The parent/caregiver will need to call or email the school and ask for the attendance secretary. Let them know your child will not be at school. 

Per PCSS School Board policy 6.200, parents are allowed to send up to five (5) written notes/emails per semester to the attendance secretary to document in PowerSchool. 

If a child is sick, a doctor's note will excuse the absence. If a doctor's note isn't presented, a parent's note/email will be used. 

In grades K-8, the parent/caregiver will have to enter the school building with their student and sign them in at the main office. 

In grades 9-12, students will need to sign in at the main office. 

Per policy 6.200:

Absences shall be classified as excused or unexcused by the principal or his/her designee. Excused absences include:

• Written excuse by parents, up to five (5) days per semester.
• Personal injury 
• Illness of immediate family member
• Death in the family 
• Extreme weather conditions 
• Religious observances 
• Pregnancy 
• School endorsed activities
• Summons, subpoena, or court order
• Circumstances which, in the judgment of the principal, create emergencies which the student has no control over. 

Unexcused absences are any days or partial days where a student has been absent from school or class that are not covered by acceptable documentation given to the school by the parent/guardian.

Generally speaking, truancy is defined as an accumulation of one or more unexcused absences.

Students who are absent five (5) days without adequate excuse shall be reported to the Director of Schools/designee who will, in turn, provide written notice to the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the student’s absence. If a parent/guardian does not provide documentation within adequate time excusing those absences or request an attendance hearing, the Director of Schools shall implement Tier II of the progressive truancy intervention plan described below prior to referral to juvenile court.

Attendance Policy 6.200 with Truancy Tiers and Plans

Prior to referral to juvenile court, the following progressive truancy intervention plan will be implemented. Students with five (5) unexcused absences shall be subject to the progressive truancy intervention framework outlined below.

Tier I

Tier I of the progressive truancy plan shall apply to all students within the district and include schoolwide prevention-oriented supports to assist with satisfactory attendance. These supports shall include, but are not limited to, “Learning Supports, Transportation Service, Food Service, Enrichment Opportunities, School-Emotional Supports, Family Services, and Family Engagement Supports.

Tier II

Tier II of the progressive truancy plan shall be implemented after the student accumulates five (5) unexcused absences, but before referral to juvenile court, and includes the following:

1. A conference with the student and the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s);
2. An attendance contract, based on the conference, signed by the student, the parent(s)/guardian(s), and the Attendance Supervisor/designee. The contract shall include:
   1. A specific description of the school’s attendance expectations for the student;
   2. The period for which the contract is effective; and
   3. Penalties for additional absences and alleged school offenses, including additional disciplinary action and potential referral to juvenile court.
3. Regularly scheduled follow-up meetings to discuss the student’s progress; and
4. A school employee shall conduct an individualized assessment detailing the reasons a student has been absent from school. The employee may refer the student to counseling, community-based services, or other services to address the student’s attendance problems.

Tier III

This tier shall be implemented if the truancy interventions under Tier II are unsuccessful.

These interventions shall be determined by a team formed at each school. The interventions shall address student needs in an age-appropriate manner. Finalized plans shall be approved by the Director of Schools/or his designee.

A principal/designee may excuse a student to participate in non-school sponsored extracurricular activities. The principal shall document the approval in writing and shall excuse no more than ten (10) absences each school year. No later than seven (7) business days prior to the student’s absence, the student shall provide documentation to the school as proof of the student’s participation along with a written request for the excused absence from the student’s parent/guardian. The request shall include the following:

1. Student’s name and personal identification number;
2. Student’s grade;
3. The dates of the student’s absence;
4. The reason for the student’s absence; and
5. The signatures of the student and parent/guardian.

School principals shall provide students with a one-day excused absence prior to the deployment and a one-day excused absence upon the return of a parent or custodian serving active military service.

Principals shall also allow up to ten (10) excused cumulative absences per year for students to visit a parent or guardian during a deployment cycle. The student shall provide documentation to the school as proof of his/her parent’s/guardian’s deployment. Student shall be permitted to make up for schoolwork missed during these absences.

All missed class work or tests from an excused absence may be made up.

All missed class work or tests from an unexcused absence may be made up at the principal’s discretion.

More than ten (10) consecutive or fifteen (15) reported unexcused absences by a student during any semester renders a student ineligible to retain a driver’s permit or license, or to obtain such if of age.

In order to qualify for reclaiming a driver’s permit or license, the student must make a passing grade in at least three (3) full unit subjects or their equivalency at the conclusion of a subsequent grading period.

To make up state-mandated assessments, refer to Putnam County School System Policy 4.7001.

Credit/promotion denial determinations may include student attendance; however, student attendance may not be the sole criterion. If attendance is a factor prior to credit/promotion denial, the following shall occur:

1. Parents and students shall be advised if the student is in danger of credit/promotion denial due to excessive absenteeism; and
2. Procedures in due process are available to the student when credit or promotion is denied.