Attendance
Summary of Duties
The purpose of the Attendance Department for Dickson County Schools is to
enforce compliance of the Tennessee State Compulsory Law regarding student
attendance and truancy. The goal is to ensure that students succeed in their
education by maintaining optimal attendance to learn the materials being taught
and that any at-risk students also achieve success in their learning career by
using various alternatives to keep them in school.
Attendance Director
Primarily, the Attendance Director is responsible for monitoring and reporting
student attendance for Dickson County as required by the State Compulsory Law.
In addition to these duties, the Attendance Director also maintains current
Board Policies, aids the Director of Schools and/or Board of Education in
drafting new policy, oversees Disciplinary Hearing Authority meetings,
co-ordinates school system grant-writing, and manages the school crisis
planning. Other duties such as publishing the Dickson County Student Handbook
and Code of Acceptable Behavior and Discipline, implementing and coordinating
with each school concerning the Dropout/Driver’s license Law as required by the
State, and preparing all staff and school reports required by the State are
additional responsiblities overseen by the Attendance Department.
Student Management
Dickson County also includes the District's Student
Management division in the Attendance Department. The Student Management
Coordinator monitors and maintains accurate reporting between Student Management
Program and EIS. The Coordinator manages, verifies, and approves data for
district calendars, state funding and attendance reports, discipline report,
enrollment records, academic history, instructional program tables, teacher
information, special programs (free/reduced lunch, Title I, migrant, Pre-K,
special education, ELL, homeless), and State Transportation Report for bus
funding. Additionally, the Student Management Coordinator provides continued
communication and training for all administrators and Student Management System
personnel, as well as serves as liason between Dickson County School District
and State Department of Education, Public Consulting Group, and Century
Consultants regarding Student Management System.
Additional Staff
The Attendance Secretary for Dickson County assists the Attendance Director as
well as the Student Management Coordinator in verifying and submitting
information to the State Department of Education. The secretary also assists
parents who have questions about home school issues, assists the coordinator of
student management services with SSMS and EIS errors, maintains a database of
students who are on Court Ordered Mandatory Attendance, documents and files
attendance letters and petitioning information sent for truant students as well
as other related duties.