Attendance Guidelines

Parents/guardians and students can reach the attendance office at:

CHSAttendance@fultonschools.org

470-254-2503

Absence is one of the major causes of poor work and failure in School. Students are expected to attend school each day. We recognize that sometimes students must miss School due to illness or other circumstances. A note signed by the parent or legal guardian explaining the nature of the absence is required within five days of the student returning for the absence to be counted as excused. Missing 20 minutes or more of a class period constitutes an absence.

The information below outlines the law surrounding school attendance. While we will always follow the law, our concern is students' welfare and safety. Our Attendance Office will contact students who miss three consecutive days of school. Please contact a teacher, counselor, or administrator if your child has a serious illness so that we may work with you and your student to keep him/her on track.

House Bill 1190

House Bill 1190 (section 10 – Minimum Number of Unexcused Absences – 20- 2-690.1) adds responsibilities for parents and guardians of school-age children who have five or more days of unexcused absences in a school year. As required by HB 1190, a letter from the CHS administration will be sent to parents of students who have more than five unexcused absences explaining the consequences of the law. This letter must be signed by the parent and student and returned to Cambridge High School.

If a student continues to accrue excessive unexcused absences after parent notification, the case will be referred to the school social worker, and a case may be pursued through the Fulton County Juvenile Court. Students who miss more than ten consecutive school days without medical documentation may be withdrawn.

Attendance Procedures

Any student absent from school shall present a written excuse when he/she returns before school begins to the Attendance Office. The attendance office must receive the note within five days of the student returning to school. The excuse must state the reason for the absence and include a phone number where the parent can be contacted to verify and be signed by the student's parent or guardian.

Students who have missed three consecutive days due to illness may be required to provide a doctor's note. Students who have missed ten days or more of school within a school year will be required to provide additional verification, including doctor's statements.

Excused Absences

A hold harmless absence that has been documented and relates to one of the following circumstances in accordance with State Board of Education Rule 160-5-1.10 and Georgia State Code, O.C.G.A. 20-2-690.1:

• Personal illness or when attendance in School would be detrimental to the health of the student or others
• A serious illness in the student's immediate family necessitating absence from school
• A death in the student's family necessitating absence from School
• Observance of religious holidays necessitating absence from School
• Compliance with a court order or an order issued by a
• governmental agency mandating an absence from School
• Visitation with an immediate family member who is on leave from or is being deployed to military service
• Important family events/ celebrations for an immediate family member (graduation, wedding, religious ceremony, etc.)
• Compliance with an order for a pre-induction physical examination for service in the armed forces
• An absence for registering to vote or participating as an active voter in a local, state, or federal election
• A verified interview for college admission or a documented college visit
• A specialized, supplemental, or extra-curricular program/event
• Other absences pre-approved by the principal

Unexcused Absences

All other absences not mentioned previously are considered unexcused. Every school day is important, "skip days" are not recognized or condoned by the school administration and are considered unexcused.

If a student misses work due to absence, the student will have an equal number of days as he/she was absent to complete any missed assignments/assessments. For example, if a student is absent for a test on Tuesday, the student will make up the test on Wednesday.  If a student is out Monday and Tuesday (test day Tuesday), the student will make up the test on Thursday.  If a student is absent Tuesday when a minor or practice assignment is due, the assignment will be due upon return on Wednesday. 

When a deadline has not been met, teachers will deduct points as listed below.  This includes a student who is present but fails to turn in work.  Zeroes will be placed in the grade book until the work is turned in. All missing assignments should be completed and turned in before the next unit in the course ends.  This structure allows for missing/late work to be cleared before grades are impacted.

When the work is turned in, the late deduction penalty will be assigned as listed below.  

Category	Late Deduction – (maximum 25%)
Practice/Minor	25% - after missing the due date.
Major	A student has an equal number of days absent to make up an assessment.  If a student does not complete the test within the specified time, 25% will be deducted from the overall score.