Attendance

GCSS Attendance Policy and Procedure (from GCSS Code of Conduct)
The following is an outline of the attendance policy and procedure for the Gainesville City School System. 
1.        If a student has been absent for three (3) unexcused days, the student’s teacher or (other staff designee) will make contact with the parent/guardian informing them of the current number of unexcused absences and days tardy.  They will also review the attendance policy with the parent making them aware of future courses of action if further days are missed.
2.        If a student misses five (5) unexcused days, a school administrator or designee will send a letter to the parent or guardian informing them of the number of unexcused absences, days tardy, and the subsequent actions if more days are missed.
3.        If a student misses seven (7) unexcused days, a referral should be made to the Social Work Department, and the school social worker will make contact with the parent. 
4.        If a student misses at least ten (10) or more unexcused days, they will be referred to court and a second contact from the social worker will be made to the parent/guardian notifying them.
5.        If the student is absent due to illness, death in the family, etc. (or any other excusable reason as stated in the school policy, a doctor’s excuse or a written excuse from the parent/guardian stating why the student was absent will be required within five (5) days of the last absence.  It is the parent’s and student’s responsibility to ensure that the written excuse reaches the Counselor’s within the five day period. Students must sign that they have turned in an excuse. Excuses are subject to review and denial based on validity.
 
Georgia Compulsory Attendance Law
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) 20-2-690.1 requires every parent, guardian, or other persons having charge of a child between their sixth and sixteenth birthdays to enroll the child in a public, private, or home study program. The law further provides that any parent, guardian, or other persons having charge of a child and who violates the mandatory education age shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and if convicted shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $100.00 or imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, or both, at the discretion of the court having jurisdiction. Each day’s absence from school in violation of this code shall constitute a separate offense.
 
ABSENCES: Excused absences include student illness, death in the immediate family, Page at the General Assembly, natural disaster, religious holidays, and instance where attendance would be hazardous, or when mandated by a governmental agency.   Parents are requested to make appointments during non-school hours when at all possible.  When students are absent they should bring a note when returning to school stating the reason for the absence.