Attendance Procedures
Hello, and welcome to the new school year! I am Connie Grant, the Attendance Officer at the Academy of Arts, Science & Technology. If your child is absent, PLEASE call my office directly at 903-8469. If I am unavailable, leave a voicemail message. You may also email me at cgrant@horrycountyschools.net
South Carolina state law requires that all children attend school regularly until the child attains his/her 17th birthday or graduates from high school. The school year consists of 180 days, and high school students cannot accumulate more than 5 unexcused absences per class and still receive credit for the course, regardless of the grade earned in the course. Family vacations, organizational trips, or retreats during the school year are unexcused.
Limit of allowable unexcused absences: 5 for semester classes
10 for year-long classes (PE/Freshman Seminar/AP)
3 for quarter long classes
Students Arriving Late:
Students arriving at school after 8:15 must report to the attendance clerk to sign in and get a pass to class. Students that miss more than 40 minutes of a class will be considered absent. When a student has three consecutive unexcused absences or a total of five unexcused absences, the school will contact parents and develop an Attendance Intervention Plan (AIP). Students exceeding five days of unexcused absences will be reported to Family Court for truancy. Students who have excessive unexcused absences in a single class may also be referred to Family Court.
Tardy Policy:
Tardiness is defined as not being inside the assigned classroom when the tardy bell rings. When the tardy bell rings, teachers will close their doors. Students who are late should report immediately to the attendance office for a tardy pass. Students will not be admitted into their class without a pass. Students that do not report to the attendance office immediately will be viewed as cutting class and disciplinary action will be taken. If the student has multiple tardies, they will be seen by an administrator at this time to address the issue and assign disciplinary consequences. A teacher should not approve a student to be late to another teacher’s class. If a student needs to remain with their teacher after class has ended, that teacher must call and get permission for that student to remain.
Tardies to school are treated separate from tardies to class. Tardies to class are cumulative across all classes. One tardy to second block and one tardy to 4th block equals two total tardies.
Early Dismissal by Parent Request:
Students requiring early dismissal should bring a note or email from their parents to the attendance office with contact information. All requests must be verified by phone. If the note cannot be verified by phone the student will not be allowed to leave. The attendance office will notify the classroom teacher of the departure time by email. When it is time for students to leave, their teacher will dismiss them from class and they must go by the attendance office to sign out. Once they sign out they will receive a dismissal slip to exit the campus. Students that fail to bring or submit a note at the beginning of the day for early dismissal will not be guaranteed to leave by the requested time. When a parent/guardian is picking up a student they must come into the building and report to the main office. Leaving campus without the school’s authorization will result in OSS.
Procedures To Follow After an Absence:
Students should report to the attendance office before or after school to submit a parent with contact information or doctor’s note. Students that attempt to turn in notes between classes will not be excused if they are late to their next class.
Excused and Unexcused Absences:
Students that miss school with parent knowledge will receive an unexcused absence. Students that miss school without parent knowledge will be marked as cutting and possible disciplinary action may be taken. In the case of bereavement, an obituary article or death announcement that lists the student or parent’s name may be submitted. Doctor’s appointments, bereavement, court summons and OSS are all considered excused with proper documentation. Please note that some excused notes may only cover a portion of the school day, depending on the time of the appointment. Travel team absences outside of high school teams are unexcused.
Reporting Student Absences:
Parents are asked to contact Mrs. Grant in the event of a student’s absence from school. Parents may call the attendance office at (843) 903-8469 or by e-mail at cgrant@horrycountyschools.net. If a student is expected to miss more than two days of school, please let Ms. Grant and the school’s administration know so that student work may be gathered from their teachers. Work may be emailed home or sent to the main office to be picked up. If a student expects to miss five or more total days of school due to a medical reason, contact the school’s administration and ask about Medical Homebound Services.
Intern Arrival and Departure:
Students that arrive or depart during the school day must always sign in and out through the main office. Student must enter through the main entrance only and must pass through the school’s security station. Outside vendor food is not allowed to be brought into the building during lunch time.
Absences Due to Field Trips:
Students are reminded that in order for them to take an approved field trip:
1. They must have written permission from their parent or guardian.
2. They must have permission from each and every teacher whose class they are to miss. Any one teacher may deny permission.
3. They may not miss a class in which they have a failing Year-To-Date average in year-long and semester courses.
4. They may not attend a field trip if they are assigned ISS or OSS on the day of the trip.
College Days Procedure:
College Visits must be approved 3 days in advance. Seniors receive 2 approved absences from school to visit a college, and juniors receive 1 day.
1. Ask Ms. Grant (Attendance Office) for a College Visitation Form. Students will only receive a form if they do not have attendance or discipline issues.
2. The form must be signed by student, parent, guidance and an administrator and must be turned in to the attendance office prior to the absence.
3. Students must return to school with a letter from the college admissions office to have their absence excused.
** If you visit a college without following this procedure, your absence will not be excused **
Parent Portal:
The Parent Portal is open so that you can have continual access to your student’s grades. Parents may contact Mrs. Grant by email for Access Ids and Passwords to set up an account.