Attendance,
Building Entry

Attendance
Students who are not in their classrooms by 9:05 AM are tardy. Students dropped off after 9:05 must be signed in by a parent/guardian. Please park in the parking lot and walk your child to the main office. Do NOT park in the bus loop or on Peyton Street. Students will receive a tardy slip and report to class. If a student is dropped off outside, a parent/guardian will be contacted to return to the school.

If absent, when your child returns to school, please send a note with your signature giving the date(s) and reason(s) for the absence. If the teacher does not receive a note, or if the parent/guardian has not contacted the school regarding the absence, it is unexcused.

Valid conditions for excused absences are:

• Illness or injury that makes your child physically unable to attend school

• Isolation order by the State Board of Health

• Medical or dental appointment

• Death in the immediate family 

• Participation as a party under subpoena as a witness in a court proceeding

• Observance of an event required/suggested by the religion of the student or parents/guardian, with prior approval

• Participation in a valid educational opportunity, such as travel, with prior approval of the principal. The form for approval is available in the front office. A maximum of 5 days per student will be approved in a school year for experiences inside the country. A maximum of 10 days per student will be approved for international experiences. Please fill out THIS FORM and return to the main office. 

To be counted as present, a student must be in attendance at least one-half of the student day. Students arriving after 12:20 PM are counted absent in daily attendance records. Students are considered present for the portion of the school day spent attending an official school activity at a place other than the school, with the prior approval of the principal.

Entering the Building
The school entrance is located at 400 Peyton Street. After parking in the parking lot, please enter the main door. For security reasons, all visitors will be required to show their ID before entering the building. Office staff members will verify ID and the reason for the visit. All visitors will sign into the visitor management system in the office and wear a visitor’s badge while on campus. The front door is unlocked from 8:35 to 9:05 AM and monitored by staff members. During the school day, please ring the doorbell to request access to the building. Students may not be dropped off prior to 8:35 AM unless they are in the Before School program or have a scheduled appointment with a teacher.

Sign-out Procedure for Early Dismissal
A student leaving Poe early will only be released to a parent, guardian, or person listed on the Student Information Sheet after the main office has verified the identification of the individual making the request. Any person checking a child in or out will need to sign the child out in the main office. All authorized people who have your permission to pick up your child must be listed on the Student Information Sheet located in the main office. Please keep this information current. 

Parents/guardians who continuously bring their children late to school or check students out early will be invited for a conference to discuss the negative impact late arrival and early dismissal could have on their child's academic performance. Magnet and Transfer students who are experience habitual tardies or absences are at risk of losing their seat at Poe and will be recommended to return to their base school.