Safe Arrival - Toronto District School Board

Toronto District School Board 

Title: SAFE ARRIVAL FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 

Adopted: September 5, 2000 

Revised: 

Authorization: 

1.0 OBJECTIVE 

Operational Procedure PR.521 SCH 

To provide guidelines to ensure safe arrival for students in elementary schools 

2.0 RESPONSIBILITY 

Associate Director 

3.0 PROCEDURES 

3.1 School-home attendance check 

(a) The principal will ask the parent/guardian to notify the school when their child 

is absent. 

(b) Under normal circumstances, the school personnel or a volunteer will attempt 

to contact the parent/guardian or designate if the school has not been advised 

that the child will be absent. 

(c) The parent/guardian is requested to provide home and work phone numbers to 

the school as well as the name and telephone number of a neighbour or relative 

to contact if their child does not arrive at school. The principal will communicate 

with parents/guardians the necessity of providing accurate and complete 

current information. It is the principal’s responsibility to ensure that a procedure 

is established for updating this information. 

Each September, it is the principal’s responsibility to inform the parent/guardian 

of the Board’s policy regarding school-home communication 

when a pupil is absent. At that time, the principal will ask the parent/guardian 

to provide the consent necessary to carry out the policy. 

(d) The program will commence for children as soon as their forms are returned. 

(e) In the event that the parent/guardian does not supply the information necessary 

for the implementation of the Board’s policy within 20 school days, the princi- 

Operational Procedure PR.521 SCH: Safe Arrival for Elementary Schools Page 1 of 4 

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Safe Arrival for Elementary Schools 

pal will issue, by registered mail, after documenting three attempts to obtain 

accurate information, a letter to the parent explaining that until the necessary 

information is provided, his/her child(ren) will be excluded from the Safe Arrival 

program. A copy of the above letter should be sent to the superintendent 

of schools. 

3.2 Morning attendance 

(a) The classroom teacher, in accordance with procedures required by the principal 

or designate, will report all absences to the office promptly after the start of the 

school day. 

(b) The principal or designate will record the following each day: 

(i) all pupils whose parents/guardians have informed the school of the 

child’s absence 

(ii) all pupils who have arrived late (these pupils may be on the classroom 

absence list) 

(c) The office will identify those pupils on the classroom list whose parents/guardians 

have telephoned or who have arrived late. 

(d) As soon as the identification process in 4.2 (c) has been completed, the principal 

or designate will attempt to contact the parent/guardian of each child unaccounted 

for, provided that the parent/guardian of the particular child is participating 

in the Safe Arrival program. 

(e) The attempt to contact the parent/guardian at home, through business or by 

emergency numbers of all unaccounted for pupils should be completed as 

promptly as possible. 

(f) If the parent/guardian cannot be reached and the child cannot be traced, or if 

foul play is suspected, the decision to take further action, including calling the 

police, rests with the principal. If the principal involves the police, the principal 

will advise the Communications office and the superintendent of schools. 

The Communications office will inform the trustee. 

3.3 Afternoon attendance 

The operational procedure outlined above for morning attendance should be used 

again in the afternoon session for each unaccounted for child. 

3.4 Parent volunteers 

(a) The Toronto District School Board supports the efforts of volunteers in the 

schools. 





(b) Volunteers may be enlisted for attendance calling. They will receive instruction 

in the use of the school’s procedures for volunteers to carry out the program 

effectively. 

3.5 Record keeping 

The principal or designate will maintain a daily record of all unexplained absences 

which will include the following information (Form 521A, Record of Unexplained 

Absences): 

(a) name of the student 

(b) date and time of day 

(c) person contacted 

(d) reason for absence 

(e) other actions taken 

4.0 APPENDICES 

Appendix A: Sample Letter to Parent/Guardian 

5.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS 

Form 521A: Record of Unexplained Absences 

TDSB Policy P.050: Safe Arrival for Elementary Schools 

Policy Memorandum 123, Safe Arrivals, February 2, 1999, Ministry of Education and 

Training 



Sample Letter to Parent/Guardian on School Letterhead 

Dear Parent/Guardian: 

Operational Procedure PR.521SCH 


Appendix A 

The Toronto District School Board values the safety and security of its students. To assist the 

parent/guardian in ensuring their children’s safety each elementary school is required to develop 

a Safe Arrival program. 

A Safe Arrival program is a system of procedures performed together with daily attendancetaking. 

The parent/guardian is responsible for their child’s safety. Safe Arrival programs are 

a mechanism that the parent/guardian and schools can use to account for any pupil’s unexplained 

failure to arrive at school. 

• The parent/guardian is expected to notify the school when their child is absent 

or late. 

• As soon as a child is identified as “unaccounted for,” the principal or designate 

will attempt to contact the parent/guardian of each child. Three attempts will be 

made to contact the parent/guardian at both home and work telephone numbers, 

and if the parent/guardian cannot be reached, the child care or relative will be 

contacted. 

Signature of Parent/Guardian Date

Safe Arrival - Toronto District School Board

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