GHS Attendance Procedures

From the GCPS Code of Conduct

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School Attendance
Regular attendance in school is the responsibility of students and their parent(s)/legal guardian(s). Learning experiences that take place in the school environment are essential to the educational process. The regular contact of students with one another in the classroom and other teacher-supervised activities is vital in reaching educational goals.

Regular and punctual classroom attendance is an important factor in academic development and achievement. It develops good habits for advanced study and/or employment and is a significant factor in determining passing course credit and/or a student’s readiness for grade-level advancement.

Principals must establish adequate procedures for student accounting, for determining the nature of absences, and for making reports as required by local and state authorities. Principals will comply with all school laws in student accounting including the State Compulsory Attendance Law. Students receiving homebound instruction are considered present for attendance accounting. The principal or

designee will distribute copies of the attendance policy and procedures to all students and devise a procedure for explaining the attendance policy and procedures to all students.

Attendance Guidelines

Number of Allowable Absences
The 2022-2023 school calendar has 180 days of instruction. The Virginia Department of Education's public school accountability reporting system defines "chronic absenteeism" as students who miss 10 percent or more of the school year. Therefore, it is imperative for students to attend school daily. Middle and high school students who miss more than fifty (50) percent of a class will be counted as absent in that class. The following attendance requirements apply in order for students to earn passing credit or grade-level advancement:

High School: In order to remain eligible for course credit, students are limited to twelve (12) total absences per semester class or for a class that meets every other day during the school year and twenty-four (24) total absences for a class that meets every day during the school year. Students exceeding the number of absences per class will forfeit credit for the course regardless of their course grade, but may recover credit through one of the following options:
a) Repeat the course successfully in summer school, or
b) Repeat the course successfully in a subsequent school term.

Middle School: In order to remain eligible for course credit, students are limited to twelve (12) total absences per semester class or for a class that meets every other day during the school year and twenty-four (24) total absences for a class that meets every day during the school year. Students exceeding the number of absences per class will forfeit credit for the course regardless of their course grade, but may recover credit through one of the following options:
a) Repeat the course successfully in summer school, or
b) Repeat the course successfully in a subsequent school term.

Elementary School: Students are limited to twenty-four (24) total absences per school year. Students exceeding twenty-four (24) absences per school year will not be promoted to the next grade level unless they meet one of the following recovery options:
a) Attend summer remediation and demonstrate successful skills, or
b) Repeat the grade level successfully in a subsequent school term.

Absence Verification:
A student’s absence is considered unverified when the school has no documentation of the student’s absence from the parent/legal guardian. The parent is required to verify any absence upon the student’s return to school or within five (5) school days of the absence. Extended absences due to illness may require medical documentation. All documentation will be retained until the end of the school year for the attendance waiver review panel to consider. If documentation of an absence is not received within the five-day timeframe, the absence will be considered unverified. Excessive absences may result in legal action in accordance with Virginia law.

Extenuating (Excused) Circumstances
The following extenuating circumstances when verified by the parent/legal guardian in accordance with this policy provide the only acceptable reasons for a student’s absence from school. However, should a student exceed the allowable number of absences, documentation within the required time frame of these absences must still be provided for consideration of an attendance waiver.

• Civic Event – Middle or high school students engaged in a civic event may be excused one day per school year.
• Illness – When a student is unable to attend school due to an illness, a note written by the parent or a physician documenting the illness must be presented.
• Medical – Students with a medically certified condition that may impact school attendance may request relief of policy requirements through the waiver process provided appropriate documentation indicating the absences were directly related to the existing medical condition.
• Family Death – When a student is absent because of death in the family, the parent must notify the school and provide documentation for the absence
• Court or Agency– When a student is absent because of an appointment with the court, social services, or other state agencies, official documentation from the court or agency must be presented to the school.
• Religious Observances – Absences as a result of religious holidays should be prearranged by the parent, the parent is responsible for notifying the student’s school of the religious holidays to be observed.
• 4-H Educational Program or Activity – When a student is absent for participation in a 4-H educational program or activity; no credit will be provided for a student whose participation in a 4-H educational program or activity occurs during scheduled Standards of Learning assessments or during any period of time that the student is suspended or expelled from school; the student’s principal or assistant principal may request a representative of 4-H to provide documentation of a student’s participation in order for the student’s absence to be excused subject to guidelines established by the Virginia Department of Education.
• Tribal Nation Pow Wow Gathering - Students who are members of a state- or federally-recognized tribal nation that is headquartered in Virginia shall be granted one excused absence per academic year to attend such nation’s pow wow gathering provided that the student’s parent provides the student’s school advance notice of the absence.
• Suspensions/Exclusions – When a student is absent due to a suspension or exclusion, the parent will ensure the student returns to school on the student’s date of return as specified by the school administration.

