ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Attendance Administrative Assistant: Carmen Calderon

Attendance line: 703-248-5501 (24-hour voicemail)

Attendance email: attendancemhs@fccps.org

All students are expected to attend school daily from 8:30am to 3:10pm. When it is necessary for a student to be absent from school, the parent or legal guardian must notify the school of the reason(s) for the absence. The attendance line (703-248-5501) operates a voicemail system 24 hours a day. An email message may also be sent to attendancem@fccps.org. The notification must be made each day of the absence, preferably before 8:00am. If no notice is provided on the day of the absence, an automatic attendance call will be made to the parent/guardian. If no notification is given to the school by a parent or legal guardian after the automatic call, the student, upon return, must bring a parent/guardian note indicating the day and reason for the student’s absence or the parent/guardian must call or email the school and explain the absence. Any absence not properly excused by a parent/guardian within two days of the absence will be considered an unexcused absence from school and classes. The FCCPS School Board determines which absences constitute an excused absence vs an unexcused absence. Parents/guardians are requested to familiarize themselves with the information covering excused and unexcused absences, make-up work, and truancy procedures (School Board Policy JED).

When contacting Attendance, include

• Student legal name 

• Grade level

• Date and time of absence, late arrival or early dismissal

• Parent/guardian name and phone number

• Reason for absence. Please be specific about the reason why your child will not be attending school that day. If sick, please indicate what symptoms your child has and if they have seen a medical professional

A student who is legitimately absent on the day of a test may be required to take the test on the returning day.  Make-up tests for excused absences are re-scheduled by the teacher. If a student is going to be absent three (3) or more days due to illness, the student or parent should contact the counseling department and request assignments from teachers.

Excused Absences

The reasons a student’s absence may be excused as stated by the FCCPS School Board are 

(1) student illness verified by a doctor and/or the parent/guardian; 

(2) extreme emergency in the family; 

(3) doctor/dentist appointment; 

(4) observance of a religious holiday; 

(5) pre-arranged and pre-approved absences as indicated in the next section; 

(6) death in the family; and 

(7) suspension from school.

Procedure for Obtaining Excused Absence of 3 Days or More

Occasionally, students may need to be absent from school for reasons other than those listed above. Absence requests for three days or more will be treated as excused absences if advance approval has been granted by the principal. The steps to request approval are as follows:

1. The student prints out the Extended Absence Request Form or obtains a copy from the main office.

2. After completing the shaded areas on the form, the student asks each of his/her/their teachers to record grades and assignments in the spaces indicated on the form.

3. The student asks for the pertinent signatures, Counselor and parent/legal guardian.

4. At least three days before the planned departure, the student returns the completed Extended Absence Request Form along with a letter from the parent/guardian explaining the need for the extended absence, to the main office for approval by the principal.

Absences will not be excused unless students are in good academic standing and the request procedure has been followed. Students are responsible for making up all missed classwork.

Unexcused Absences

Some examples of unexcused absences are trips denied by administrators, absences approved by parents for reasons other than those listed above as reasons for excused absences, child-care, non-school related activities, shopping, working, transportation problems, oversleeping, missing the bus, visiting friends in college, and truancy.

State laws governing school attendance for minors under the age of 18 are very strict. According to laws passed in 1999, five unexcused absences accumulated throughout the school year constitute truancy. As required by state law, notification of the truancy officer occurs with the fourth absence. After the fifth cumulative, unexcused, day-long (or equivalent) absence or truant absence during the school year, the attendance officer will contact the parent or guardian to discuss the absences and the consequences of continued absences and develop a plan to resolve the nonattendance. A sixth cumulative absence will result in a conference with the parent or guardian, student, school staff member(s), attendance officer, and if appropriate, a community service provider. The seventh absence will result in a complaint to the juvenile or domestic relations court. Court proceedings against parents may also be initiated at that time. High school students need to be aware that period absences may be considered by the courts when determining truancy, with approximately four unexcused classes counting as a full day of absences.

Make-Up Work

Students who have been absent are expected to make up work when they return. If able, students can track the course through Schoology. Students should consult with their classroom teacher upon return regarding missed work and a timeline to complete it. 

Extended Absence

Students who have a long-term illness are required to submit a doctor’s note to the school administration.  When warranted, students may receive homebound instruction.

Homebound Instruction

Homebound instruction shall be made available to students who are confined at home or in a healthcare facility for periods that would prevent normal school attendance based upon certification of need by a licensed physician or licensed clinical psychologist. For students eligible for special education or related services, the Individualized Education Program committee must revise the IEP, as appropriate, to direct off-site instruction. Credit for the work shall be awarded when it is done under the supervision of a licensed teacher. See the Virginia DOE Homebound Instructional Services Guidelines.

Tardiness to School or Class

A student’s tardiness to school or class constitutes a very serious disruption of the learning environment and as such tardies have a negative impact on all students’ ability to learn.  Excessive tardiness -- three or more tardies to a single class or a single tardy of more than ten minutes -- can result in disciplinary action.  Students who arrive tardy to school (i.e. not in their classroom when observation of the minute of silence begins) or tardy to class, will be subject to the following consequences:

• Students arriving late to school (after 8:30am) will need to sign in with the Attendance Administrative Assistant in the Main Office.

