Attendance Information

Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1, parents, guardians, or any other persons in control of students are responsible for ensuring their students’ attendance in school. Due to the negative impact of excessive tardiness and absenteeism on student performance, the Board expects local schools to implement programs aimed at improving student attendance and punctuality. A doctor’s note will also be accepted as an excused absence.

For further details, please refer to Policy JB.

In line with addressing truancy, chronic absenteeism, and enhancing school climate, Georgia state law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.2) mandates that communities and schools collaborate through the recommendations of their local Student Attendance and School Climate committees.

Georgia’s compulsory education law, O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1, requires children, ages 6 to 16 to attend school in some form (public school, private school, or home school) for 180 days or 900 hours of instruction each year. Children subject to compulsory attendance who during the school calendar year, have more than five days of unexcused absences are considered truant. Any parent/guardian or other person residing in this state who has control or charge of a child or children and who violates Georgia Code O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to:

• Fine: not less than $25.00 and not greater than $100.00
• Imprisonment: not to exceed 30 days
• Community service
• Or any combination of such penalties at the discretion of the court having jurisdiction

Georgia law requires school districts to notify parents/guardians when a student has accumulated five unexcused absences during the school calendar year.

All children enrolled in public school and/or alternative school including students enrolled at HANBA for 20 school days or more are subject to compulsory school attendance even if they are under six year of age O.C.G.A. § 20-2-150) Please see the chart below for a quick view of the APS attendance protocol.

The provisions of the state board rule 160-5-1-.10 defines acceptable excuses for student absences. Below is an abbreviated list of acceptable excuses:

• Personal illness of the student and/or a situation in which attendance in school would endanger the health of the student or the health of others.
• Serious illness or death in the immediate family of the student that would reasonably necessitate absence from school.
• Special and recognized religious holidays observed by the faith of the student that necessitate absence from school.
• Mandates by the school or other governmental agencies such as pre-induction physical examination for service in the armed forces, a court order or out-of-school suspension.
• Conditions rendering school attendance impossible or hazardous to student health or safety.
• Voter registration or voting in a public election, not to exceed one (1) day per school year.
• Five (5) days or fewer per school year for a child of a military or National Guard parent who is called to duty in a combat zone or combat-supporting post or for a student whose parent is on leave from such an assignment.

Students will be counted present in the following circumstances:

• A student who serves as a Page of the Georgia General Assembly.
• A student who attends court proceedings related to their foster care.
• A student who successfully participates in the Student Teen Election Participant (STEP) program.
• A student who participates in an activity or program sponsored by 4-H 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.

Upon return to school from an absence, the student shall bring to the school a note signed and dated by the parent / legal guardian stating the reason for the absence(s) and the dates of the absence(s). A doctor’s note will also be accepted.

Note: The notification must be received by designated school personnel within three school days of the student’s return to school.

All children enrolled in public school for 20 school days or more are subject to compulsory school attendance even if they are under six years of age (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-150).

Chronic Absenteeism - Rate of Chronic Absenteeism is a school measure of the percentage of enrolled students who miss 10% or more school days for any reason. For students enrolled for the entire year in a typical school, chronically absent students miss 18 or more days per year. Chronic absenteeism includes the total number of days absent, excused, unexcused, or out of school suspensions.

When a child is absent, parents/guardians or other persons who have control of a child enrolled in APS should report reasons for absences in compliance with Policy and Regulation JB. Georgia law requires that after any student accrues five days of unexcused absences in a given school year, the parent/guardian or other person who has control or charge of that child shall be in violation of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1(b).

Any child that is subject to compulsory attendance who, during the school calendar year, has more than five days of unexcused absences is considered truant. The law states the following:

“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 of not less than $25.00 and not greater than $100.00, or imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, community service, or any combination of such penalties, at the discretion of the court.”

Administrative Regulation JBC-R(2) states in part: A school may request a parent/guardian provide proof of residency if a student’s attendance record indicates a pattern of tardies that place the school on notice that the address of record is invalid/inaccurate.

Whenever a student is checked out prior to the end of the regular school day, the student should bring a written note from their parent/ legal guardian stating the reason. The student will only be released to their parent/legal guardian or to a person designated by the parent/legal guardian, as documented by school records, and upon presentation of proper identification. Students may also be released to child welfare authorities as allowed by law.

If a student is marked with an unexcused absence for the school day, the student will not be allowed to participate or attend extracurricular activities scheduled for the same day that the student is absent.

Making Up Missed Assignments or Tests

It is the student’s and parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to make arrangements for makeup work. Students should ask their teacher for any missed assignments on the first day they return to school. Failing to comply with this procedure will result in a grade of zero being given for graded assignments missed during an excused absence. Local boards of education are not required to provide makeup work for unexcused absences. Students who are suspended shall receive 2 days for each day of suspension to makeup missed assignments.

At the discretion of the school principal, any student who receives an out-of-school suspension (OSS) that interferes with their ability to participate in standardized testing, may be granted an opportunity to participate in partial suspension and attend school during the testing time only. Any student who receives OSS, but presents as a safety concern to the school community may be denied an opportunity to return to their zoned school and participate in standardized testing during the suspension period.