K-12 Attendance Waiver
Any student with twelve (12) or more total absences in a semester long class or twenty-four (24) or more total absences in a yearlong class must submit an attendance waiver to the school. The Attendance Review Panel, which shall consist of a school administrator, a school counselor and a school teacher, may consider a request for a waiver of the attendance regulation for extenuating circumstances beyond the parent’s and/or student’s control. However, only verified absences for extenuating circumstances enumerated herein will be considered for an attendance waiver; consideration will not be given to classes that a student has academically failed.

A “verified” absence (i.e., one that is acknowledged by the parent/guardian), such as an absence due to pre-
arranged vacation, will be considered unexcused for the purposes of the attendance waiver.

Each waiver request will be considered on an individual basis, taking into consideration documentation provided and the nature of the extenuating circumstances. The Attendance Review Panel may request that the parent or adult student provide documentation from a medical professional when absences due to illness are excessive and/or a pattern appears to exist. Approvals of attendance waivers by the review panel must be unanimous.
• A parent/eligible student must submit an attendance waiver within five (5) business days after the end of the course.

The Review Panel shall act on the waiver within ten (10) administrative days after receiving it. The parent/guardian shall be notified of the decision in writing within five (5) days. In cases where an attendance waiver has been denied, no grade higher than a 59 can be awarded.

• Appeal of Waiver Decision: The parent may appeal the decision of the Review Panel by submitting a written request to the Student Services Coordinator within seven (7) days of receipt of the decision from the Review Panel.
• The parent may appeal the decision of the Student Services Coordinator by submitting a written request to the Executive Director of Operations within five (5) days of receipt of the Coordinator’s decision. The decision of the Executive Director of Operations is final.

The school shall have available in the main office and/or school counselor’s office the Gloucester County Public Schools Attendance Waiver Request Form.

Tardiness and Early Dismissals
It is important for students to be in school for the entirety of the school day. Medical appointments should be arranged before or after school whenever possible. However, when this is not possible, a doctor’s note is required upon the student’s return to school. A written note from the parent/guardian must accompany all non-medical related tardies and/or early dismissals.

Tardies or early dismissals for reasons other than the extenuating circumstances enumerated herein, or emergency reasons, as determined/approved by a building principal or designee, will be considered unexcused and may be counted toward an absence.

Makeup Work
Students who are absent from school may make up and receive credit for all missed assignments. Makeup work is encouraged so that students will profit from future instruction. In the middle and high school, it is the student’s responsibility to ask the teacher for the work missed due to absence. Parents of elementary school students are responsible for requesting makeup work for the student. Upon the student’s return to school, he/she will be given makeup work. Due dates for makeup work will be assigned at the discretion of the classroom teacher. The student may receive a reduced grade or no credit for the assignment if the work is not submitted by the assigned due date. If a parent fails to verify an absence, the teacher has the discretion to adjust the grades of any makeup work submitted.

Note: A parent or eligible student may request work prior to a pre-scheduled/pre-determined absence. Such requests will be reviewed and may be accommodated. If requests are not accommodated, upon the student’s return to school, he/she may be given makeup work by the teacher with a specified date of completion.

Note: Graduating seniors who have demonstrated perfect K-12 attendance with Gloucester County Public Schools shall be recognized at the District level. Perfect attendance shall be determined by daily attendance. Any school may recognize students for perfect attendance for a given time frame as deemed appropriate by the building administration.