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Attendance Matters

Attendance Matters: All Day, Every Day

 

In order for students in Fulton County Schools to learn and achieve to their fullest potential, it is critical that they attend school and are engaged in the learning process. Student absences, whether excused or unexcused, impact a child's ability to succeed in school. To increase student attendance in school, students need to feel valued, engaged, and safe at school. Parents/Guardians will be notified more often based on all absences regardless of whether a student is excused or unexcused.

  • Regular school attendance in elementary school improves the chances that your child will read on grade level.
  • Chronic absenteeism (missing 18 or more school days per year) is a primary cause of lower academic achievement even when the absences are "excused" or understandable.
  • Students who attend 90% or more of the school year are more likely to graduate from high school on time.
  • Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with peer conflicts or facing some other potentially serious difficulty, and help is available. 

 

Attendance Graphic 2

Attendance Graphic

Parents/Guardians can log into Infinite Campus to view their child's attendance. For additional support with accessing and using Infinite Campus visit the Infinite Campus Handbook for Parents (page 8) or view this video.

  • Parents should notify the school before or after the absence(s)
  • Notes should be directed to attendance owner at the school
  • Handwritten note or email
  • Notification from parents should happen no later than 5 days after absence

 

The following must be included in the note/email:

✔     Student Name
✔     Student FCS ID Number (Lunch Number)
✔     Parent/Gaurdian Name
✔     Parent/Guardian Email & Phone Number
✔     Reason for Excuse

  • Elementary School: Attendance is taken within the first hour of the instructional day to record who is physically present. Students must be present for half of the instructional day to be marked present for the day.
  • Middle and High School: Attendance is taken each period. Students must be present for 50% or more of the day to be marked present.

Elementary School

  • Elementary attendance messages begin going out around 10:45 a.m. on the day of the absence.
  • If your student is not present by 10:30 a.m., they will be marked with an "A" (for absent) in our attendance system, and you will receive an automated phone call and email message to the designated contact info you provided in Infinite Campus. This includes excused absences that are approved in advance.
  • If your student was late to school that day, it is possible they are marked absent that morning prior to the out-going call but then changed in the system to "present" later in the day. Errors can occur and if you feel you received a phone call by mistake, contact your school front office to verify that your student's attendance record is accurate.
  • If your student's absence was unexpected, please remember to contact your child’s school by sending in a note or email so the absence can be marked "excused" in the system.

 

Middle and High School

  • Middle/High School messages begin going out around 4:30 p.m. on the day of the absence.
  • If your student is absent or misses one or more periods of the school day, they will be marked with an "A" (for absent) in our attendance system, and you will receive an automated phone call and email message to the designated contact info you provided in Infinite Campus. This includes excused absences that are approved in advance.
  • Errors can occur and if you feel you received a phone call by mistake, contact your school front office to verify that your student’s attendance record is accurate.
  • If your student's absence was unexpected, please remember to contact your child's school by sending in a note or email so the absence can be marked "excused" in the system.
  • Parents and Guardians will be notified regularly when students are absent. Infinite Campus (IC) will send an email when an absence occurs. In addition, an automatic phone call will be made when your child is absent. Below shows when parent contact will be made. When students miss the 5% or 10% of school, parents will receive additional text messages and letters about student attendance.

 

Attendance Graphic 3