Attendance Secretary

Position Title: Attendance Secretary

Location: Knox High School

Reports To: High School Principal / Assistant Principal

Classification: Classified, Non-Exempt

Hours: 7:15-3:15

Job Summary

The Attendance Secretary serves as the primary custodian of student attendance data at Knox High School. This individual manages the daily, period-by-period accounting of student attendance, serves as the main point of contact for families reporting absences, and maintains rigorous data compliance under the Starke County Project Attend truancy prevention framework. The ideal candidate possesses excellent clerical, communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage complex data tracks across a fast-paced, seven-period instructional day .

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Period-by-Period Attendance & Data Management

• Accurately track, audit, and reconcile student attendance across all seven (7) instructional periods daily using the district’s Student Information System (SIS), PowerSchool.

• Ensure that attendance is shared daily for out of corporation CTE students participating in North Central CTE programming hosted at KHS.

• Monitor teacher attendance submissions period-by-period, following up promptly with them to ensure 100% compliance with daily state reporting standards.

• Process all late morning check-ins and early dismissals. Accurately calculate half-day absences for both late arrivals and early departures.

• Audit and cross-reference attendance records daily against athletic and extracurricular rosters to enforce the policy requiring students to be present for at least a half-day to participate in after-school events. This would include notification to sport and extracurricular sponsors when a student is no longer eligible to participate for the day.

2. Absence Classification & Verification

• Receive and document absence notifications from parents and guardians via phone calls, emails, and designated digital tools in PowerSchool. 

• Serve as the main point of contact for when parents are unaware of an absence but received as an automatic notification from PowerSchool or a similar service.

• Verify that documentation provided qualifies an absence as excused or exempt including ensuring that documentation is collected, date-stamped, and systematically filed all incoming to defend attendance records during state audits.

• Analyze attendance for patterns requiring intervention (e.g. skipping a class or specific days of the week) and refer to administration as needed.

3. Project Attend Compliance & Intervention Workflow 

Act as the first line for parent notification for the high school to execute the Project Attend Process , triggering required actions at each threshold:

• 3 Unexcused Absences: Identify students crossing this threshold and immediately issue the standardized Project Attend notification email to parents/guardians.

• 5 Unexcused Absences: Flag records for high school administration and assist in organizing the tracking logs required for personal phone outreach.

• 7 Unexcused Absences: Coordinate scheduling, send formal invitations, and prepare data packets for mandatory, in-person truancy meetings between families and high school and the assistant superintendent.

• 10 Unexcused Absences: Compile certified attendance transcripts, call logs, and meeting history to prepare formal truancy packets for referral to the Department of Child Services (DCS) and Juvenile Probation.

• 11+ Unexcused Absences: Notify high school principal and assistant superintendent whenever an additional absence occurs outside of the items agreed upon in the previous meetings.

4. Project Attend Secretary for all 3 Schools

• Will provide attendance data and support for administration as students reach Project Attend milestones. 

5. General Office Support

• Provide supervision and support for office staff and others as needed.

• Provide courteous, professional service to students, parents, and visitors entering the high school.

• Maintain absolute confidentiality regarding student records in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

• Other duties as assigned by high school or central office administration. 

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Education: High school diploma or equivalent required; post-secondary clerical or business training preferred.

• Experience: Experience working in a school office setting or handling high-volume database entry and analysis is highly desirable.

• Technical Skills: Proficiency with school administrative software (e.g., PowerSchool), Microsoft Office Suite, and Google Workspace applications.

• Attention to Detail: Exceptional data-integrity skills required to manage rolling tallies of multiple absence types across seven discrete intervals every day.

• Interpersonal Skills: De-escalation and communication skills suited to navigating difficult conversations with parents regarding unexcused absences, truant behavior, and legal referrals.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• Must be able to sit or stand at a computer workstation for extended periods.

• Occasional lifting or moving of office files/records up to 20 lbs.

• Must be capable of working effectively in an environment with frequent interruptions from students, staff, and public telephone inquiries.