Albertville City Schools

Class Attendance and Absences
Students are expected to report on time and attend school the full day. Kindergarten students are subject to the same attendance policies as other students in the system. Parents should make every effort to schedule doctors’ and dentists' appointments after school hours. ABSENCES ARE EITHER EXCUSED OR UNEXCUSED.

Excused absences are defined as the following:

Student Illness - Students who are sick and whose illness would endanger their health and the health of others. A doctor’s excuse may be required.
Serious Family Illness - Students in whose immediate family there is a serious illness that would reasonably necessitate the absence of a student.
Death In The Immediate Family - Students in whose immediate family there has occurred a recent death may be temporarily excused from school for a reasonable length of time.
Recognized Religious Holidays - Students will be temporarily excused from attendance on special and recognized religious holidays.
Professional Appointments - Will be excused with note from Doctor.
School Sponsored Activities - Students shall be marked present when participating in a school sponsored activity away from the school building. However, any work missed must be made up.
Family Emergency/Crisis - Students will be excused when their absence is beyond their control and due to a family emergency/crisis as determined by a school administrator.
School Closing – Weather or emergency
Prior permission from the principal

Unexcused Absences Are Defined As The Following:

An absence for a reason not covered in the provisions described under “Excused Absence” will be unexcused. (example: Overslept, Traffic, Missed Bus, etc,)
Students in grades K-12 with more than 10 unexcused days in one semester will be given a grade of FA (Failure due to Absence) for that semester unless extenuating circumstances exist, and/or make up work is completed as determined by the principal.
School attendance is required of all children between the ages of seven and seventeen,inclusive. (Alabama State Code, Sec. 16 28 6)
It is the parents’ responsibility to see that their children attend school regularly and to provide evidence for an excused absence when an absence is necessary. A phone call to the school about an absence is not sufficient documentation. The State of Alabama requires a written note on file; Each note must contain the following:

Child’s full name
Date to be excused
Reason for absence
Phone number to contact parent/guardian
Signature of parent or doctor (no signature stamps or nurses’ signatures will be accepted)

Procedures for Parents submitting excuses:

Five (5) Parent notes per semester for 3 days or less will be accepted. (If a student is out more than 3 consecutive days, a doctor’s note will be required.)
After the student has used five (5) parent notes in the semester, a doctor’s note will be required.
The excuse and/or necessary documentation must be submitted within three days (72 hours) after returning to school or the absence is unexcused.
All notes will be kept on file and marked valid or invalid upon date and time of receiving the note. When school officials do not know the reason for an absence, they must assume that it is unexcused.
Students must attend 51% of the day to be counted present for the day. Parents must sign their children in or out of school at the office and when checking in or out, the student will need a note to take to his/her teachers. This note will count as one of the five (5) parent notes that are allowed.
Three unexcused check-ins or check-outs will be considered one (1) day of unexcused absence counted toward the truancy program.

Parents will be notified of unexcused absences by letter, per the following:

First unexcused absence –a letter will be given to the student or mailed to the student’s home.
Third unexcused absence – parents will receive a letter from the attendance supervisor informing them that an Early Warning complaint has been filed in juvenile court (if they have not previously attended Early Warning). At the early warning session penalties for any additional unexcused absences will be discussed.
Five unexcused absences – attendance supervisor will file a petition in juvenile court.
Ten (10) or more unexcused absences will result in contributing to the delinquency charge being filed against the parent(s) or guardian(s) of student by the Attendance Supervisor.