LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln school officials have been trying to ease some parents’ concerns that the district’s new attendance policy doesn’t let parents excuse their children from school.

The district sent an electronic message to all parents explaining the policy, which has just two categories for absences: excused and unexcused.

Some parents contacted district officials to express their concern that the parents no longer could excuse their students from school.

The LPS policy says school-excused absences include those caused by “impossible or impracticable barriers outside the control of the parent or child.” Those include doctor-documented illnesses. Everything else falls into the unexcused category, both truancies and parent-approved absences.

Student services director Russ Uhing (YOO’-ing) says parents can still excuse their children from school.