Entering early dismissals

Brian LeBlanc

OK hive mind, I need your help. I want to start recording early dismissals on students' records, and I'm not sure the most efficient way to do it. Here is how we're currently set up:

For K-5, we do not use blocks other than homeroom, which is where the attendance of record is taken first thing in the morning. For 6-12, the attendance of record is taken in first period. If a student is tardy, it's straightforward; we enter the tardy in at the time the student got to school, with the end time of the time they arrived. It overrides the “absent” that was recorded in first period or homeroom, and that's that.

But for an early dismissal, the only way I can figure out to do it is to change the attendance of record to an early dismissal (so that it can be counted and recorded on a report card count, for example), and then to also add a second early dismissal with the begin time of the time the student left school, so that the student will be removed from the roll for their remaining classes the rest of the day.

And then there's the issue of what to do if a student leaves, say for a doctor's appointment at 9:30, then returns at 11 when the appointment is done. Then what?

I feel like I'm peeling onions here and every time I figure out a solution to one problem three others pop up. Help!

Brian LeBlanc

Bump any advice? I'm still at a bit of a loss here, especially with the out-and-back-in problem. Any pointers would be very much appreciated!

Toni Moore

@Brian LeBlanc
We created an Early Release class that does not require attendance. This way our attendance person can mark them school activity once they sign out. In addition, we do not have it counted in our attendance totals on the reports or report card. Does that help?

Brian LeBlanc

@Toni Moore We definitely want it to count in totals. We have a major issue with parents picking kids up early for no reason other than to beat carpool, to the point that we have added unexcused early pickups to unexcused tardies in the “X number of unexcused tardies will be counted as an absence” policy this year. I'm intrigued by the Early Release activity, though - I wonder if that's something I can manipulate to fix the out-and-in problem. I'll do some digging on that.

Toni Moore

@Brian LeBlanc
You can have it count in totals by adjusting your reports and such. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Toni Moore

@Brian LeBlanc
We had problems with students leaving early and coming in late. This year we created an application as a form that set the parameters for approval, both the student and one parent had to sign the application. Once submitted our counselors reviewed the application to make sure all of the parameters were met. Then we sent out a contract as well restating the parameters before actually placing them in the class. Let me know if you have any questions.

Kimberly Fradelis

https://community.blackbaud.com/discussion/comment/274731#Comment_274731

@Toni Moore Can you explain more about this? What does "mark them school activity once they sign out" mean?

@Brian LeBlanc Did you end up setting something for early dismissals last year? Did it work?

Our Lower School division (one attendance for the day) is running into the same issue. For our Middle and Upper School students, we take attendance by period, so a "Left Early" absence category works fine since the periods are smaller chunks for the day.