• The first two tardies in each quarter will result in a warning to the student.

• The third tardy will result in a conference with an administrator and a disciplinary consequence assigned to the student. (The count begins anew after the student is assigned detention or at the start of each quarter.)

• Students arriving late to any other class during the day will be subject to the same consequences although students more than ten minutes late will be marked tardy by the teacher and referred to an administrator for a disciplinary consequence.

Students Released During the School Day

Students who need to leave school before the official end of the school day must have their parent/legal guardian’s permission for early departure. This may be done by either an email or phone call to the attendance line or a parent/legal guardian’s signed note. Any student leaving the building must sign out at the main office. Parents do not need to come into the school to sign them out. When returning to school, students may sign themselves in.

Student Absences/Excuses/Dismissals Policy - Policy JED

Student Absences/Excuses/Dismissals Regulation - Regulation JED-R

CAFETERIA/LUNCH PROCEDURES

Lunch is served at the Mustang Cafe for all students who wish to participate. A variety of food is available from an a la carte line. Students may also bring their lunch from home and buy milk, fruits, snacks, or other items separately. Students must consume food and beverages only in the cafe or in other specifically designated areas. All trash must be deposited in the trash receptacles, and the tables must be cleared off.

Free and reduced-price lunch is available depending upon a family’s income level. Application forms for free and reduced-price lunch may be obtained in the main office or may be printed from here in English and Spanish. Money can be added to students’ MySchoolBucks accounts to pre-pay for lunches.

Food Delivery

Students (or their parents/ guardians/siblings/friends/relatives/other acquaintances) may not order food from outside vendors and have it delivered to school during school hours. Food delivered by Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc., will be kept in the Main Office refrigerator until the end of the day.

STUDENT PARKING

Students will be asked to submit a car registration form which will include the parking lot regulations below. Any violation of the regulations or any driving considered unsafe or illegal can result in the suspension of driving privileges and/or one’s car being towed.

Parking is a privilege at MHS. Parking is open to students in the Senior class and is awarded by a lottery system. Students will be notified when they have been selected to park on campus. All fees must be paid and the VDOE High School Student Parking Application and the MHS Rules and Regulations Contract must be signed by the parent/legal guardian and the student. 

Eligible students must be in good standing and all outstanding student fines/fees must be paid prior to obtaining a parking permit. Any violation of the following regulations or any driving considered unsafe or illegal can result in the suspension of driving privileges and/or one’s car being towed.

Parking Lot Regulations

• Respect the speed limit of 10 mph at all times.

• Students must park in designated parking spots in school parking lots, and must park within the lines.

• Students may not loiter in the parking lots nor return to their cars or drive them during the school day, including lunch, unless they have administrative permission to do so.

• While parked in the MHS designated parking lots, cars may be subject to search by school authorities.

• Students must not use a cell phone while driving.

• All drivers on campus must comply with posted traffic signage.

LOST AND FOUND

Students who find items not belonging to them must take the item(s) to the main office. If an item has been stolen, students are to report this theft to the administration and the School Resource Officer immediately. Any items found on a bus should be given to the bus driver. Students are advised NOT to bring valuable personal property to school. Examples of such property include cameras, expensive mobile devices/accessories, watches or toys, electronic games, and large sums of money. Valuables should not be left in lockers. Backpacks and other belongings should not be left unattended. A student should never bring to school an amount of money or personal item he/she/they are not prepared to misplace or lose! If a student does lose an item, he/she is invited to check the Lost and Founds located in the Mustang Cafe and Main Office. Items still unclaimed at the end of each quarter will be donated to charitable organizations. The school is not responsible for stolen and missing items.

SCHOOL VISITORS

Visitors

All visitors must sign in with the Security Desk for a visitor pass. For a few and very exceptional reasons, students from other schools may be permitted to visit Meridian. They may do so only after a visit has been requested both in writing and well in advance of the event. The visit must be approved by the principal.

Volunteers

We are appreciative of and are grateful for the work done by volunteers, but to ensure the safety of our students, all volunteers must sign-in using the lobby guard system at the security front desk. 

ADULT STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RIGHTS AND SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES WITH PARENTS

When a person turns eighteen, the law gives that person many legal rights as well as many new responsibilities in a wide range of activities including voting, jury duty, marriage, military service, criminal charges, contracts, medical consent, wills. The Virginia State Bar has created a handbook and video briefs for you to read/watch which discusses those rights and responsibilities. They are available at VSB Handbook and VSB Video. Unless a person has been placed under guardianship by a court, each person exercises these legal rights for him/herself at age 18. In the school setting, many rights and responsibilities continue to be shared between adult students and their parents/guardians. The term “student” applies to adult students 18 and over as well as minor students under 18. All school policies, regulations, and rules including the code of conduct continue to apply to adult students. Students must sign the Adult Student Acknowledgement of Rights and Shared Responsibilities with Parents in order to exercise rights and responsibilities as an adult student.