BRIAN TURNER, ATTENDANCE SUPERVISOR
The Bledsoe County Board of Education firmly supports and enforces
all Tennessee laws regarding compulsory school attendance. I believe
that, first and foremost, this responsibility lies with the parents.
Children must be trained at an early age that attending school is vital
to be successful in life. This same responsibility of attendance not
only applies to the lives of our children while they attend school, but
will carry on in life with attendance in college and on the job.
If your child misses school regularly or is habitually tardy, he/she
may be showing early signs of truancy. Students must remember:
- It is the student's responsibility to arrive on time and attend all classes.
- It is the student's responsibility to notify teachers and staff when absent and request/complete make-up assignments.
A student's presence in class is required to maximize the attainment
of instructional goals and objectives. For students who exhibit patterns
of non-attendance, interventions will be initiated. The habit of
truancy is not acceptable in Bledsoe County Schools and will not be
tolerated.
PARENTS: As of
July 1, 2018 the state of Tennessee initiated House Bill No. 2376, which is relative to education, specifically updates and revisions regarding school attendance, truancy, and discipline. All school systems are required by law to notify parents and guardians when their child has accumulated three unexcused absences and again at five unexcused absences and that new notices are to be sent after each successive accumulation of five unexcused absences. Any child attending public school who has five unexcused absences during a school year is considered truant and in violation of said law.
We continue to use our absentee calling system. If your
child is absent, you WILL receive a phone call from the Board of
Education, notifying you of the recorded absence and reminding you of
the TN State Laws regarding school attendance. You should ensure that
your child brings the required documentation to verify the reason for
the absence, and hopefully, that documentation will allow the absence to
be counted as EXCUSED.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Brian Turner, Bledsoe County Attendance Supervisor, at 423-447-2914. Mr. Turner is a lifelong resident of Bledsoe County. He joined the Bledsoe County Staff as a finance teacher at Bledsoe County Vocational Center before moving to Central Office to take the responsibilities of Transportation, Maintenance, and Attendance.
(Brian Turner, Attendance Supervisor)