Over the summer, Staples High School implemented a new attendance system through PowerSchool, giving parents full control to report and manage their child’s absences online, eliminating the need for phone calls. This shift aims to streamline attendance reporting, but the policy is becoming more stringent as students increasingly request excused tardies and absences.
PowerSchool, an administrative website for a students’ schedule, transcripts, transportation and attendance, has extended its softwares by allowing parents to submit absences rather than the standard phone call to the attendance line.
“Parents can now submit online attendance requests through PowerSchool anywhere from 30 days ahead of an absence or the same day,” Jake Sullivan, grade level assistant for the freshman class, said. “There’s no need to call any attendance lines anymore.”
Attendance is taken very seriously. This is shown as grade level assistants frequently pull students out of class due to unexcused leaves. The Staples website has a section addressing the attendance policy and their firmness.
“Lack of consistent attendance means that students will not get the full benefit of the courses offered at Staples High School […] It is the responsibility of parents to communicate to the school the reason for all absences,” the Staples High School Website said.
Parent notes and telephone calls have become excessive causing a shift to a digital outlet for these absences. Parents were informed of this change via email.
“It’s a lot easier since [my mom] doesn’t have to call the school about absences anymore, instead she just writes a note online at any time,” Jane Cunningham ’25 said.
Staples is encouraging the implementation of this shift to simplify the attendance process, though they understand that some parents may initially struggle with the transition. To ensure a smooth adjustment, the school is providing support for those who need assistance.
“If a parent is having trouble with the Attendance Monitor, they can call the attendance line. We do anticipate that people will get more comfortable using this system which will then eliminate the need for phone calls.” Christine Cincotta, Assistant Principal for the junior class, said.
When accessing this new feature, parents or guardians can find the “Attendance Monitor” under the Navigation section on the left-hand side of the parent portal in PowerSchool. This tool allows them to create and edit attendance reports by manually entering information such as the “Reported On” date (when the absence is recorded in PowerSchool), the “Report Reason” (a toggle bar offering limited excuse options), the “Dates” of the student’s absence, and a brief “Explanation” where they can provide a description of the absence.
“So far [this change] has been pretty good, I check it every period for my freshmen grade and it’s been great,” Sullivan said.
