Attendance Secretary

 

Attendance Policy

The following absences are excused by MCPS English | Spanish:

  1. Student illness.
  2. Observance of religious festivals.
  3. Court citation (a copy of the citation is required).
  4. Death in the immediate (parents, siblings & grandparents) family.
  5. Pregnancy and parenting needs
  6. Motor vehicle administration (i.e., Driving test)
  7. Lack of authorized transportation (i.e the school bus does not arrive)

Note: Absences for vacations, family emergencies, traffic problems, and car problems are unexcused.

Policy and Procedures

Anticipated Absences: 

Students who anticipate an absence must bring a note to the attendance office at least 24 hours in advance of the absence. Non-MCPS educational experiences, sports, work-related school activities, and championships are NOT excused.

College Visits: 

College visits are justified. A parent note must be sent to the attendance office at least 3 days in advance.  Students must provide a letter from the school they visited on the school letterhead.  

Dismissal from Health Room: 

Students who feel ill during the day must report to the health room in order to be excused for early dismissal. Students dismissed from school by the Health Room must sign out of the Attendance Office. The students must present the dismissal slip from the health room to the Attendance Office. The student will then be excused.

Early Dismissal Procedures: 

Students will be excused for early dismissal only by presenting a note to the Attendance Office before 7:45 a.m. No student will be excused without a note.

Phone calls and emails requesting to leave early will not be accepted. Students will not be allowed to leave without confirmation from the parent a/o guardian.  Only parents and/or persons authorized in writing by the parents may pick up a child from school. Parents may designate other persons on the Student Emergency Information Form (MCPS Form 565-1 English Spanish) completed by parents a/o guardians. They may also send the school a note authorizing a specific person to pick up their child. The school will typically contact parents by phone to confirm such arrangements. Students who don't sign out before their departure will not be excused.

Parents/guardians MUST bring their driver’s license or a State ID to present to the attendance office at the time of an early dismissal.

SVHS attendance office will not call students for early dismissal after 2:15 pm.  

Excusing Notes (English | Spanish): 

A note from a parent or guardian is required to excuse any absence.  A medical excuse is required for any absence of five or more days due to illness. Notes regarding absences must be submitted to the Attendance Office within three days of the student’s return.  All Notes must include the student’s ID#. 

It is the policy of SVHS Attendance Office to verify excused notes for absences, tardies, and early dismissals by calling parents and/or guardians.

The following information must be on all absence, late arrival, and early dismissal notes:

  • Student full name and ID number.
  • Date.
  • Date(s) of and reason for absence, tardy, and/or early dismissal.
  • Current work and home phone numbers.
  • Name and signature of parent or guardian.

Late Arrival: Students without a parent a/o guardian note arriving after 8:00 a.m. must sign in at the Main Office.  Students with a note from a parent a/o guardian must sign in at the Attendance Office.  A note from a parent, guardian, dentist, or doctor citing an excused absence (see above) is required to excuse any tardy.

 

Make-up Work: Upon returning from an absence, students have three days to make up work missed during the period of the absence. Teachers are required to help students make up work when the absence is excused; however, they are not required to accept missed work when the absence is unexcused. It is the student's responsibility to find out what work was missed and make arrangements to complete it within three days after returning to school.

 

Notification: Automated calls are made every night when a student is marked absent from any class period. Information is also available on the student and ParentVue accounts.

 

Links and Resources