I. STUDENT ATTENDANCE K-12
A. Lawful Absences
1. Excusable absences permitted by NC State Board of Education Attendance Rules:
(a) Illness or injury
(b) Quarantine
(c) Death in family
(d) Medical/Dental appts.
(e) Court proceedings
(f) Religious observances
(g) Educational opportunity
(h) Suspension
(I) Expulsion
B. Unlawful Absences
Unlawful (unexcused) absences are defined as the student's willful absences from school without the knowledge of the parents/guardians, or the student's absences from school without justifiable causes with the knowledge of parents/guardians.
C. Homebound Placements
Homebound placements are based on medical recommendations and students are credited as in attendance when pre-approved by the appropriate official in the Guilford County Schools.
D. Make-up Work
Students are responsible for all work missed when absent from school. Immediately upon returning to school students must make arrangements with their teacher(s) to make up all work (assignments, tests, projects, etc.) missed while absent.
E. Absence Documentation Requirement
All absences require a written note from the parent/guardian explaining the absence(s). The student should deliver the note to school authorities (teacher, attendance office official, etc.) as soon as possible upon his/her return to school. Failure to submit such notes within 3 school days after returning to school will result in an unlawful absence being recorded. Parents/guardians are requested to contact school officials immediately when unanticipated absences occur. All anticipated periods of absence should be reported to school officials prior to the period of absence. Such absences should receive prior approval by school officials. Prior approval is required for any student departing from campus once he/she has arrived; this approval is required throughout the school day. Students must follow a sign-out procedure as established by the school.
F. Attendance Awards
A student qualifies for an Attendance Award by being in attendance each day that school is in session during an entire school year. In addition, high schools have the option of allowing students with at least 97% attendance to waive one final exam at the end of each semester. (Note: Course exams required by the state are not eligible to be waived.)
G. Definition of being "in attendance"
To be considered "in attendance", a student must be present in the school for at least one-half of the school day (or one-half of the class for class attendance in secondary schools) or at a place other than the school with the approval of school officials to attend an authorized school activity. Such activities include, but may not be limited to, field trips, athletic contests or other competitions, student conventions, music festivals, concerts, or similar activities approved by the school.
H. Unlawful Absence Disciplinary Actions
Unlawful absence will result in conferences with parents/guardians. Unlawful absence and/or truancy may lead to disciplinary action to include court proceedings involving parents and/or students if the student is under sixteen years of age. North Carolina General Statute (G.S. 115C-378) requires attendance until age sixteen (16).
II. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
The goal of Guilford County Schools is to have at least 95% attendance. Schools seek to have partnerships with parents to improve attendance, and ask that parents commit to this goal. Teachers in K-5 schools will work with students to give extra help in making up work missed due to absences. Intervention methods will be utilized after excessive absences. These include but are not limited to:
- Calls to parents after 5 absences
- Teacher-parent conferences
- Parent meetings with the principal
- Home visits from the school social worker
- Referral to Student Staff Support Team
- Letters to the parents after 3, 6, and 10 days of absences
- The social worker will contact parents after 5 unlawful absences
- Excessive absences will be a factor in consideration of retention
Teachers will record the number of absences on Interim Reports and quarterly reports.
When students accumulate unlawful absences, parents of students under the age of 16 will receive a notification under the North Carolina Compulsory Attendance Law, which states that they are in violation of the law. The law states that
"Unlawful absences will result in conferences with parents/guardians. Unlawful absences and/or truancy may lead to disciplinary action to include court proceedings involving parents and/or students if a student is under 16 years of age. North Carolina General Statute (G.S. 115C-378) requires attendance until age 16."
III. MIDDLE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
Students are limited to six (6) absences per semester or twelve (12) absences per school year. Any absences beyond six (6) and twelve (12) would require make-up time. When an absence qualifies for make-up time, it must be made up immediately following that absence. If the absence occurs at the end of the first, second or third marking periods, the absence must be made up within ten (10) days. During the last marking period, all absences must be made up within that marking period. Four hours of make-up time will constitute one day of absence. Students will have two days per each day's absence to make up assignments, with exceptions considered by each school's principal.
Each school will design its own Extra Help Program for making up time; programs may include opportunities for making up time before school, after school, on weekends or teacher workdays.
Parents will receive notification of all absences at three (3) days, six (6) days, and ten (10) days. Excessive absences will be a factor in consideration for retention.
IV. HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS
Records are kept on each student's attendance for the duration of each course. Each student's attendance record, for the purpose of this procedure, is assessed during the length of the course.
School attendance has been identified as a critical component to academic success. According to SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) accreditation standards, course credit is granted based on defined performance criteria and a minimum of 130 clock hours of instruction. In order to achieve academic success and receive course credit, students must meet the following attendance requirements.
TWO CATEGORIES OF STUDENT ABSENCES
LAWFUL ABSENCES:
Examples of lawful absences: Death in the immediate family*, religious observances*, medical/dental appointments, military obligations, family trips, college visits, educational opportunities, short-term illness with a doctor's note, chronic illness with a doctor's note*, illness with a parent's note, other extenuating circumstances at the principal's discretion.
*Absences due to death in the immediate family, religious observances, and chronic illness with a doctor's note are exempt from make-up time. Students are required to complete all missed assignments. These absences are not included in excessive absence counts.
UNLAWFUL ABSENCES:
Unlawful (unexcused) absences: the student's willful absences from school without the knowledge of the parents/guardians, or the student's absences from school without justifiable causes with the knowledge of parents/guardians.
