We realize you may have contacted teachers directly about missing class, leaving early or arriving late. Teachers are not able to mark students as excused. Parent/legal guardian should send all attendance messages to the attendance office to be properly recorded.

Students that were marked absent for a class they attended should contact the teacher.  Corrections will be made once we receive verification from the teacher confirming attendance.  

Attendance Verification Form

Pre-Arranged Absences: If your student will be out more than 3 consecutive days we require five days written notice.  Send an email to the attendance office including the student's name, SID, dates of absences, and reason for the absence. Your child will need to pick up a pre-arranged absence form to be filled out and returned at least 3 days prior to the beginning of the absence.

Extended Absences: If a student requires long-term medical care, parents should contact their child's school counselor.

Examples of Excused Absences/Tardies

• Student Illness  
• Medical/Dental Appointment
• Death in the family 
• Observance of a Religious Holiday   
• Prearranged Absence
• Court Appearances
• Unusual Circumstances

Examples of Unexcused Absences/Tardies

• All day truancy, skipped classes, senior skip days
• Oversleeping
• Failure to notify the attendance office of late arrival/early dismissal
• Other reasons unacceptable to administrator
• Missing the bus/car issues

Did you know a student is identified as chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of the academic year for any reason, including excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions? Chronic absenteeism not only negatively influences a student’s academic achievement, but it also adversely impacts their social-emotional wellbeing. Students who are chronically absent miss opportunities to learn as well as to interact socially with their peers. As we begin the second semester, you will receive an Attendance Report Card via email for your student. The report card will provide a summary of your student’s absences. As of February 1, any student with 9 or more full-day absences is identified as currently chronically absent .

Commonly Asked Questions

• My student arrived late due to medical appointments. Is this why my student is marked absent for the day?
  • No, only full-day absences are included in the total absences count. If your student is ill or injured, they should remain home and recover. However, if your student has a routine medical appointment, please ensure they arrive late or leave early rather than miss the entire school day.
• My student was marked absent in error by their teacher. Is this why my student was marked absent for the day?
  • No, only full-day absences are included in the total absences count. When a student is marked absent for the day, every single one of the student’s teachers have marked the student absent from class.
• Maybe the teacher did not enter attendance. Is this why my student was marked absent for the day?
  • No, a student is automatically marked present in SIS if class attendance is not entered.

In-Person Flexible Instruction Time (IPFIT)

Currently, chronically absent students can recover lost instructional time by seeking academic support after school from a teacher or participating in our In-Person Flexible Instruction Time (IPFIT) program offered after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays. For more information regarding IPFIT, please contact Herndon’s Systems of Support Advisor (SOSA), Ms. Tifft, via email:  @email .

As we begin the second half of the year, please encourage your student to attend school every day.

Beginning Tuesday, January 21, 2020, FCPS students from grades 7-12 will be eligible to request one partial school day absence per school year for civic engagement activities. Students must attend part of the school day on the day of their civic engagement activity.   

Examples of such requests might include:

• Supporting the election process, such as voter registration, campaign distributions
• Participating in a walk or march to raise awareness about an issue
• Participating in community service projects 

  Procedures:   Parents/guardians are asked to complete the following steps:

• ​​​​Submit the request at least two school days in advance to the attendance office
• Provide supporting documentation, including sponsoring organization and schedule
• Plan for student transportation and safety

Students should coordinate missing assignments directly with their teachers. Please refer to course syllabi and/or the course Schoology site for assignment due dates and details.