Attendance
South Carolina requires all children between the age of 5 and 17 to attend a public or private school or kindergarten.
The board expects children to attend school regularly. Regular attendance is necessary if students are to make the desired and expected academic and social progress.
Absences and Tardies
Number of days a student can miss before losing credit:
- 90 min.- semester course (1/2 credit) - No more than 5 absences allowed If the student has 6 or more ABSENCES that are not legal - he/she will not get credit for the course.
- 90 min.-year course (1 credit) - No more than 10 absences allowed If the student has 11 or more ABSENCES that are not legal - he/she will not receive credit for the course.
- Block classes-year, no more than 10 absences allowed. If the student has 11 or more ABSENCES that are not legal - he/she will not receive credit for the course
- Block classes-semester, no more than 5 absences allowed. If the student has 6 or more ABSENCES that are not legal - he/she will not get credit for the course.
Please note that attendance is taken in each class.
Definitions
Legal Absence
- Absence due to doctor's appointment, illness, or hospitalization, requires a statement from a medical doctor. [The medical statement must be submitted within 5 days from the date of absence.]
- Absence due to death or serious illness in student's immediate family, requires a statement from a physician or funeral director (or copy of obituary).
- Absence due to a recognized religious holiday of the student's faith, requires notification in advance by parent (and approval by principal). (Board Policy JHCB)
- Absence due to mandatory court appearance, requires a written statement from a judge or officer of the court.
A statement/documentation must be received by the school office within five (5) school days after the medical appointment, court appearance, funeral, or religious holiday.
Teachers will permit students to make-up work missed during an absence as long as the student makes appropriate arrangements with the teacher no later than the student's fifth day back at school. The student must complete the work within 10 days after his/her return to school.(McCormick County School District Board Policy Manual). The exception would be if the student has a big project due and the TEACHER decides to extend the time deadline. The student must have WRITTEN approval from the TEACHER.
Legal absences do not count toward the 5 or 10-day limit. Students may make up missed work when they have legal absences.
Excused Absence
Absences for any reason other than those listed above and for which the student's parents allow him/her to miss school, requires a signed note from the parent. Excused absences count toward the 5 or 10-day limit.
Unexcused Absence
Absences that are not approved by a parent are unexcused. Unexcused absences count toward the 5 or 10-day limit. Students who miss any class time that is unexcused will be counted absent.
Tardy
Any student who is tardy to school is to report to the main office and sign in and receive an admission slip from the administration.
The following policy in regards students being tardy to class will be followed by the administration of the high school upon referral by faculty and staff.
- When a student has been tardy to a class 3 times in the course of the year to a class they will have an administrative conference.
- When a student has been tardy to a class 6 time in the course of the year to a class they will receive an overnight suspension in which the parent must report to the school for an administrative conference. Should the student return to school without the parent they will be placed in ISS until the parent comes to the school.
- When a student has been tardy to a class 9 times in the course of the year to a class they will be placed in ISS for a period of 1 day.
- When a student has been tardy to a class 12 times in the course of the year to a class they will receive 1 day OSS and have a required parent conference.Once a student exceeds the 12 tardies in the course of the year to a class they will receive 2 days OSS for each offense and have a required parent conference.
If you have questions related to a specific situation, such as a child with a chronic illness, please contact the guidance office at 864- 852-2302
Absences and Excuses
Any student who misses school must present a written excuse signed by his/her parent to the school attendance supervisor. Other information may be requested by the administration. All excuses will be kept confidential.
If a student fails to bring a valid excuse to school, he/she will automatically receive an unexcused absence. If a student brings a false (or forged) excuse, the attendance supervisor will refer the student to the school administration for appropriate action.
The district will consider students lawfully absent under the following circumstances:
- They are ill and their attendance in school would endanger their health or the health of others.
- There is a death or serious illness in their immediate family.
- There is a recognized religious holiday of their faith.
- They are required to appear before a judge. (mandatory court appearance)
The district will consider students unlawfully absent under the following circumstances:
- They are willfully absent from school without the knowledge of their parents.
- They are absent without acceptable cause with the knowledge of their parents.
Students may be excused on a limited basis from a preplanned classroom activity or from selected portions of the established curriculum on the basis of a disability or for personal, religious or ethnic considerations.
A student who must leave school during the day must bring a note from his/her parent, which will be verified by the school. A student who becomes ill during the school day should, with the teacher's permission, report to the school office.
Teachers will permit students to make up work missed during an absence as long as the student makes appropriate arrangements with the teacher on the day of returning to school.
TruancyThe district will consider a student who is absent from school or from any class without permission is truant and subject to disciplinary action including detention, suspension, expulsion and/or ineligibility to participate in athletics or other activities.
After two absences, school officials will notify the parent first by phone and then by letter. After three unlawful absences, school officials will identify the reasons for the child's continued absence and develop a plan in conjunction with the student and the parent to improve future attendance.
The board of trustees designates the principal of the school to promptly approve or disapprove any student's absence of more than five days. After five unlawful absences, the principal of the school will approve or disapprove each succeeding absence.
