It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to report their student's absence using one of the methods listed above . Phone messages or emails received from a number or email other than what is listed in SIS for the parent, will result in a phone call to the parent or guardian for verification. We will not excuse absences reported by students.

How to Submit an Absence:

• Submit in ParentVUE (Fastest process): Parents and/or Guardians can submit FULL-DAY absences using ParentVUE.

• SCHS Attendance Lines and emails: 

  Please select the email address/phone below lane based on the "alpha" of your child's name :

  • (Alpha A-Dh) @email
    • Attendance Line: 703-446-1890
  • (Alpha Di-K) @email
    • Attendance Line: 703-446- 1891
  • (Alpha L-Raj) @email
    • Attendance Line: 703-446- 1892
  • (Alpha Rak-Z) @email
    • Attendance Line: 703-446- 1893 

Students leaving in the last 30 minutes: ONLY students with prearranged absences or calls received prior to 12noon may check out in the last 30 minutes of the day. (Through the main office) No Student Pick- Up after 2:15 PM.

When reporting an absence please provide:

1. Student name and ID number

2. Caller’s relationship to student and phone number

3. Reason for absence (please be specific about the reason for the absence, especially if they have fever, vomiting, sore throat and/or cough. If your student was diagnosed with an illness by a healthcare provider, please include that information).

*If the student will be absent for more than one day, please provide the days the student will miss. 

Being on time to school, class, work and appointments is a valuable life skill.

• Students arriving between 8:10 and 8:20 must sign in at a hallway tardy station before reporting to class. After 8:20, students must sign in  at the main office and will receive a pass to class with their name on it. 
• An email, note or phone call from a parent or legal guardian is required for an excused tardy. A tardy is excused only for an excused reason listed below. If a student is arriving late due to a medical or dental appointment, please have your student provide a doctor's note upon arrival.
• Students who are late to class will be marked unexcused tardy unless they have a pass from their sub-school or valid reason for being late.
• Attendance Corrections: If a student is marked UNV for a specific period due to lateness or a clerical error, the student must speak with that teacher directly. The teacher will then update the attendance or notify the attendance team. The Attendance Offices will not alter period-specific attendance without teacher verification.

All Fairfax County Public Schools are closed campuses, meaning that students are not to leave school grounds during the day without permission.

Recently, we have seen an increase in students leaving campus without following proper check-out procedures. This has resulted in inaccurate records regarding student location and safety. To ensure our staff can account for every student and to retrieve students in the least disruptive way to classroom instruction, the following procedures are required, effective immediately:

• 2-Hour Advance Notice Required:All early dismissal requests must be submitted at least two hours in advance. We will no longer process last-minute phone calls or messages for immediate pickup.Please plan appointments accordingly, as requests failing to meet this lead time will not be honored.
• Illness & Clinic Protocol:If a student feels ill, t hey MUST report to the School Clinic.Students will only be dismissed for medical reasons after being evaluated by the clinic staff and checked out from that location.
• Official Office Check-Out:All students leaving early must physically check out through the Main Office. Any student who leaves campus without following this procedure will be marked with an unexcused absence.
• Attendance Corrections: If a student is marked UNV for a specific period due to lateness or a clerical error, the student must speak with that teacher directly. The teacher will then update the attendance or notify the attendance team. The Attendance Offices will not alter period-specific attendance without teacher verification.

These procedures are in place to ensure student safety and a focused learning environment. We thank you for your cooperation and for helping us maintain an accurate and secure campus.

Only a parent or guardian is authorized to sign a student out during the school day. An adult listed on the Emergency Contact List may check a student out if we have an email or note from the parent or guardian authorizing that person to sign out the student in that instance. In all cases the authorized adult must appear in person to sign out the student and present a photo ID.

• Students must check out at the Main Office when leaving school.
• Students who leave school without checking out through the Main Office will be marked unexcused.
• If returning to school, the student must sign back in at the Main Office before returning to class.
• Again, if your student is not feeling well, it is important that they go to the clinic. The clinic will call the parent or legal guardian if it is deemed necessary for them to leave early.

Reasons for Excused Absences

• Illness of the student
• Death in the family
• Doctor or dentist appointment
• Observance of a religious holiday
• Suspension (except for certain violations as provided in Regulation 2601)
• Other reasons acceptable to the principal or his/her designee

Reasons for Unexcused Absences

• Missed school bus, traffic, or car problems.
• Childcare situations, non-school-related activities
• Any absence for which the parent or guardian does not have prior knowledge, consent, and/or legitimate reason.
• Vacations that are not pre-arranged at least 72 hours before the absence occurs
• Other reasons unacceptable to the principal or his/her designee 

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing ten percent or more of the academic year for any reason, including excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions. For students at risk of being chronically absent, a note from a medical professional may be required to excuse an absence. Additionally, students with five or more full-day unexcused absences will be referred to the FCPS Attendance Officer as provided under the Code of Virginia.

Pre-arranged absences must be made at least 72 hours (3 days) before the absence occurs. A pre-arranged absence form must be completed if a student will miss 3 or more days due to a planned absence. A note or email stating the dates and reason for the absence must be presented to the Attendance Office. Once we receive the note or email, the student will receive a pre-arranged absence form. The form must be presented to and signed by all their teachers and the student's administrator for approval and then returned to the Attendance Office. If the absence is not approved and the student does not attend school, then the student may not be able to make up missed work. Be aware that a student with a prearranged absence is expected to be fully prepared on the day of her/his return (i.e. homework and tests) and will assume the responsibility for requesting assignments before leaving.

The parent or guardian must notify the academy school  andSouth County HS if their student will be absent.  

Academy Attendance Lines are the following:

• West Potomac Academy: 703-718-2750

• Edison Academy: 703-924-8137

• Falls Church Academy: 703-207-4011

• Chantilly Academy: 703-222-7496

• Fairfax Academy: 703-219-4060

• Hayfield Academy: 703-924-7419

Students must be in school the entire day to be eligible to participate in any student activities scheduled on that day. Exceptions to this standard may be made with the prior approval of the principal or her/his designee.