DNE

Overview

DNE (Did Not Enter) is a withdrawal code for those students in grades PK–12 who are expected to attend at the beginning of the school year and who do not return to begin the year. In this article we will discuss when to use this code and answer frequently asked questions.

Using DNE

At the beginning of each new school year you will have students that you expect to show up the first day of school based on their new year enrollment line. When students do not show up the first day of school they should be marked absent. The district should carry the students on the class rosters with the student marked absent for up to a period of ten (10) school days.

If the student has not arrived after 10 days:

• Enter the withdrawal code DNE
• Record the withdrawal date as of the first day of school
• Keep the enrollment record for reporting to the Florida Department of Education

If the student arrives in the district prior to day 11:

• Delete the entry code on day 1 of the 180 day school year
• Enter the appropriate entry code on the day the student enrolls

If the student arrives in the district at a later time:

• Delete the DNE code
• Add the appropriate entry code on the first day the student enters the district

If the student enters school in another school district:

• Replace the DNE withdrawal code with the appropriate withdrawal code
• Enter the withdrawal code on the first day of the current school year

FAQ

• If a student was coded DNE on day 11 and returns to school on day 16, how should the student be coded? Are days 1-15 coded as absences?
  • The student who is expected to return to school at the beginning of the regular 180 day schoolyear, but does not enroll as expected (DNE), and returns to school on day 16 of the school year should not be counted absent for days 1-15. The entry and DNE withdrawal codes that were entered on the first day of the school year should be removed. The appropriate entry code should be entered on day 16. Attendance recordkeeping for this student begins on day 16 of the school year.
• If a student does not return to school how long does the district mark the student absent?
  • Districts should carry the student on the class rosters for up to a period of ten (10) school days. If the student has not enrolled by day 10, the district must remove the student from the roll as of the first day of the 180 day school year by entering the withdrawal code DNE, and recording the withdrawal date as of the first day of school.
• The district has entered a DNE code for a student who did not enter school by day 10 of the school year. The district receives a request for records for the student from another school district in October. Should the DNE code or date of withdrawal be changed for this student?
  • Yes. If another school system requests the student’s record, the DNE withdrawal code must be replaced with the appropriate withdrawal code. The district must enter the withdrawal code on the first day of the current school year.
• The district entered a DNE code for a student on day 11 of the school year because the student did not show up for school. The district later finds that the student has dropped out and is not planning to attend school. Should the DNE code be changed?
  • Yes, the withdrawal code should be changed to reflect the appropriate withdrawal reason for the non-enrollment.
• How do you code a student who enrolls in a school district, but never attends school?
  • Districts should make efforts to locate the student if the parent enrolls the student even if the student never attends. The intervening efforts to locate the student should be documented locally. This may include assistance from the student services or truancy office. If the student cannot be found, the district must report the student as a DNE with the entry and withdrawal dates on the same day. If a student’s parents enroll a student, the student never attends a school in the district, but the student is found to be in another district then the record may be deleted.
• If an eighth grade student does not show up for high school the following school year, should the code be reported as DNE?
  • The district will code the student as a DNE on Day 11 of the school year. The district should follow procedures to try to locate the student. The DNE should be changed to the appropriate withdrawal code if the district locates the student in another district or school or finds the student has “dropped-out” of school. The high school is responsible for this student and the student will be included in the Dropout rate calculation. If the student is located at a different school than the school the student was assigned to, the school should enroll and withdraw the student on the first day of school.
• If no records are requested from other educational institutions (i.e., other counties, private schools, other states, etc.), when can we drop a student from our DNE lists?
  • If the district cannot locate the student, the district should document the activities conducted to attempt to locate the student and should change the withdrawal code to W22 after documenting all such activities and their continued inability to locate the student. A withdrawal code of DNE is accepted in the DOE student reporting system as a valid withdrawal code in survey 5 on the Student End of Year Status record but should only be used if no other withdrawal code can be documented for the student.
• Is there an age limit (example: age>15) that must be considered when trying to eliminate a DNE?
  • Florida law does not provide an age of majority (e. g., 18 years) for compulsory attendance; however, some districts have elected to address this in local policy. Section 1003.21 (c), F.S., simply states that a student who attains the age of 16 years is not subject to compulsory attendance beyond the date he/she attains that age, if the student files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the district school board. Therefore, there is no difference based on age in the activities the district should undertake when trying to locate students who do not enter school at the beginning of the year as expected.
• If a student is coded as a DNE for one school year, and the student’s whereabouts is not determined by the district, should the student be projected into the next school year? If so, how long should this continue?
  • Only students who are expected to be enrolled in a district school the following year should be included in projections for the following year.
• If the parents of a student come to school and sign for the student’s records because they are moving, but no school ever requests the records, how should the student be coded?
  • The school is no longer responsible for locating the student. The student would be coded using the appropriate withdrawal code on the day after the last day the student attends. If the parent signs for the record during the summer, the student would be coded with an entry and withdrawal code on the first day of the new school year. The student would not be coded with a DNE.