Attendance Policy and Procedures

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) wants to recognize students who attend school every day, do well in class, and show honesty in their work. To support this goal, Parkview is one of the ten GCPS high schools that will participate in the Final Exam Exemption Pilot (similar to the one for grades 9-11 in Spring 2026). 

This policy will apply to all students in grades 9-12 who meet the guidelines below:

• Have an "A" weighted average, 90 or greater in the course
• Have no more than 7 total absences (excused and unexcused) for the course during the semester 
• Have no academic integrity infractions, specifically rules 11F: Cheating and 11H: Plagiarism 

NOTE: Absences due to school-related activities (code ACT) are not includes in this total. Students who exceed seven total absences at any point before the final exam will lose eligibility for exemption in that course.

Other Important Information

• Students must complete any required Performance Final assessments in their courses and meet the guidelines above to receive teacher permission to exempt the end of term final exams. 
• State or national exams such as End of Course Assessments, AP exams, and Dual Enrollment finals cannot be exempted.
• Eligible students may still take their final exams if they wish to do so. 

Within the ParentVUE mobile app or on the web, parents and guardians can provide documentation for student absences. The directions are similar for both versions. 

• Within the mobile app, the button to "Report Absences" can be found on the main screen as well as in the Attendance section. 
• On the ParentVUE website, click the Attendance section and then select the button to "Report Absences." 
• Documentation for attendance can be added the day after the absence.

In both versions, you will see a pop-up message listing previous absences. You can click the absence, choose a reason for it from a drop-down menu, add a typed note, and/or attach a document.*

All attendance documentation is subject to approval. Students with chronic absenteeism may be required to provide additional documentation.

*Please do not add absence documents to any other part of ParentVUE. 

Excused Absences may occur under the following circumstances:

• When a personal illness or attendance in school endangers a student’s health or the health of others. Documentation may be required within five days of student’s return to school.
• A serious illness or death in a student’s immediate family necessitating absence from school. Documentation may be required within five days of student’s return to school.
• A court order by a government agency, including pre-induction physical examinations for service in the Armed Forces mandating absence from school.
• Observing religious holidays which necessitate absence from school. In some instances, documentation may be requested.
• Conditions rendering attendance impossible or hazardous to student health or safety.
• An absence not to exceed one day for registering to vote.
• Out-of-school suspensions.
• Visiting with a parent or legal guardian prior to or during leave from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting as a member of the Armed Forces or the National Guard (maximum of five school days per year).
• Students taking military service tests and physical exams. 

Excused documentation should be submitted through ParentVUE within five days of returning to school. Failure to do so may result in the absence or tardy being considered unexcused.

Note: Parents/Guardians must submit absence notes for full day absences only via ParentVUE, the day after the absence has occurred. 

Examples: college visits, out of town travel, etc.

The Gwinnett County Board of Education strongly advocates attendance for the entire year in order for the student to obtain a maximum benefit from the educational opportunities offered. If a parent decides to allow his/her student to miss school for travel, a college visit, or for a reason considered unexcused by the State, the Board will consider the absence from school as unexcused.

However, if the absence has been pre-approved by the school, the student may make up the work missed during the absence.

A pre-approved absence requires the student to notify the attendance office in writing of the absence and reason for the absence prior to the absence. The student is then given a Pre-Arranged Absence Form to be completed by the parents and teachers.

Students will not be approved for more than five school days each year for pre-arranged absences (2 days for college visits – juniors and seniors only).

It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements within five (5) school days to make up the work. The five-day rule does not apply to previously assigned due dates for major assignments/projects. These assignments are due on the date assigned. Any work assigned by the teacher and not made up by the student will receive zeroes. The teacher has no responsibility for giving the student special instruction over the work missed, and the teacher has the right to decide whether to give the make-up assignments in advance or following the absence.

At the beginning of each school year, parents should update health and emergency contact information for their student(s) in ParentVUE. Only emergency contacts listed in ParentVUE will be used to allow a student to check out. Therefore, it is important that each student has updated emergency and parent contact information in ParentVUE. 

Students arriving after the 7:15 a.m. tardy bell must enter through the main building entrance to go through the Evolv security system. Students will check in at the Attendance Office and receive a tardy slip, which is required for admission to class.

*To be considered for an excused check-in, the student must check in with a parent/guardan present or provide official documentation upon arrival, which may include—but is not limited to—medical or legal documentation. For a complete list of approved absentee reasons, please refer to the school or district's website. Students arriving late without proper documentation or a parent will receive an unexcused tardy.

NO student check-outs after 1:30 pm! NO student check-outs by email, phone, or ParentVUE.

During the school day, should a student need to check-out of school due to illness or other reasons, the student should get a hall pass from the teacher and report to the Clinic. A parent note or other formal documentation must be submitted through ParentVUE within five days after the check out for the absence to be considered excused (if it meets state guidelines for Excused Absences).

If a student must leave school before 2:10 for a pre-arranged appointment, the student must check-out at the Attendance Office and follow the procedures below:

1. Prior to 7:15am on the day of expected check-out, the student should provide the Attendance Office with a note from the parent or guardian stating the date, the time requested for the check-out, and the reason.
2. The student absence due to checking out will only be excused if it meets one of the approved reasons.*
3. The student is then provided with a check-out note to be shown to the classroom teacher at the time of the check-out.
4. If the parent cannot be contacted, the student may not be allowed to check out. A parent or guardian must be contacted to grant permission before a student is allowed to leave campus. Students will only be dismissed to the parent or guardian or the emergency contact listed in our student information system. Students who leave campus without following the check-out procedures will be considered AWOL from school and disciplined accordingly.
5. If the student does not have a note to check out, then a parent / emergency contact must come to the main entrance and show ID to check the student out.

All students are expected to be in school and/or class on time. This means being inside the classroom at the conclusion of the tardy bell. If a student is tardy and does not have a note to excuse the tardiness, the student must report to the tardy station closest to his/her class. Arrivals after 7:45am are considered a 1st period absence.

An unexcused check-in will be counted as an unexcused tardy to school, and students will receive consequences based on their total number of accumulated tardies (both tardy to class and tardy to school combined):

1 - 11 Tardies - Warning

Beginning with the 12th tardy or unexcused late check-in, students will be disciplined as follows:

• 12th, 14th, 16th Tardy – 1 Day of Reflective Lunch

• 18th, 20th, 22nd Tardy – 1 Hour After School Enrichment

• 24th Tardy – 1 Day In-School Suspension
• 26th+ Tardy – Administrator Discretion / Loss of Student Parking Privileges or Extracurricular Parrticipation

TARDY STATION LOCATIONS:

• Attendance Office – M Building
• Assessment Office – G Building
• Student Management – C Building
• Student Management – A Building (2nd floor)
• Student Management – H Building
• Student Management – E/F Building

Students who leave campus without checking out will be considered AWOL. Students who skip a portion of a class, or classes will also be considered AWOL. Once a student arrives on campus, the student is considered to be at school and must obtain permission in order to leave campus by checking out in the attendance office, even if classes have not yet begun. If a student is present at school but misses class due to illness and fails to notify the teacher or an administrator, the student will be considered AWOL.

Any student who leaves campus without permission may have driving/parking privileges revoked.

A student is considered to have Chronic Absenteeism when their total absences exceed 10% of the days enrolled. When a student reaches this point, the following interventions may become necessary: 

• Loss of parking privileges / extracurricular participation
• Requiring medical documentation to excuse further absences or tardies
• Convening a Student Attendance Review Committee
• Referral to school counselor
• Referral to school social worker
• Referral to Juvenile Court
• Withdrawal from school