October 29, 2023
2023-2024 Attendance Information and Resources
Research is clear that showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic and social success, starting from pre-kindergarten and continuing through high school.
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Missing 10% (or about 18 days of a school year or 2 a month) can drastically affect a student’s academic success at each grade level.
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By the 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that can indicate if a student is at risk for dropping out of high school.
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In the 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Please help us support a culture of showing up to school every day!
Please review Policy 9010: https://policy.hcpss.org/9000/9010/
If your student is absent or will be absent, please contact us at the following email address to explain the reason: dresabsence@hcpss.org. In the email please Include the following information:
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Student First and Last Name
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Grade
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Reason for absence (e.g., illness, bereavement, observance of a religious holiday, lack of transportation)
Discretionary Days
HCPSS students are granted 3 days a year to use at their discretion for scheduled interviews with prospective employers, visits to post-secondary institutions, family trips, civic engagement, and other special events.
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Such absences may not occur during exam or state-mandated testing periods unless authorized by the principal/designee.
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A written request for such absences to be lawful/excused should be submitted at least one week in advance to the principal/designee. Please download the PDF fillable Discretionary Absence Form and email it dresabsence@hcpss.org. The form is also available in Chinese, Korean, and Spanish
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If you are requesting a day for a religious holiday not identified by the Howard County Public School System school calendar, please download the PDF fillable Religious Obligation Form and email it to dresabsence@hcpss.org.