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Dear Parent/Legal Guardians: The academic success of your child greatly depends on prompt and regular attendance at Gainesville Middle School. It is the parent/legal guardian's) responsibility to ensure that your child attends school each and every day. Gainesville Middle School enforces the State of Georgia’s Compulsory Law on mandatory school attendance: 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 school 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. Ten unexcused absences will result in referrals to a Gainesville City School social worker and juvenile court for educational neglect- truancy. (Excused absences include a note from a physician or a note from the parent/guardian with a date and signature stating that "The child was absent because….".) If a child has a chronic illness which may result in numerous absences from school, the parent/guardian's) needs to contact the child’s homeroom teacher and provide documentation from a physician to substantiate the chronic illness. Excuses written by the parent/guardian (not written by a physician) may be investigated by the school counselor and/or social worker to determine their legitimacy. Please understand that it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian's) to ensure that the teacher receives written documentation for an absence to be excused. Of note, vacationing in this country or another country during school days is unexcused, and these absences can result in a referral to juvenile court for educational neglect/truancy. Sincerely,
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