Basic attendance rules have not changed, but students will no longer be given the 'benefit of the doubt' and have absences marked as excused in Miami-Dade County.      BY LISA BOLIVAR  lbolivar@bellsouth.net

Public schools in Miami-Dade County will get tough on attendance this school year, counting all absences as unexcused unless parents provide documentation.

The tougher standards mean students will no longer be excused for family vacations, babysitting little brothers and sisters, or illnesses in their families, among other excuses.

The penalty? Students who have five or more unexcused absences in a semester could have their report cards withheld.

The basic attendance rules haven't changed -- both Miami-Dade and Broward public school districts follow a state law that says students can't miss five or more days in a grading period or 10 per year. But the way schools in Miami-Dade log in absences will change.

In the past, students were given the ''benefit of the doubt'' and marked as excused, says Kathleen P. Caballero, assistant superintendent of school operations. ``If we didn't get a note from the parent, it was then changed to unexcused.''

Starting this academic year, that practice will be reversed. All absences will automatically be considered unexcused until parents provide the necessary documentation.

''We've put the onus on the parent,'' Caballero says. ``People have to be more mindful to present the school with documentation for their absences if they are excusable.''

In Broward, the tougher standard is already in place and schools have always defaulted to unexcused absences, says Laurel Thompson, director for school social work and attendance. The big difference is that Broward will not withhold a student's report card if he or she racks up an excessive amount of unexcused absences.

Like Miami-Dade, Broward uses an automated calling service to notify parents of a student's tardiness or absence. Thompson says each absence is treated individually. Sometimes it requires calling in a social worker. In truancy cases, the automated calls to home are followed by personal calls, letters, and recommendations for programs to help with the problem. Sometimes a student can end up in detention, Thompson says.

Miami-Dade's attendance policy is now more specific about what is considered excused and unexcused absences.

DOCUMENTATION

A student's illness, a death in the family or a religious holiday, for instance, will be excused -- although most absences will require documentation from a doctor or some other official. (Broward schools require documentation, too, although they do not require a doctor's name on the note.)

Miami-Dade students who miss classes due to non-school sports and activities will not be excused.

The change is being made to help educators spot students whose performance could be hurt by too many absences, Caballero says. Truancy and poor attendance frequently lead to students dropping out of school -- and dropping out increases the likelihood of incarceration, Caballero says.

HIGHER EXPECTATIONS

``One of the things research shows is that students develop attendance problems early in the game, she says, ``and that tells us we need to start with a strong attendance policy in elementary school. Basically, we have to have higher expectations.''

Caballero says high absenteeism in Miami-Dade last school year resulted in 23 million instructional hours lost.

''That equates to 340,000 students missed classes, and that equates with missed opportunities for learning,'' she says. ``Attendance is closely correlated with achievement.''

Matthew J. Welker, principal of Michael Krop High School in North Dade, applauds the stricter standard.

''The issue comes down to a very real and obvious fact: We can't educate children if they are not here,'' Welker says. ``We do our best work and have the best success when we have them for the full 180 days, but students who have perfect attendance, unfortunately, are the exception not the rule.''