Attendance Office Administrative Assistant:

Alicia B Johnson

Hours of Operation:
7:00 AM-3:00 PM, Monday-Friday

The Importance of School Attendance | Good Attendance = Good Student Success!!

School Attendance is directly related to success in the classroom. For this reason, school attendance is mandatory unless the student is sick or there are extenuating circumstances. CFHS requests that parents notify the school when a student is absent.

Attendance is mandatory until the student reaches the age of eighteen.  The law places the responsibility for school attendance directly upon the student and his/her parent(s)/guardian(s).

Attendance Policies and Procedures:

Reporting an Absence

A note is required for any absence to be excused and must be turned in within 2 days of the student’s return.  You may report an absence via phone call/message, email, or through the online Student Absence/Tardy Reporting Form.

Early Dismissals
*Early Dismissals are not accepted over the phone.  Any student who has a valid reason for leaving school prior to normal departure time may have their parent/guardian submit an early dismissal request using one of the following options:   

1. WRITTEN REQUEST: students may present a written note signed by a parent or guardian to the front office before 7:40 am. This note must state date and time of departure, reason for leaving early, and must contain a valid phone number for verification.  The student will be given a pass that allows them to meet their parent outside or depart in their own vehicle at the designated time. 
2. PARENT/GUARDIAN may show I.D. and sign a student out at the Attendance Office.  Please allow up to 15 minutes for this process.
3. Illness: If your child is sick, please have them report to the clinic. They will be dismissed from the clinic AFTER contact with a parent is made. 
   
   ***Passes for STUDENT DRIVERS will only be issued AFTER verification with a parent/guardian.  When an early out cannot be verified, students will not be dismissed.  
   
   Students leaving early will be listed on the daily absentee list.  Students should keep their copy of the early-out form to show to the administration and teachers.  
   
   ALL Students are expected to attend pep rallies and assemblies. Any early outs on these days require a note the day before or a parent to walk in to sign the student out.
   
   Parents are asked to make every effort to make appointments after school hours. 

Written Excuses
All absences from school must be covered by a written excuse from the parent/guardian containing the date(s), reason the student was absent, and a valid telephone number where the parent can be reached. This note must be turned into the attendance office within 2 days of the absence. 

If the unexcused absence is not cleared up by the third day, it is an automatic unexcused absence and will not be excused afterwards.  

Doctor and dental appointments, appearances in court when needed as a witness, death within the family unit, and acts of God are considered examples of valid reasons for excused absences. Other excuses may be approved by the principal, on a case by case basis.

***Revised Attendance Policy***

Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, SCPS will implement new attendance reporting practices to meet compliance with Virginia Compulsory Attendance Law 22.1-254. The Virginia Department of Education has provided new directives for the reporting of student absences from school as follows:

• At 5 unexcused absences, the school is required to initiate an attendance improvement plan.
• At 6   unexcused   absences, the school is required to have an attendance conference.
• At 7 unexcused  absence, SCPS is required to report whether legal charges were initiated against the student, against the parent, or if legal charges were not initiated because an improvement plan is in place and AND working.

As previously stated, these requirements apply only to unexcused absences. As a school system, we are working to explore and expand more ways for you to report your student’s absences. We want to emphasize the importance of sending in notes or using your school’s available attendance reporting options to excuse your student’s absence. We want to work together to support you and your student and hope you will work with us in quickly identifying which students have attendance problems and need further intervention. Please ensure your student’s school has your correct street address, phone number, and email address on file. Please ensure you familiarize yourself with the options you have available to communicate with your school about absences. Other attendance procedures will be followed for students with excessive excused absences.

In an effort to reduce unexcused absences, SCPS requests when your student is absent from school, an official notification shall be sent to your student’s school explaining the reason why your student was absent from school.

Please review the SCPS Code of Conduct (pp. 4-11) for information about excused absences.

Attendance Errors
After report cards for a marking period are issued, the parent/student has five school days in which to report any attendance errors for that marking period to attendance personnel.  After the five-day period, all attendance is considered correct for the marking period.  Attendance will not be corrected and will remain on the student's permanent record. This is for corrections only and not for notes not turned in on time.

Pre-Arranged Absences (Family Trips and Surgeries)
Under circumstances that require the family or student to be out of the area on urgent family business, assignments may be received and work completed; however, arrangements must be made prior to the trip and permission obtained from the principal.  Pre-Arranged absences do count against students' exam exemptions.

A Pre-Arranged Absence Form must be completed by the student and parent/guardian.  The student is required to bring the form to all of the student's current instructors.  The form may be picked up in the Attendance Office.

In the case of any emergency that makes it impossible to obtain prior permission, the student shall see the principal immediately upon his/her return.

School Sponsored Activity Absences

When students are absent from class due to participation in school sponsored activities, it is the responsibility of the student to notify the teacher(s) prior to the date of the activity.  Arrangements must be made regarding class assignments missed due to that absence.  School activity absences do not count against the students' exam exemptions.

Tardy to School

A student who is not in his or her homeroom class when the bell rings at 7:40 AM is considered tardy to school.  All tardy students must report to the attendance office to check in. 

Tardies to school will be excused if students present a note from the parent stating the excusable reason for the tardy. Appointments for court will also be excused with a court document.

Oversleeping, car trouble, traffic and missing the bus are unexcused tardies.

Unexcused Tardies to School

Students learn best when they begin the school day in a timely manner.  Teaching and learning cannot take place without the full cooperation of students and teachers.

Students can cooperate by arriving to school and to class on time.

All tardy students must report to the attendance office to check in.  Failure to check in to the attendance office for a tardy or an early out will result in disciplinary action.

Unexcused tardies to school are logged separately from unexcused tardies to class; however, both are cumulative for the semester.

Tardies to school will result in the following consequences:

Any student arriving to class after the bell has rung will be considered tardy and will not be admitted until they receive a tardy to class pass from the tardy desk.

Tardies to class are logged separately from unexcused tardies to school; however, both are cumulative for the semester. Failure to report to class on time will result in the following consequences: