Leave Application Letter

A leave application letter is used to notify your school that you will not be attending classes or that you are taking your children out of school for a specific period of time. Writing the letter does not mean the absences will be excused but it does let a school know the purpose and length of the absence.

Format and Content

The content of the letter should include the name(s) of the person(s) involved, the date of the first absence and the expected date of return, the reason for the absence, and the contact information of the person writing the letter. The leave application letter format begins with a purpose statement. The letter should be long enough to cover the required information, including any justifications you feel are important. It should be addressed to the person in charge of student attendance, or in the case of a minor child, to the school principal.

Sample

This leave application letter sample is addressed to the school principal and is written by a mother who intends to take her children out of school for a family trip mandated by legal circumstances. The mother makes it clear that it is in the best interest of the children to travel with the family. She ensures the principal that her children will not fall behind on their schoolwork and offers to have them give a report to their classmates upon return. She closes by requesting the absences be marked as excused and states her intention to follow-up before leaving.

Dear Mr. Lawson:

I am writing to inform you that we will be taking our children, Michael Pearson and Jackie Pearson out of school for a period of 5 days. Both children attend Lincoln Elementary. Michael is enrolled in Mrs. Edgeton’s third grade class and Jackie is enrolled in Ms. Jones first grade class. The children will be absent from school beginning on Monday, October 7, 2013 and will return on Monday, October 14, 2013.

Family obligations mandate that my husband and I travel to London, England to settle a family estate. We do not have family in the immediate area to care for the children during our absence and we do not wish to leave our children with nonfamily members. By taking the children with us, we can provide them with the educational opportunity to see the homeland of their heritage and to learn more about its culture. Further, it will allow us to supervise and parent our children despite being away from home.

I realize the school district has mandatory attendance policies. Our children have excellent school attendance records. Last year, both children earned perfect attendance awards. I will be happy to pick up the assignments the children will miss during their absence and see that they complete them during our trip. With your approval, Michael and Jackie will give a report about what they learned during their travelupon returning to school.

I am requesting the absences be marked as excused since there is really no other acceptable option than to take them with us. We are required to appear in person in the jurisdiction of the estate. If you have any questions you may contact me at (555)-555-5555. I will notify the children’s teachers of the absence. I will follow up on the status of this request prior to our trip.

Sincerely,

Laura Pearson

Mrs. Laura Pearson