Attendance Policy
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
District Policy JH – Student Absences and Excuses
The board believes that attendance is a key factor in student achievement. Any absence represents an educational loss to the student. The board expects each student to attend his/her designated school every day, for the entire year, except in cases of illness or other reasons specifically stated in this policy.
Please note: A student who fails to attend school when he/she is physically and circumstantially able to do so and has accrued three consecutive unlawful absences or a total of five unlawful absences is truant. Such a student is in violation of the South Carolina Compulsory Attendance Law which requires school attendance for children who are five years of age by September 1st until they become 17 years of age.
In accordance with state regulations, students can be absent for no more than 10 days per school year. A note from a parent/legal guardian or certified medical practitioner must be submitted to the school immediately upon the return of the student. Absences that exceed the 10 must be approved by the school principal. A student with excessive absences may be subject to retention. High school students who exceed five absences in a semester course or 10 absences in a yearlong course may not receive credit for that course.
If a student fails to bring a valid excuse to school, he/she will automatically be marked as unlawfully absent. If a student brings a false (or forged) excuse, he/she must be referred to the school administration for appropriate action and the absence(s) considered lawful.
The district will consider students unlawfully absent under the following circumstances:
• They are absent from school without the knowledge of their parent/legal guardian
• They are absent without acceptable cause with the knowledge of the parent/legal guardian
The parent/legal guardian will be notified that written excuses will be required for each student absence and the parent/legal guardian will be expected to provide the school with a written excuse for each absence.
