When a student is absent or tardy, the school must obtain a signed excuse note from the parent or guardian showing:

1. The student’s full name
2. days and dates absent from school, and     
3. the reason for absence or tardiness. 

For your convenience, a note has been created for your use: note-to-school.

When tardy, the expected arrival time to school is to be stated in the excuse note. This excuse is a legal document which must be kept on file for three years and can be admitted in court as documentary evidence. This excuse is to be presented to the Attendance Office immediately upon entering the school. Upon receipt of the excuse, an admit pass will be issued to the student which must be shown to their 1st period teacher. Failure to present a written excuse note, signed by a parent or guardian, following an absence or tardiness will result in the absence or tardiness being recorded as a truancy at the time of entry into school. A forty-eight hour grace period will be allowed for students who fail to present a written excuse note on the day of tardiness or return to school from an absence. At the end of the grace period, a tardy or an absence not verified as legal by a properly signed excuse note, will remain recorded in school records as an unexcused tardiness or unexcused absence.

Disciplinary procedures may be as follows: one detention for each instance of unexcused tardiness or ISS for chronic unexcused tardiness. One day ISS for each day of unexcused absence (truancy) and/or other measures as deemed appropriate by the school for chronic truancy.

Students who are tardy to school or who are returning from an absence must report to the Attendance Office with or without their written excuse note, immediately upon entering the building. Failure to do so and instead reporting directly to class may result in the student being assigned either after school detention or ISS (In School Suspension). Those students who are tardy to school with no note will need to bring in a note within 48 hours to avoid being assigned an after-school detention.

Excused absences are as follows:

• Personal illness
• Serious illness or death in the immediate family     
• Impassable roads or weather making travel unsafe
• Religious observance   
• Doctor's appointment
• Approved school-sponsored trips
• Special educational activities requested by the parents & approved by the Principal       
• Required court attendance
• Quarantine

Any other absence is considered unexcused, such as "visiting," "away," "vacation," "shopping," "needed at home," "caring for baby," "work," "no shoes," "overslept," "car trouble," etc. Each absence must be accounted for. It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to notify the office on the morning of the absence. A written excuse signed by parent or guardian is required for early departure or for admission following any absences. Such excuse should contain the reason and date of absence.