Coming to school every day, ready to learn, is important for your child's success—and it's required by state law for children between the ages of 7 and 16.

Excused absences include:

• illness or injury
• a death in the family
• health care appointments
• court appearances 
• religious observance
• natural disasters
• outside educational opportunities—you'll need to complete a Request for Excused Absence for Educational Reasons (en español) in advance

You'll need to provide a note within three days of your child's return to school or the absences will be recorded as unexcused. Your principal or teachers will notify you if there are three or more unexcused absences, and will work with you and your child if there is a concern that absences are becoming excessive.

Your child will need to make up all work he or she missed, as scheduled by the teacher.

For more information, review Board Policy 4400: Attendance.

Students must be in attendance for at least half of the class period in order to be counted present for a class. An absence (whether all day or period absence) is excused if it involves one of the above-noted conditions.

Absences

Excessive Absences
At absence 3, 6 and 9 the school will mail a letter home informing the parent/guardian of these absences. Teachers will also contact parents at these thresholds to encourage attendance and discuss other issues that may impact student performance. Teachers will also contact parents, in addition to the student's counselor, when a student is absent from class repeatedly. Students, who miss more than ten days in a class, whether excused or unexcused, will be subject to an attendance based failure (FF). Teachers do not assign a grade of FF. They report the grade earned, even if the student has exceeded 10 days and the administration will determine if an FF is warranted. An attendance based failure may be waived in extreme circumstances with an appeal submitted to the principal.

Absence for Educational or Religious Reason and Pre-Approved Absences
Absences for educational purposes such as college visits, participation in civic and educational religious programs, and court appearances must be arranged at least one week in advance by parents and students. Requests for pre-approved absences must be submitted on Form 1710 to the grade level administrator at least one week prior to the anticipated absence.

Students, who have obtained permission for a pre-approved absence, must request makeup work from the teachers prior to leaving, and makeup work is due within two school days of a student’s return to school. All make-up work is for 100% credit; however, makeup work not completed and turned in on time may be subject to reduced credit.

Return to School
When a student returns from an absence, the student must report to the Attendance Office with a note explaining their absence. Students may submit notes to the attendance office during the follow times:

• between 7:00 - 7:20 a.m.
• during their lunch time
• after school

The student will be given a regular pass to class when returning directly from the attendance office. The explanatory note from the parent must contain:

• student's first and last name
• grade level 
• date of absence(s) 
• reason for the absence(s)
• home and work number for the parent
• parent signature

The Attendance Office will verify the legitimacy of the parent note and will record in PowerSchool whether a student’s absence is excused or unexcused. The classroom teacher will receive information if a note is determined to have been falsified so the teacher’s attendance record can be corrected.  If a teacher believes that a student has skipped class, a discipline referral will be submitted.

A student has two days after returning to school to submit an explanatory note from a parent or guardian to the Attendance Office. Failure to do this will result in the absence being recorded as unexcused.

Checking Out Early

• Students who need to check out early must bring a note from a parent to the Attendance Office between 7:00 - 7:20 am. The parent/guardian will be contacted prior to the student leaving campus. The student may pick up the check-out note during a class change.
• If a student becomes ill during the school day, the classroom teacher may send the student to the Attendance Office with a pass. The Attendance Office will contact the parent/guardian.
• The student will return to class immediately after notifying the Attendance Office to call a parent and will remain in class until the arrival of a parent/ guardian at the Attendance Office.
• The teacher of the student who is sick or is checking out will be contacted by office personnel and instructed to send the student to the waiting parent/guardian in the Attendance Office.
• If a student fails to return to class on time as instructed by the Attendance Office Personnel, the classroom teacher should refer the student for disciplinary action for being out of place.
• Leaving campus without checking out will result in disciplinary action.

Tardiness

GMHS students should arrive inside of the classroom before the tardy bell rings. A student not inside of the classroom when the bell sounds to begin class is considered Tardy for that class period (unless excused or absent from school). Students arriving to school late are considered tardy unless they have an excused note from the attendance office. Teachers will mark students tardy in the classroom.

 Leaving Campus

A student may not leave campus without proper authorization. A student who violates this policy may receive a suspension. Subsequent violations will result in additional days of suspension, and may lead to long-term suspension.

Only Seniors and Juniors who have submitted a notarized permission from a parent/guardian and received a GMHS lunch pass are allowed to leave campus during their lunch. A lunch pass must be presented upon leaving campus. Students without a lunch pass will not be allowed to leave campus. Abuse of this privilege may result in revocation of the lunch pass.

 Staying After School

• All students are to clear the building by 2:40 p.m. unless they are under the direct supervision of a teacher or a coach.
• Teachers or coaches who have students that remain after school are responsible for those students until the student leaves campus.
• If a student must travel from the supervision of one staff member to another, that student(s) must have an after-school pass indicating that the student(s) has permission to be on campus.
• All students staying after school who need to use a school phone should use a phone under the supervision of the teacher or coach with whom they are staying. 
• If a student stays after school he/she should be picked up in front of the building.
• Students who have been released from a teacher’s after school tutorial must exit the building. 
• Students staying after school are to comply with the directions of the security officer. Students may be arrested for trespassing if they do not comply.
• Any student in the hallway after school should have a pass from a teacher or coach.

Hall Passes 

Students should not be in the hallways during class without an official, school-issued hall pass with the following information:

• the name(s) of the student(s),
• the destination,
• the date and time, and
• the teacher’s signature

Students should be prepared to present their pass to school personnel who request it. 

NOTE: Bathroom Passes will be color-coded by floors.