Attendance Information – Smoky Mountain High School

Regular attendance is essential for student success at Smoky Mountain High School. Being present and on time helps students develop strong learning habits, stay on track academically, and meet graduation requirements.

North Carolina law requires students between the ages of 7 (or younger if enrolled) and 16 to attend school. Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring their child attends school daily.

Reporting an Absence

If your student is absent for any reason, documentation is required for the absence to be considered excused.

Acceptable Documentation:

• Written note from a parent or guardian

• Doctor’s note for illness or injury

• Letter from a university/college for an approved college visit/tour

• Other official documentation for approved absences, such as court notices or religious observances
  
  

Important Reminders:

• Notes must explain the reason for the absence and be submitted within 2 school days of returning.

• Notes should be placed directly in the Excused Absence Box in the SMHS Front Office OR can be emailed directly to our data manager, Mr. David Dalton, at ddalton@jcpsmail.org

• Do not give absence notes to teachers.

• Absences longer than 4 consecutive days due to illness require a doctor’s note.

• Failure to submit acceptable documentation may result in automated attendance letters being sent home.

For more detailed information, see JCPS Board Policy 4400: Attendance, Absenteeism, and Truancy.

What Counts as an Excused Absence?

Absences may be excused for reasons such as:

• Personal illness or injury

• Medical or dental appointments

• Death in the immediate family

• Court or legal proceedings

• Religious observances (limited days per year unless pre-approved)

• Approved educational opportunities (e.g., college visits, cultural events, travel with prior approval)

• Military family visitation (limited days per year unless pre-approved)

• Quarantine or health department isolation

• Other board-approved reasons

School-sponsored activities (field trips, athletics requiring early dismissal, job shadowing, CTE events, in-school suspension, etc.) do not count as absences.

Tardies & Early Check-Outs

Being on time and staying for the full school day is important:

• Written documentation is required for excused tardies or early check-outs.

• Excessive tardies or early departures may result in disciplinary action.

• Tardies and early check-outs count toward overall attendance totals.
  
  

Excessive Absences

Key Definitions

• Chronic Absenteeism: Missing 10% or more of instructional days for any reason.

• Truancy: 3 unexcused full-day absences in a school year.

• Habitual Truancy: 10 or more unexcused absences.

• Chronic Truancy: Pattern of habitual truancy over multiple years.
  
  

Families of students with excessive absences may be required to attend an Early Intervention Team (EIT) meeting. This team works with families to identify barriers and create an attendance improvement plan. Continued non-compliance may result in legal action under NC compulsory attendance law.

Attendance may also impact:

• Semester grades

• Credit eligibility

• Participation in extracurricular activities
  
  

Make-Up Work

Students are responsible for requesting and completing missed assignments:

• Students are given 2 days to complete missed work per absence.

• The student is responsible for finding out what assignments are due and completing them within the specified time period 

Academic & Instructional Recovery

Students identified with chronic absenteeism may be referred to a school-based support team to review academic progress and develop interventions.

Special circumstances, including chronic health concerns or homelessness, are considered when reviewing attendance.

Attendance Codes

Parents can monitor their child’s attendance through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Below is a guide to all codes:

Excused Absences / Tardies / Early Check-Outs (1 Series)

• 1A – Illness or Injury

• 1B – Medical/Dental Appointment

• 1C – Death in Immediate Family

• 1D – Quarantine/COVID Related

• 1E – Court/Administrative Proceedings

• 1F – Religious Observance

• 1G – Approved Educational Opportunity (e.g., college visit, cultural event)

• 1I – Local School Board Policy

• 1K – Child Care

• 1L – Excused Tardy

• 1P – Early Check-Out

• 1Q – School-Sponsored Activity

• 1S – Hospital/Homebound Instruction

• 1T – Inaccessible Roads
  
  

Unexcused / Unlawful Absences (2 Series)

• 2A – Unlawful Absence ⚠️ (most important and widely used – assigned when no note is submitted or the reason does not meet board/state policy)

• 2B – Lack of Immunization

• 2C – No Health Assessment

• 2L – Unexcused Tardy
  
  

Suspension / In-School Removal (3 Series)

• 3 – Out-of-School Suspension

• 3A – In-School Suspension
  
  

Questions?

If you have questions about attendance, attendance letters, or codes listed in Infinite Campus, please contact the SMHS Front Office at 586-2177.

Thank you for partnering with us to support strong attendance habits and student success at Smoky Mountain High School.