Attendance Policy

School Attendance

Attending school regularly is very important if students want to succeed in school. Georgia law requires that all children between the ages of six (6) and sixteen (16) attend school unless they have a lawful reason to be absent. In addition, students under the age of (6) who have been on roll for twenty (20) or more days fall under the provision of the Georgia Mandatory Attendance Law, O.C.G.A. § 20-2-150(c). Students who have more than five (5) days of unexcused absences during the school year will be considered truant. The legal penalties for truancy include referral of students to Juvenile Court and referral of parents to State Court. Any Georgia resident who has control or charge of a child who is convicted of violating mandatory school attendance requirements will be subject to a fine of not less than $25.00 and not more than $100.00, imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, community service, or any combination of such penalties perabsence.

Arrival and Dismissal Times

The start time for elementary school is 7:35 a.m., the beginning time for middle school is 9:00 a.m., and the beginning time for high school is 8:15 a.m. Students are expected to report to the school by the respective start times and to remain for the full scheduled day unless authorized by school officials. The dismissal time for elementary school is 2:15 p.m., for middle school is 4:00 p.m., and for high school is 3:15 p.m. The Henry County Board of Education is not responsible for the supervision and safety of students prior to the beginning of the school day or after the end of the school day. The Henry County Board of Education does not expect its staff to exercise control over students who are not part of a school-sanctioned activity and are left at the school campus before the beginning of the school day or who are not picked up after school in a timely manner.

Absences – Tardies - Check Outs

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes on time and each day. 

Absence is defined as the non-attendance by a student in an approved regularly scheduled class, program, or activity, regardless of the reason for such non-attendance. An exception is when a student participates in an approved program or activity (such as, but not limited to: field trips governed by Policy IFCB: Field Trips and Excursions, academic competition or approved athletic event), he/she may be excused from school, counted present, and shall be responsible for any work missed during the time he/she is away from school. See below descriptions for what may be considered an excused absence versus an unexcused absence.

Tardy is defined as the failure by a student to be in the assigned classroom or instructional space at the assigned time.

Check Out is defined as a student who reports to the school attendance office to leave class, the school, or an approved activity before the assigned time for the end of such class, school day, or approved activity.

Excused Absences

Absences will be treated as excused if they occur for any of the following reasons (additional documentation, such as medical documentation, may be required by the principal or designee):

1. Personal illness or when attendance in school endangers the student's health or the health of others.

2. A serious illness or death in a student's immediate family necessitating absence from school.

3. A court order or an order by a government agency, including pre-induction physical examinations for service in the armed forces, mandating absence from school.

4. The observation of religious holidays, necessitating absence from school. See Policy JBFA: Religious Holidays

5. Conditions rendering attendance impossible or hazardous to student health or safety.

6. A student whose parent or legal guardian is in military service in the armed forces of the United States or the National Guard, and such parent or legal guardian has been called to active duty for or is on leave from overseas deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting, A student shall be granted excused absences, up to a maximum of five (5) school days per school year, for the day or days missed from school to visit with his or her parent or legal guardian prior to such parent's or legal guardian's deployment or during such parent's or legal guardian's leave.

7. A scheduled medical, dental, or eye examination of the student.

8. Attendance on a trip or event having significant educational value, provided (1) the school administrator is notified of the absence in advance and (2) the school administrator determines if the trip or event has significant educational value. 9. Unusual or urgent circumstances requiring the student's parents or legal guardian to be outside of Henry County overnight and where it is determined by the parents/legal guardian that it would be in the student's best interest for the student to accompany the parents/legal guardian. Where possible, a written explanation should be submitted by the parents/legal guardian before the student is to be absent; if prior notice cannot be given, a written explanation is to be provided no later than the first day the student returns to school after the absence.

10. Take Your Child to Work Day. Students who participate in this event will be excused but will be counted absent.

(See the 2024-2025 Student/Parent Handbook for further information)