Attendance
North Clayton High School's Attendance is adapted directly from the CCPS Student Handbook.
Per the "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), student attendance (elementary, middle, and high school) is measured by the percentage of all students absent less than 10% of days enrolled. Research shows that students who miss school are at risk for falling behind.
Clayton County Public Schools is committed to working cooperatively with parents and students to improve daily and on-time attendance. For a student to be marked present for a full school day, a student must attend one half or more of the school day. The student is marked absent if the requirements for a full school day are not met. The District enforces attendance requirements in alignment with the Georgia State Board of Education Rule 160-5-1-.10 (JB),
Student Attendance
A student will be considered present under the following circumstances:
- Students serving as pages of the Georgia General Assembly as set forth in O.C.G.A. §20-2-692;
- Students in foster care who attend court proceedings related to their foster care;
- Principals may permit an individual student to schedule a visit, without penalty, in connection with the student’s postsecondary educational plans. Principals are authorized to obtain such documentation as may be deemed appropriate for the purpose of verification of the visit. Principals shall keep a record consistent with the requirements for other instances of interrupted instructional time. Such a visit shall be regarded and treated as “school business,” and any student authorized to make such a visit shall be counted “present” at school for that day;
- Up to two days per school year for a student who successfully participates in the Student Teen Election Participant program.
- Students present for at least one-half of the school day. The parent/guardian or other person may be required to bring appropriate documentation for early checkout at the time the student is released from school.
- Student attends a school-assigned activity required by the child's educational programming (IEP, 504, etc.) at another CCPS site location as assigned by Clayton County Public Schools.
- Student participates in an activity or program sponsored by 4-H. Student shall be credited as present by the school in which enrolled in the same manner as an educational field trip, and such participation in an activity or program sponsored by 4-H shall not be counted as an absence, either excused or unexcused, for any day, portion of a day, or days missed from school as set forth in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-692.3.
Excused Absences
A student’s absence from school or class will be considered excused when it is due to any of the following circumstances and the student provides the requested, proper verification:
- When personally ill and when attendance in school would endanger their health or the health of others;
- When in their immediate family there is a serious illness or death which would reasonably necessitate absence from school;
- When on special and recognized religious holidays observed by their faith;
- When mandated by a court order or by order of a government agency including pre-induction physical examinations for service in armed forces;
- When prevented from such attendance due to conditions rendering school attendance impossible or hazardous to their health or safety;
- When granted an excused absence, not to exceed one day, in order to register to vote or to vote in a public election; or
- When in accordance with O.C.G.A. §20-2-692.1, a student whose parent or legal guardian is in military service in the armed forces of the United States or the National Guard, and such parent or legal guardian has been called to duty for (or is on leave from) overseas deployment to a combat zone or combat support position, shall be granted excused absences, up to a maximum of five (5) school days per school year, for the day or days missed from school to visit with his or her parent or legal guardian prior to such parent’s or legal guardian’s deployment or during such parent’s or legal guardian’s leave.
- When a student whose parent or legal guardian is currently serving or previously served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, in the Reserves of the armed forces of the United States on extended active duty, or in the National Guard on extended active duty, to attend military affairs sponsored events, provided the student provides documentation prior to absence from: (i) A provider of care at or sponsored by a medical facility of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; or (ii) An event sponsored by a corporation exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code. Excused absences are allowed up to a maximum of five school days per school year, not to exceed two school years, for the day or days missed from school for this purpose.
- Any other absence not explicitly defined herein but deemed by the local school board to have merit based on circumstances, which may include non-school sponsored activities if make up work is completed satisfactorily.
Students are not permitted to leave school without parental permission. Students shall not encourage, urge, or counsel other students to violate this rule.
Absences and After-School Activities
As a rule, students absent from school are not allowed to participate in after-school activities such as athletic contests and club meetings.
On rare occasions, there are extenuating circumstances in which a teacher, parent, or guardian may appeal to the principal to make an exception to the rule. The final decision in each case is left to the discretion of the principal.
Absence Notification
Parents and guardians are required to notify the school when their child is absent. The absence is recorded as excused with an acceptable written notification from the parent or guardian explaining the reasons for the absence if received by designated school personnel within three school days of the student’s return. A doctor’s note is also accepted. Emails are acceptable as official notice. However, the email must be accompanied by a copy of the parent’s identification and sent from the registered email in Infinite Campus. Notifications from Class Dojo or other classroom communication tools are not acceptable as official notices. The absence must comply with the reasons listed in the discussed absence section. The note must be signed and dated by a parent or guardian. A doctor’s note is required if there are excessive absences (three or more consecutive days). If a parent or guardian has provided ten (10) or more days of written excuses, a doctor’s note is required for subsequent absences. This level of absences sets in place a set of procedures that address the reasons for the student’s absences which may ultimately impact the student’s academic achievement.
The school staff makes a conscious effort to notify parents and guardians when a child is absent from school. However, this is not possible if the school does not have updated phone numbers. If your child has an appointment, please check the student in as soon as possible to get the most benefit from the academic day.
Parents, if your phone number or address changes during the school year, please notify the school immediately. Ensuring the school has up-to-date contact information is imperative for immediate contact in the event of an emergency.
Attendance
Under Georgia’s Compulsory Attendance law (O.C.G.A. §§ 20-2-150, 20-2-690.1), every parent, guardian, or other person residing in the state of Georgia is required to enroll and send children in their care between the ages of six (6) and sixteen (16) to a public, private, or home school unless the child is specifically exempt. Children should attend 176 days per year, unless lawfully excused for the full session or sessions of the school in which the child is enrolled. Children enrolled for twenty (20) days or more in the public schools of Georgia before their seventh birthday are subject to the provisions of the Compulsory Attendance Law.
Attendance Procedures for Unexcused Absences
In compliance with state law, the Chief Judge of the Superior Court has established a Student Attendance Protocol Committee in Clayton County to ensure coordination and cooperation among officials, agencies, and programs reducing the number of unexcused absences and increasing the percentage of students present to take state mandated tests. Three positions on the committee are held by school system employees: the Superintendent, a certificated school employee, and a certificated school social worker. One position is reserved for one local school board member. To meet the requirements of state law, Clayton County Public Schools collaborates with the Student Attendance Protocol Committee to develop attendance procedures implemented at each school
Attendance Responsibilities
Absenteeism is an obstacle to student success. Clayton County Public Schools recognizes that significant improvement in attendance can only occur when stakeholders work collaboratively to promote student achievement. A part of that collaboration requires an understanding of responsibilities that the school, student, and parent are accountable for promoting daily and on-time attendance.
Tardiness
A student is tardy (late) when arrival to school occurs after the morning bell has rung or the student enters class after the bell has rung for class to begin. An excused tardy is determined by the same criteria used for an excused absence (see definitions of an excused absence).
Compulsory School Attendance
A parent, guardian, or other person residing in the State of Georgia who has control or charge of a student who is enrolled in public school is responsible for ensuring that the student attends school under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1(b ). Any parent, guardian, or other person residing in this state who has control or charge of a child or children and who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine not less than $25.00 and not greater than $100.00, imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, community services, or any combination of such penalties at the discretion of the court having jurisdiction. Each day’s absence from school in violation of this part after the child’s school system notifies the parent, guardian, or other person who has control or charge of a child of five unexcused days of absence for a child shall constitute a separate offense. O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1(b) also states that it is the responsibility of the student’s parent or guardian to see that the student maintains regular attendance for a full session of school in accordance with the law.
Any student shall have the right to request and receive, within three business days from the date of such request, a letter from the school administrator indicating that the student is enrolled full-time and has an attendance record in good standing for the current academic year.