Absence Notifications in ParentSquare Begins TODAY for Grades K-8

Stamford Public Schools is introducing a new way to help families stay informed about their child's school attendance and communicate with their child's school when an absence occurs.

Beginning this school year, SPS will use ParentSquare to notify parents and guardians when their child has been marked with an unexcused absence.

When families receive an attendance notification, they can respond through ParentSquare to provide the school with information about the absence.

PowerSchool will continue to store the student's complete attendance record, including excused absences, unexcused absences, tardies, etc. Parents and guardians can view their child's complete attendance record at any time through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. 

For students in grades K-8, absence notifications will begin Monday, August 31. Parents and guardians will receive one notification per day when their child is marked with an unexcused absence. Families will receive notifications approximately 2 hours after school begins.

For students in grades 9-12, absence notifications will begin Tuesday, September 8. Parents and guardians will receive a notification after every period, or block, in which their child is marked with an unexcused absence. 

How Will Parents Receive Notifications?

Notifications will be sent by ParentSquare via text, email and the ParentSquare app.

Receiving a notification means that the student was recorded as absent and, at the time the notification was generated, the school did not have information indicating that the absence was excused.

Attendance notifications are considered urgent alerts and cannot be disabled in user preferences.

Respond to an Attendance Notice

If you receive a notice about an unexcused absence, you can send a note back to school through ParentSquare to explain the absence.

1. Open the attendance notice you received through the ParentSquare app, email, or text.
2. Click or tap Send Note to School.
3. Enter the reason for your child's absence.
4. Click or tap Submit.

Your note will be sent immediately to your school's attendance office.

Reporting an absence does not mean the absence will be automatically excused. Excused absences are granted based on Connecticut State Law and Stamford Board of Education policy 5113 & 5113R.

If you receive an attendance notification and believe your child is in school or was incorrectly marked absent, contact your child's school.

You do not need to wait for an attendance notification to tell the school why your child is absent.

If you know about an absence in advance, you can proactively report it using the "Report Absence" feature in ParentSquare.

If the absence meets the requirements for an excused absence and is reported and processed before attendance notifications are generated, you will not receive an attendance notification for that absence.

From a Web Browser

1. Sign in to your ParentSquare account 
2. From Home, click Attendance under Communicate.
3. Click Report Absence in the upper-right corner.
4. Select the student or students who will be absent.
5. Select Full Day, Partial Day, or Multiple Days.
6. Select the date or dates of the absence.
7. Select the reason for the absence.
8. Add an optional message and/or supporting documentation.
9. Click Submit.

From the ParentSquare App

1. Tap Attendance in the bottom navigation.
2. Tap + at the top of the screen.
3. Select the student or students who will be absent.
4. Select the duration and date(s) of the absence.
5. Select the reason for the absence.
6. Add an optional message and/or supporting documentation.
7. Submit the absence report.