Attendance

South Carolina state law requires that all children attend school regularly beginning with the school year in which the child is five years of age before September 1st until the child attains his/her 17th birthday or graduates from high school. The school year consists of 180 days, and high school students cannot accumulate more than 5 absences per class and still receive credit for the course, regardless of the grade earned in the course. Family vacations, organizational trips, or retreats during the school year are included in the 5 absences per term. Please refer to the SJHS attendance brochure for specific details regarding attendance laws, policies, and “seat time” sessions. 

Students Arriving Late
Students arriving at school after 8:20 am must report to get a tardy pass. Students who miss more than 45 minutes of a class will be considered absent. 

Early Dismissal By Parent Request
Students requiring early dismissal should bring a note from their parents to the front desk in order to obtain an early dismissal pass. All requests are to be submitted prior to 8:15 a.m. so that they may be verified by phone. The note must have a phone number at which the parent may be contacted. If the note cannot be verified by phone the student will not be allowed to leave. We cannot accept phone calls for early dismissal. Students will not be issued a tardy pass if they fail to bring their note to the front desk before 8:15 a.m. SJHS will not call classrooms unless it is an emergency; therefore, the student must have a pass to get out of class.
When it is time for students to leave, they are to go by the front desk to sign out. Students who do not bring a note for a pre-arranged medical or legal appointment must remain in class until the period ends before they will be permitted to sign out of school with their parent/guardian. Failure to sign out at the front desk will result in a disciplinary infraction. Students will not be signed out after 3:00 p.m. 

Procedures To Follow After An Absence
Students are to report to the front desk before 8:15 a.m. with a note from their parent/guardian or from their doctor. Notes from the parent/guardian or doctor must be submitted to the front desk within three days of an absence. Failure to do so will result in an unverified unexcused absence. Students will not be written a tardy pass to first block because they failed to bring their note to the front desk before 8:15 a.m. Failure to do so will result in an unverified unexcused absence. 

Unlawful Absences
Students who miss school without parental knowledge, and students who are absent from school without acceptable cause with the knowledge of the parent, are considered unlawfully absent. According to the SC Attendance/Truancy Law when students have three consecutive unlawful or unexcused absences or a total of five unlawful or unexcused absences, the school will contact parents and develop an Attendance Intervention Plan (AIP) for improved attendance. Students exceeding five days of unlawful or unexcused absences will be reported to Family Court. Students who have excessive unlawful or unexcused absences in a single class may also be referred to Family Court for truancy. 

Excused Absences
The following absences are considered excused: medical, judicial, bereavement, and parent note. Students will need to provide documentation for medical, judicial, bereavement, and parent note within 3 days upon returning to school. Parents are able to turn in 3 parent notes per semester.  Parents are able to turn in a total of 8 Medical notes per year. 

Reporting Student Absences
Parents are asked to contact DeAnna Zirkelbach in the event of students’ absences from school. Parents may call the attendance office at (843) 650-2448 or e-mail DZirkelbach@horrycountyschools.net. 

Students are reminded that for them to take an approved field trip:
• They must have written permission from their parent or guardian.
• They must have permission from each and every teacher whose class they are to miss.  Any one teacher may deny permission.
• They may not miss a class in which they have a failing average.
• They may not attend a field trip if they are assigned ISS or OSS on the day of the trip.
• Students must bring a note on letterhead to the office for excused college visits. 

Students are expected to arrive to school and to class on time.  Tardiness is defined as not being inside the assigned classroom when the tardy bell rings.  When the tardy bell rings teachers will close their doors, and hall sweeps will be conducted.  Student’s please be aware that there are some changes to the tardy policy from last year. 
Tardiness will be excused for the following reasons:
• Late bus
• Illness substantiated by written excuse from doctor or dentist
• Official legal document
• Circumstances approved by the principal or designee 

Cumulative unexcused tardies will be dealt with in the following manner:
• 1st tardy - Documented warning
• 2nd tardy - Documented warning and parent email. Explanation of further consequences for additional tardies
• 3rd tardy - Documented warning and parent phone call. Explanation of further consequences for additional tardies
• 4th tardy - Lunch Detention
• 5th tardy - 1 Hour After School Detention
• 6th tardy - 2 Hours After School Detention
• 7th tardy - 1 Block ISS
• 8th tardy-  2 Blocks ISS
• 9th tardy- Student and Parent Intervention
• 10th tardy - 1 Day ISS