• Attendance Info

     

     

    Reporting absences

    Students are to bring official documentation for any absence from school, ie.; a written excuse (signed by a parent/guardian) OR a medical excuse within three days after returning to school. This documentation will be filed in the attendance office. Documentation does not erase absences, it only states why the student missed school.

     

    Signing out during the school day

    Should a student need to be signed out early, a signed note must be submitted to the office. NO phone calls are accepted.

     

    Excessive Absences

    If extended illnesses or medical conditions exist which may cause a student to miss over 10 days, the student’s parent should contact the guidance counselor to apply for homebound services. If a student not on homebound misses 10 or more classes, even for medicals, he/she must have special written permission from the principal to make them up.

     

    Absence Notification

    Automated phone calls will notify parents of each absence, and letters are mailed home when a student has missed three or more days. Students are responsible for maintaining accurate absence records.

     

    To submit an absence excuse, send an email to RHAbsenceDocumentation@rhmail.org with the document attached.

     

    Attendance for Remote Learning Days

    On remote learning days, attendance will be determined by completion of teacher-assigned work within a designated time period (typically 5 days after the remote learning day).

    Documentation for All Absences

    Students must provide official documentation for any absences to their home school within three days after returning to school. This may be in the form of a written excuse (signed by a parent/guardian) OR a medical statement. This documentation will be entered and filed in the student’s attendance file in the attendance office at their home school.  Documentation does not erase absences; it only states why the student missed school and is consistent with all state law and regulations.  To submit an absence excuse, send an email RHAbsenceDocumentation@rhmail.org with the document attached.

    Truancy and Chronic Absenteeism  

    Compulsory attendance laws; and state and federal laws and regulations determining absences for truancy and chronic absenteeism, have not changed and remain applicable for both onsite, virtual and hybrid instruction.

    Truancy

    A student ages 6 to 17 years meets the definition of a truant when the student:

    • Has three consecutive unlawful absences or a total of five unlawful absences.
    • In such cases an Attendance Intervention Plan should be developed.

    Chronic Absenteeism

    A student in grade K-12 meets the definition of chronic absenteeism when the student:

    • Misses 50 percent or more of an instructional day for any reason for 10 percent (or more) of their enrollment period.
    • All absences contribute to chronic absenteeism including excused, unexcused and OSS.

     

    More district attendance information can be found on the Rock Hill School District website under Attendance.