Attendance Policies:
Late Arrivals/Tardies: Students who arrive on campus after 8:00 a.m. must sign in at the front office. Tardies are excused for the same reasons that absences are excused. Parking privileges may be revoked for excessive tardies to school; see parking applications for details.
When a student is tardy to class, the teacher shall assign teacher detention. When a student accumulates 3 tardies in a semester, the teacher will make parent contact. When a student accumulates 5 tardies in a semester, the teacher will submit a discipline referral, and the student will serve 3 days ISS. Teachers will continue to refer students who show a pattern of tardiness with each additional tardy after 5. Each additional referral will result in ISS placement. Additional interventions will be put in place when a student is excessively tardy.
Over 10 minutes tardy to class without a signed pass from a teacher or administrator is considered skipping.
Early Dismissals: Students who need to leave school before regular dismissal must bring a signed note from their parent/guardian stating the time of and reason for the early dismissal. Included in this note must be the telephone number where the parent can be reached during the morning. This note should be brought to the front office prior to first period. A student who returns to school the same day after an early dismissal should check in at the front office before returning to class.
Please Note: If a student is present in school for any part of a day and a long-term assignment is due in any class that day, the assignment must be given to the teacher in person before the student checks out.
Students who sign out under false pretenses will be disciplined.
Early Release: All students who are approved to be released early should have identification to verify early dismissal. Students must leave campus when scheduled.
Lunch Sign Outs: Absences due to students signing out to eat lunch off campus will be unexcused. Students will not be allowed to make up missed work.
A student who signs out to eat lunch off campus more than once per year shall have his/her parking privileges revoked. Signing out for lunch will be considered a violation of the compulsory attendance law and may subject the student to disciplinary consequences for truancy.
EMERGENCY CARDS
All students are asked to have parents/guardians fill out and sign an emergency card, which will be kept on file in the clinic. Names of relatives or neighbors who have permission to check the student out in an emergency should be listed on the cards as well as names of doctors, etc. All students must have a card on file. As soon as information changes, students should notify the front office. The emergency card will be used only in the case of a valid emergency. It will not be used on a regular basis when parents cannot be reached.
NO SENIOR SKIP DAY
There is no Senior Skip Day. Sometimes students tell parents this in order to miss school. All such absences are unexcused.
VISITING COLLEGES
Seniors and juniors may use two school days per year to visit out of town college campuses. Appropriate forms may be picked up in the guidance office and must be completed prior to the visit. Forms are also available on this website under "Forms" on the homepage.
Any student who has accumulated ten (10) or more unexcused absences may not be allowed to attend or participate in Prom, dances, Grad night or other extra curricular activities including, but not limited to, sports, fine arts performances, and field trips.
At ten unexcused absences a letter will be sent from the principal or principal's designee to the parent or guardian. A non-compliance letter will also be filed with the Georgia Department of Transportation causing the student to lose driving privileges for one year.
Upon each additional unexcused absence after ten a non-nompliance letter will be filed with the Georgia Department of Transportation causing the student to lose driving privileges for one year from the date of the last unexcused absence.
Notification of Provisions of Georgia’s “Compulsory Student Attendance Law” (O.C.G.A. 20-2-690.1)
Georgia law requires children between the ages of 6 and 16 to be enrolled in and attend school. However, if a child is under 6 and has attended more than 20 days in a public school, he/she is subject to the compulsory attendance law (O.C.G.A. 20-2-150(C)).
A student is considered truant if he/she misses more than five unexcused absences during the school year. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. 20-2-690.1, a parent/guardian shall be held responsible for the child’s failure to report to school. Potential consequences for parents and/or students include: a referral to the District Attorney’s office, misdemeanor charges with a fine of not less than $25.00 and not greater than $100.00 for each offense, imprisonment for up to 30 days, community service, or any combination of such penalties, at the discretion of the court having jurisdiction may be imposed. Each day’s unexcused absence from school, after the initial five unexcused days, shall constitute a separate offense.
Additionally, the Georgia Department of Driver Services will suspend the license of a minor who has dropped out of school without graduating and has remained out of school for ten consecutive school days, or who has ten or more school days of unexcused absences in the current academic year or ten or more school days of unexcused absences in the previous academic year. The suspension is mandated by O.C.G.A. 40-5-22 (a.1)