Attendance News!

Students are rewarded at the end of each grading period in recognition of Perfect Attendance

***Certificates***Incentives***Coupons***

***Special Announcement***

Parents,

As we come to the close of this school year, I strongly advise you to view your child’s attendance status. Please check for any “unexcused” absences. In many cases, the unexcused absence coding is a result of failure to submit an excuse note (parent, medical, legal document, etc…). Please be aware that in compliance to the SC Attendance Law, should a student receive five (5) or more unexcused absences, that student becomes Truant. When a student receives a truancy status not only is that student in jeopardy of receiving credit hours, but a Truancy Referral is also issued and can only be cleared if the excuse note(s) submitted are excused absences.

Please check your student’s portal to see whether or not your child has any unexcused absences. If you see that your child does have multiple unexcused absences, it is very important to submit an excuse note as to the reason for those days missed. Please be aware that the issuance of an Attendance Truancy referral and a Parent/Student Intervention Conference is required when a student has a total of 3 consecutive unexcused absences or 5 or more unexcused absences.

The definition of an absence at a Greenville County middle school is missing more than one-half of any singular class period for which a student is enrolled, or multiple class periods for which a student is enrolled during a school day. Absence in any part of the school day for a minimum of more than one-half a class period, even if the student was present for all other portions of that same day, by definition excludes a student from being determined to have Perfect Attendance.

ATTENDANCE POLICIES & RULES FOR GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOLS

Regular school attendance is an essential part of a child’s learning process and vital to graduating with a good education. Students who are frequently absent may be jeopardizing their futures by falling behind in academics and missing important social­ization. Research shows that children who are in school most of the time do better on standardized tests, while those that are absent more often score lower. Furthermore, chronic absenteeism is a behavior that is strongly associated with dropping out of school, which will limit the student’s earning potential in the future. Success in school is dependent upon having a solid educational background – one that can only gained through regular school attendance.

Parents/Guardians have the legal responsibility of sending their children to school. In accordance with the South Carolina Compulsory School Attendance Law, the School District of Greenville County has adopted uniform rules and policies to assure that students attend school regularly. Each day that students are not in school, they miss hours of valuable instruction and opportunities for learning that they will not have again.

Perfect Attendance Criteria (Revised May 2016)

The definition of an absence at a Greenville County Middle School is missing more than one-half of any singular class period for which a student is enrolled, or multiple class periods for which a student is enrolled, during a school day. Absence in any part of the school day for a minimum of more than one-half class period, even if the student was present for all other portions of that same school day, by definition excludes a student from being determined to have Perfect Attendance.

Academic Requirements and School Attendance

Sevier Middle School students take 6 classes daily (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, & 2 Related Arts per semester). The school year contains 180 days. To earn credit, students must attend 85 days of each 90-day (semester) course and at least 170 days of each 180-day course. Any absence in excess of ten (10) days may cause the loss of credit for the year. A parent may provide up to 10 parent notes excusing a student illness or an absence related to an immediate family member's illness or death. However, in order for any subsequent absence related to an illness to be lawful it must be supported by a physician statement/medical note.