Attendance Policy and Procedures
- Tardy Policy
- Excused Absences
- Pre-Arranged Absences
- Check In
- Check Out
- Absent WithOut Leave (AWOL)
- Critical Attendance / Truancy
Tardy Policy
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.
After the 7th tardy or unexcused late check-in, students will be disciplined as follows:
- 8th Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: Parent Notification
- 10th Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: 1 Day of Reflective Lunch
- 12th Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: 1 Day of Reflective Lunch
- 14th Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: 1 Hour After-School Enrichment
- 16th Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: 2 Hours After-School Enrichment**
- 18th Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: 1 Day In-School Suspension
- 20th Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: 2 Days In-School Suspension
- 22 +Tardy/Unexcused Check-in: Administrator Discretion
**Students lose campus parking after 16 tardies
- THE TARDY STATION LOCATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
- 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
Excused Absences
How do I get my absence excused?
A student must bring a written note from the parent/guardian providing an explanation for an absence. Emails or phone calls will NOT excuse an absence. Students have five days to provide a note. Notes must be turned into the Attendance Office. If the student forgets to bring a note, the absence is considered unexcused. Work given/due on the date(s) of the absence(s) will be assigned a grade of 0, if the absence remains unexcused. After 10 parent excuse notes in a school year, the school may request additional documentation, including doctor’s notes, to continue to excuse absences and tardies.
The written note from from the parent/guardian must include:
- student name
- student ID #
- date of absence(s)
- reason for absence(s)
- parent signature
- parent daytime phone number
Excused absences are defined by state law and include ONLY the following areas:
- When a personal illness or attendance at school endangers a student’s health or the health of others. Documentation may be required within five days of a student’s return to school.
- A serious illness or death in a student’s immediate family necessitating an absence from school. Documentation may be required within five days of a 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 county-approved 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
- Local boards of education may allow a period not to exceed one day for registering to vote or voting in a public election.
- 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).
Parent/guardian notes will be accepted for up to 10 absences (or partial absences) per school year. Thereafter, the only excused reasons for absences or check-ins must be verified through formal documentation (e.g. doctor or hospital note).
Excused documentation should be submitted to the attendance office within five days of returning to school. Failure to do so may result in the absence or tardy being considered unexcused.
Pre-Arranged Absences
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.
Check In
Parent verification is mandatory in order to check-in/out. At the beginning of each school year, parents should update health and emergency contact information for their student(s) on the parent portal. Only those emergency contacts listed in the Parent Portal will be used to allow a student to check out. Therefore, it is important each student has updated emergency and parent contact information in the Parent Portal.
- If a student arrives after 7:20 am, the student must check-in to school at the attendance office. To check-in, the student must do the following:
- Provide a written note from a parent/guardian providing:
- student name
- student ID #
- date of tardy
- reason for tardy
- parent signature
- parent daytime phone number
- The tardy will be classified as excused or unexcused according to the same guidelines applied to student absences.
Present the admission note to the teacher upon arrival to class.
Check Out
NO student check-outs after 1:30 pm! NO student check-outs by email!
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 presented at the time of checkout or within two days after the check out for the absence to be considered excused.
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:
- Prior to school starting, 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.
- The student absence due to checking out will only be excused if it meets one of the approved reasons.
- The student is then provided with a check-out note to be shown to the classroom teacher at the time of the check-out.
- 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 on the clinic card. Students who leave campus without following the check-out procedures will be considered AWOL from school and disciplined accordingly.
- If the student does not have a note to check out, then a parent / emergency contact must come into the Attendance Office and show ID to check the student out.
Absent WithOut Leave (AWOL)
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.
Critical Attendance / Truancy
A student is considered to have critical attendance when his/her total absences exceed 10 days. When a student reaches this point, the following interventions may become necessary:
- Loss of parking privileges
- 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