How to Report an Absence

Home-to-school communication that qualifies for excused absence status must meet one of the Valid Causes for Absence and come in one of the following forms:

E-Absence

Excuse an absence through Parent Portal. Full Day Absences Only

Online Form

Submit an absence note directly to the attendance office via the Google Form.

Written Note

Download the note or pick up a hard copy in the main office. Sign and return within two weeks.

Phone Call

Call the attendance office (773-534-5410) before 9:30am with the student’s name, ID#, and reason.

CPS recognizes six reasons for an absence to be considered excused:

  1. Student illness, including mental or behavioral health (As of January 1, 2022, absences can be attributed to mental or behavioral health for up to five days. Learn more: ENGLISH | SPANISH)
  2. Observance of a religious holiday (absence note required)
  3. Death in the immediate family
  4. Family emergency
  5. Sounding taps at a military funeral for a deceased veteran
  6. Parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone

Additional considerations:

  • Circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for their child’s safety or health (must be approved by the principal)
  • Other situations beyond the control of the student (as determined by the principal)
  • Students/families should inform their school if a physician diagnoses their child with a contagious or infectious disease, such as chicken pox or measles.
  • Keep up-to-date on all your child’s health examinations and immunizations so your student does not miss school.

CPS offers a variety of resources for students in need of mental health support.

  • Hazel Health offers access to free, high-quality online therapy and counseling. This helps students feel better faster, miss less school, and get care even if their family can’t easily visit a clinic.

Visit the Mental Health page to learn more about the different mental wellness options provided to your student.

How to Use E-Absence

E-Absence allows parents and guardians to submit, schedule, and track your student’s absences through the Aspen Parent Portal. You can sign in to your account at Aspen.cps.edu to use the E-Absence feature.

To access Parent Portal, you must:

  • Be listed as a contact for your student in the Student Information System.
  • Have a valid email in the student’s contact records.
  • Request and submit the validation code sent via email.

E-Absence FAQ

If you have more than one student, you can submit E-Absence requests for multiple students. To do this, you must navigate to each student within Parent Portal.

Yes, you can cancel your E-Absence request, or the Attendance Coordinator/Clerk can cancel the request. To do this, you must use the full site view of Parent Portal at aspen.cps.edu and navigate to the front page.

The current school will receive the E-Absence request. The absence requests before the transfer must be submitted via paper or phone.

You do not receive a CPS robocall after you submit your E-Absence request if your request is approved. However, you receive a CPS robocall if your E-Absence request is denied or canceled.

Yes, you can submit an attachment using the full site view of the Parent Portal at aspen.cps.edu.

You can submit a request from the beginning of the current school year until a date fifteen (15) days in the future.

You receive an email once you submit your request to confirm that the Attendance Coordinator/Clerk received your request. You will receive another email once the Attendance Coordinator/ Clerk approves or denies your request.

If the Attendance Coordinator/Clerk denies your request, you can submit another request for the same date(s) that the Attendance Coordinator/Clerk may approve.

Please allow 24 hours for the Attendance Coordinator/Clerk to review and approve or deny your request.

Yes, if your student attends high school, you can submit a request for a period using the full site view of the Parent Portal at aspen.cps.edu.