Students arriving after 8:10 a.m. must:

• First report to their sub school to obtain a pass to class and proceed directly to class.  Students who are late for an excused reason must:
  • Bring a note from parent/guardian; or
  • The parent/guardian must call the attendance line or
  • Provide a note from the appointment
• Parent/guardian should call the Attendance Line at 703-715-4545 to inform the school about the late arrival.

**NOTE:

• If you have questions about why your student was marked tardy in a class, please contact your student's teacher directly.
• If the tardy was marked in error, the teacher will update it or notify the appropriate sub-school to make the correction.

• A note or phone call is needed to verify/excuse your student’s appointment. A note is preferred to a phone call to the sub school. 
• Please have your student bring the note to the sub-school office before school starts so they can immediately receive a pink check-out pass.
• It is required that students check out at the sub-school console before leaving the building.  
• If your student returns from their appointment, they must sign in on the sub-school office console before returning to class.
• Students who become ill during the school day must go to the clinic to be assessed. If needed, the clinic will call home and check out the student.

**NOTE: Please allow at least 2 hours advance notice for an early checkout for your child. The classroom will not be called for a last minute checkout. 

If a reported absence is not one of the county specified reasons for an excused absence, it will be recorded as UNL. Reasons that this code will be used include: 

• Family and/or student vacations (UNL)
• College visits, non-school related athletic tournaments/showcases or activities, etc. (UNL)
• Childcare situations (UNL)
• Missed school bus (UNX)
  • The bus not showing up is EXC as it is out of the student’s control
• Oversleeping (UNX)
• Other reasons unacceptable to the principal or his/her designee.

This definition holds for all day and period absences.  

**UNL allows for students to make up work within a timeframe that is agreed upon with the teacher.

Parents/Guardians have 72 hours to contact the school when a student is marked Unverified. If we don’t hear from you then the absence becomes Unexcused.

• In accordance with Virginia state law attendance to school for students aged 5-18 is compulsory.  Per FCPS Regulation 2234, the school is required to submit an attendance referral to the Fairfax County Truancy officer whenever a student is chronically absent.
• Excessive absences, per FCPS Regulation 2234, is defined as missing more than 10% of the school year for any reason (excused and/or unexcused).
  • Medical documentation for absences could be required at this time.

Parents are encouraged to minimize absences during school hours, and to plan family trips and vacations during school holidays. Requests for prearranged absences for longer than one school day, must be submitted within a reasonable time (three to five school days in advance) for the school to review. Requests should be restricted to outlined excused absences, and/or significant hardships which prevent the student from attending school and are subject to administrator review/approval. They will be coded as UNL, unless due to hardship or one of the excused reasons.  

Link to Secondary Prearranged Absence Form

Academy students please check in with your sub-school office if you do not attend your Academy class on any given day. Some examples of reasons you might not attend Academy are testing, a two-hour delayed opening, altered bell schedule, etc. Please make sure you follow the rules of the Academy that you attend as well. For example, Falls Church Academy requires students to turn in a pre-arranged absence form 24 hours before the absence.