. Doctor’s notes, court documents, and death certificates are examples of such documentation. Documentation can be scanned and emailed to attendance@bugsbrooklyn.org. Reasons for excused absence/s include:
medical/illness,
death in the family,
legal events,
religious observances,
8th graders visiting high schools
A doctor’s note is required for students who have been absent for three or more days due to illness.
As a reminder, excused absences are still counted as missed school days on your child’s attendance record.
What if my child has to be absent consecutive days?
Families inform the Attendance Team by emailing attendance@bugsbrooklyn.org or calling 718-280-9556. An extended absence is defined as three or more consecutive days. In this case the Family Coordinator will alert the school counselor to communicate with the grade team and, if necessary, the Director of Inclusion to assist with any further accommodations.
Should my child return to school with a note if There has been an absence?
If a student is absent for any reason, please call the school at (718) 280-9556 or email attendance@bugsbrooklyn.org. The main office will make a note of it in your child’s record, even if the absence is considered unexcused.
To excuse an absence due to illness, court appearance, death in the family, or high school visits, a doctor’s note, court documentation, death certificate, or verification letter from the high school is required when your child returns to school. All documentation is handed into the main office, Room 227. Physical documentation is preferred, however, families can scan and email documentation to the main office at attendance@bugsbrooklyn.org.
Will my child’s absences be excused due to family vacations?
When students miss school due to family vacations or other reasons that do not fit the categories for an excused absence, these absences are recorded as unexcused. Families are required to notify the main office at 718-280-9556 or attendance@bugsbrooklyn.org prior to leaving for vacation. It is highly encouraged for students to visit Google Classroom for each subject area to make up work while away. Students are responsible for checking in with teachers upon their return.
How does BUGS define lateness?
Every child is expected to arrive at school by 8:00 am. Any student arriving at school after 8:04 is considered tardy. We welcome all students to join us at 7:45 for breakfast and morning recess. Please note that tardies will only be excused for students who report to school late because of early morning appointments and present a doctor’s note, a court order, or some other form of official documentation to the main office.
What happens if my child is excessively late?
Being late can have a profound impact on how a child begins their school day and can affect their learning, achievement, and grades. If students develop a pattern of lateness, school counselors will do outreach as necessary. Students with egregious tardies will attend a family conference facilitated by a school counselor.
Once off campus lunch privileges start, students who have three or more lateness in a month will lose off campus lunch privileges for five consecutive school days. Students will start fresh each month. This update will coincide with our incentives and supports that are currently in place. When students have reached two tardies a month, they will receive outreach from a school counselor or their advisor.
Latenesses and absences on school records can potentially affect high school admissions, particularly for 7th grade.
How do I inform BUGS if my child will arrive late to school?
Families can call the main office at (718) 280-9556 or email at attendance@bugsbrooklyn.org, if they would like to let the school know their child will be late. Please note that tardies will only be excused for students who report to school late because of early morning appointments and present a doctor’s note, a court order, or some other form of official documentation to the main office. Students will be marked tardy and their official school attendance record will reflect an excused tardy for that day.