ADMINISTRATIVE MEMORANDUM
To: Secondary School Principals and Teachers
From: Dr. Bri Conley, Director of Educational Equity & Access
Date: September 10, 2026
Subject: Attendance-Based Grade Reduction Update
As we have begun implementing the new attendance law, we have learned that schools are not coding tardies consistently across the district for students who arrive late or tardy (excused or unexcused). This means that your tardy data may not be correct for the purpose of calculating student grades for teachers who choose to apply the new attendance-based grading policy.
To ensure fairness and equity for all students, we will not use unexcused tardies as a basis for grade reductions until there is consistent implementation across the district. If teachers choose to implement attendance-based grade reductions, they can only use unexcused absences at this time.
Over the next several weeks, we will work with schools to establish a consistent districtwide process for recording tardies and office-excused arrivals, provide training on attendance coding, and improve procedures for documenting school-related activities, athletics, testing, and other approved absences that may be updated after the fact.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate this new requirement together. Our goal is to ensure that any attendance-related grade reductions are based on accurate, consistent data and applied equitably to all students.