LAWFUL ABSENCES PROCEDURE
First Three (3) Lawful Absences Within A Semester
The initial three (3) lawful absences are handled between student and teacher(s). Students are expected to make up work assigned during the lawful absence(s) within three school days of the student's return to school. The actual grade earned will be recorded. The ultimate responsibility for make-up work lies with the student. (See Suspensions for information regarding absences resulting from suspension from school.)
EXCESSIVE/UNLAWFUL ABSENCES
Students who have excessive absences from a class during the following time periods will be placed on NO CREDIT STATUS until attendance obligations have been met:
- Four (4) absences during a marking period from a 180-day class.
- Four (4) absences during a marking period from a 90-day block class.
- Four (4) absences during a marking period from a 90-day A Day/B Day class.
Parents will be notified by the school of the NO CREDIT STATUS and will be asked to participate in developing an EXTRA HELP plan for their child to remove the NO CREDIT STATUS from his/her report card. NO CREDIT STATUS will be recorded on the report card in lieu of a letter grade for all courses each marking period, regardless of that student's present grade average. Students can meet course attendance obligations, thereby eliminating NO CREDIT STATUS, through the school's Extra Help Program. Each school has designed its own Extra Help Program for making up time and assignments; programs may include opportunities for making up time and assignments before school, after school, on weekends, or teacher workdays. Students will be required to complete make-up assignments while in the Extra Help sessions at their school.
Removal of NO CREDIT STATUS is earned at the rate of one Extra Help session of forty-five (45) minutes per academic course absence in all ninety-minute block courses and thirty (30) minutes in all hour-long courses. The attendance obligation begins at the fourth day of absence from school and applies to each subsequent absence.
When an absence qualifies for make-up time and assignments, it must be made up immediately following that absence. If the absence occurs at the end of a grading period, the absence must be made up within ten (10) days. In the last grading period of the year, all absences must be made up within that grading period.
A student who has not completed the make-up time to earn credit will receive his/her earned grade (zeroes will be given for assignments not turned in).
MORE THAN EIGHT ABSENCES
For students enrolled in a 180-day class:
- More than eight (8) absences in a semester will automatically result in NO CREDIT STATUS for that semester. Parents will receive notification of NO CREDIT STATUS as the semester grade.
- If no waiver is granted by the principal (See "Appeal Process"), the semester grade will be recorded as a 65/F and will be averaged with the other semester grade for a final grade.
For students enrolled in a 90-day block class:
- More than four (4) absences during a marking period of the class will automatically result in NO CREDIT STATUS for that marking period. Parents will receive notification of NO CREDIT STATUS as the marking period grade.
- If no waiver is granted by the principal (See "Appeal Process"), the marking period grade will be recorded as a 65/F and will be averaged with the other marking period grade for a final grade.
For students enrolled in a 90-day A Day/B Day block class:
- More than four (4) absences during a marking period of the class will automatically result in NO CREDIT STATUS for that marking period. Parents will receive notification of NO CREDIT STATUS as the marking period grade.
- If no waiver is granted by the principal (See "Appeal Process"), the marking period will be recorded as a 65/F and will be averaged with the other marking period grade for a semester grade.
APPEAL PROCESS
Students and parents may appeal to the principal for a waiver (e.g., medical and/or other unusual circumstances) to remove NO CREDIT STATUS or to extend make-up time. This request for an appeal must be made in writing to the principal within ten (10) school days of notification of NO CREDIT STATUS. Additionally, a request for an exemption from NO CREDIT STATUS due to a chronic medical condition needs to be made in writing to the principal and include appropriate medical documentation.
UNLAWFUL ABSENCES PROCEDURE
UNLAWFUL ABSENCES : One of the following applicable Student Code of Conduct consequences will be taken:
- In-School Disciplinary Action
- In-School Suspension
- Out-of-School Suspension
Students who have skipped class will be considered NO CREDIT STATUS until an EXTRA HELP plan has been developed at the high school to complete assignments.
NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCES
The following schedule will be used to notify parents/guardians of student absences:
- After 3 absences
- After 6 absences
- After 8 absences
Notification will be given when an unlawful absence occurs.
Methods of notification vary from school to school but can include personal telephone messages, computer-generated telephone messages, letters, and home visits. CAUTION: Parents should monitor their student's attendance closely; notifications sent by the school can follow the actual absence by a number of days due to time needed for processing, mailing, etc.
Students under the age of 16 years will receive notification under North Carolina General Statute (G.S. 115C-378). The law states that
"Unlawful absences will result in conferences with parents/guardians. Unlawful absences and/or truancy may lead to disciplinary action to include court proceedings involving parents and/or students if a student is under sixteen years of age. North Carolina General Statute (G.S. 115C-378) require attendance until age sixteen."
MORE IMPORTANT ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
Attendance notes : A note from a parent or guardian is required when students are absent. All notes are due within three school days after a student's return. Failure to present a note will result in that absence being categorized as unlawful.
Tardies : Each school will design its own program for discouraging students from being late to school or class.
Field trips : Students are considered "present" in school when on field trips and other school-sponsored activities. Ask your attendance staff or school administrator when clarification is needed; refer to each individual school's procedure.
Time required in class : Attendance in class for at least one-half of the class period is required for the student to be counted "present".
Suspensions : By state statute, out-of-school suspensions are counted as lawful absences. (See UNLAWFUL ABSENCES PROCEDURE above.)
Athletic participation : The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) has its own attendance requirements for student participation. All Guilford County high schools are members of NCHSAA and their players/participants must meet those requirements. Students are responsible for having knowledge of and meeting those requirements; coaches and school athletic directors can provide complete information regarding NCHSAA regulations.
NOTE: This Administrative Policy combines and replaces former Board Policy JBD and Administrative Procedure JBD-P.
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