Daily Attendance
PGCPS Attendance Policy - AP 5113
All students are expected to attend school regularly in accordance with The Public Schools Laws and Bylaws of Maryland 1984. According to Bylaw 13A.08.01.02, “Absence from school, including absence for any portion of the day, of students who are presently enrolled in public schools shall be considered lawful only under the following conditions:
death in the immediate family,
illness of the child,
health quarantine,
court summons,
hazardous weather conditions which would endanger the health or safety of the student when in transit to and from school,
work or activity approved or sponsored by the school or the local school system, or the state education agency,
observance of a religious holiday, or state emergency.
Excessive absences will result in a referral to the Pupil Personnel Worker for further investigation.
Family vacations and babysitting younger children are not lawful reasons for absenteeism, and will not be counted as such.
Tardiness
Children may enter the cafeteria for breakfast at 7:20 a.m. Students are expected to be seated in their classroom and ready to learn at 7:45 a.m. The beginning of the day is extremely important for students and teachers. When a child arrives late, the class and teacher are inconvenienced and the late student is unaware of announcements and instruction that has already been given. In addition, arriving on time is a habit that we work to establish with all children at a young age. We urge parents to make every effort to have your child at school on time each day. Students arriving late, after 7:45 a.m., must report with their parent/legal guardian to the office to obtain a late pass to take to their teacher. Excessive tardies may result in a referral to the Pupil Personnel Worker for further action.
Students late without a note have 48 hours to produce a note. Students who are late because of school buses will not be penalized and will be provided with a late pass. Students who are late because of transportation of any type other than school buses will not be excused. Trips, traffic and vacations are not considered excused late arrivals.
Absence
Electronic Absence Form (English)
Electronic Absence Form (Spanish)
When the child returns to school after an absence, you must send a note to the teacher explaining the reason for the child’s absence or complete the electronic form. Teachers will review missed work when a child returns to school after an excused lawful absence. Parents are encouraged to contact the teacher to obtain missed assignments.
Students who are absent one or two days must submit a note from the parent/legal guardian to their teacher within two days of their return to school stating the date and reason for the absence and a phone number where the parent can be contacted during the day or complete the electronic form. Students who are absent three or more days must bring in a note from their physician. Students who are absent for reasons not stated in under daily attendance or who fail to provide an acceptable note within 48 hours, will have their absence marked as unexcused, and they may not be allowed to make up the work they missed in class.
If a student is going to be absent from school for more than three days for medical reasons, the parent/legal guardian needs to inform the school so that arrangements can be made for make-up work.
