A
student shall not be absent from school or from any class or other required
school hours except for illness or other providential cause, unless
with written permission of the teacher, principal, or their duly authorized
school official. No student or employee shall encourage, urge or counsel
other students to violate this policy. As permitted under state law
and State Board of Education policies, pupils may be excused for the
following reasons:
a. personal illness and when attendance in
school would endanger their health or the
health of others;
b. serious illness or death in their immediate
family which necessitates absence from school;
c. mandated order of governmental agencies,
including pre-induction physical examinations
for service
in the armed forces, or by court order;
d. celebration of religious holidays;
e. conditions which render attendance impossible
or hazardous to their health or safety;
f. voter registration or voting, for a period
not to exceed one day; and
g. prior permission of principal and
consent of parent or legal guardian.(It is the
responsibility of
the
student to secure and make up all work for this type of absence, not
the teacher).
For
perfect attendance purposes, students serving as pages of the Georgia
General Assembly shall be counted present on the days missed for this
purpose. In addition, students who are present for at least one-half
of the instructional day shall be counted present.
Excuses
for absences shall be furnished in writing within three school
days of return to school , shall be signed by the student's
parent or guardian and shall specifically state the reasons for the
absence. The school system will receive any excuses after that
period, but will not change the absences to excused. All excuses
will be evaluated by the principal or a designee to determine if the
absence is excused or unexcused. The principal has the authority
to require additional proof of the legitimacy of the excuse. For example,
the principal may require a doctor's statement justifying the absence
of the student, and may require proof that the child's condition rendered
the child incapable of attending school. Students shall be
permitted to make up work when absences are excused. Absences due to
out of school suspension shall be unexcused. Students may make up final
exams missed due to unexcused absences with prior permission of the
school principal, but other types of work missed due to unexcused absences
may not be made up. Make up work for a one day's absence must be turned
in within two days of returning to school. Make-up work for longer absences
must be completed within five (5) school days of the student's return
to school, unless the school principal or his or her designee allows
the student additional time to complete such make-up work.
A
student in grades 9 - 12 who has ten (10) unexcused
absences in any class shall not receive credit for that class. The board
determines that an essential instructional objective for each class
is that students learn the importance of regular and timely attendance
at school. The board believes that students must acquire the skill of
regular attendance so that students are prepared for post-secondary
education or the workplace after school.
A
student who has excessive tardies to school and/or to class shall receive
disciplinary action according to the Student Code of Conduct. The principal
has the authority to require additional proof of the legitimacy of excessive
requests for early checkouts. Students with excessive tardies and/or
early checkouts may be referred to the school social worker for educational
neglect.
Walton
County Government Building
303
South Hammond Drive, Suite 223
Monroe, GA 30655
Phone:
770-267-1797 Fax: 770-267-8313
Truancy
Coordinator: Officer Mike Baldwin
Services:
Investigate reported incidents of truancy. The Truancy Coordinator accepts
referrals from schools, parents, and citizens. The Truancy Coordinator
works under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court.
