The Titan Way

AWOL from class/school

• Students who skip a class, leave campus without checking out, or who have an unexcused absence that has not been prearranged (by a parent) will be considered AWOL and be subject to disciplinary measures. Once a student arrives on campus, the student is at school and must obtain administrative permission or check-out through the Attendance Office to leave campus, even if classes have not begun. Students found in unauthorized areas will be regarded as AWOL. Contrary to popular belief, there are no approved class/school “skip days.” If an AWOL involves leaving campus by vehicle, the students(s) involved will lose parking privileges for the remainder of the school year.

AWOL (from class)

• 1 & 2~Student conference with AP and parent contact
• 3-Counselor referral (call and email counselor) & 3 days of restricted lunch
• 4- In-person conference with parent, AP, student, counselor/social worker, AWOL Contract, & 5 days of restricted lunch
• 5-Daily check-in form & afterschool detention
• 6-Loss of privilege(s), attendance module, & afterschool detention
• 7-10-afterschool detention

AWOL (from school)

• 1st AWOL: 2-day ISS
• 2nd AWOL: 2 days OSS
• 3 or more AWOLs from school - 3 days suspension per offense & Parking pass revoked (No Refunds)

**Students who fail to attend restricted lunch will receive an escalated consequence ***Consequences may deviate at administrator’s discretion 

Student Tardies to School/Class 

• Tardy to school: All students are expected to be in school on time. This means in the classroom before the tardy bell rings. Students are considered tardy at the ringing of the 7:05 a.m. Please be aware that the state of Georgia nor GCPS does not excuse heavy traffic and/or poor weather conditions as a reason for being tardy to school.
• Students who arrive at school after 7:05 a.m. should report to Check in Tardy Station and report directly to class.
• Teachers will close their door and direct students to get a tardy pass from one of the tardy stations on Main Street.
  • 1st - 6th Offense: Warning
  • 7th -11th Offense: 1 day of restricted lunch is added for each consecutive offense
  • 12th - 15th Offense: 1 day of After-School Detention is added for each consecutive offense
  • 16 or more offenses: Administrator Discretion; from suspension to revocation of parking privilege for the remainder of the school year (No Refunds).

**Students who fail to serve restricted lunch or after-school detention will be assigned Saturday school detention

NO CHECKOUT AFTER 1:40 PM

Any student needing to leave campus during the day for any reason must check out through Check-In/Out at the Attendance Office. Contact with a parent or guardian will be required before a student is released from school.

STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHECK OUT DURING A FINAL EXAM.

After five excused checkouts (per semester), due to illness, medical documentation is required to excuse subsequent checkouts.

Check-out for medical or court appointments will be classified as unexcused until proper documentation is received from the physician or office of the court.

Students are not allowed to check themselves in or out when they reach the age of 18 unless the student has an approved emancipated student document on file with the Counseling Office.

• The student needs to take his/her check-out note to the Attendance Kiosk before 7:10 a.m. The note must include the date, reason, parent signature, and parent’s telephone number.
• Staff will call to verify the note and prepare a pass for the student, to show the teacher.
• Students who do not bring a note prior to the beginning of school must report to the Clinic if they need to check out due to illness or injury.
• Students should not use their cell phones to call parents when they are ill. Instead, the student should get permission from their teacher to report to the clinic. Clinic staff will contact parents.
• Parents requesting that their students check out for reasons other than illness or injury should call the school.
• For driving students, prior parent verification is required.
• ​For non-driving students: parents must sign their student out in the Attendance Office.
• Students may not check out and get a ride via Uber, Lyft, etc... to leave campus

A student is considered to have critical attendance when his/her total absences exceed 10 days. When a student reaches this point, the following interventions may become necessary: 

• Loss of parking privileges
• Requiring medical documentation to excuse further absences or tardiest
• Convening a Student Attendance Review Committee
• Referral to school counselor
• Referral to school social worker
• Referral to Juvenile Court
• Withdrawal from school

State truancy law (O.C.G.A. Section 20-2-690.2) defines truant as “any child subject to compulsory school attendance who during the school calendar year has more than 5 days of unexcused absences.” 

Notification letters will be sent to the parent or guardian after 5 and 7 days of being unexcused.

How do I get my absence excused?
A student must provide a written note from the parent/guardian with an explanation for an absence. Students will have two days to provide a note. Notes must be turned into the Attendance Office.  If the student forgets to bring a note, the absence is considered unexcused. A parent phone call will NOT excuse an absence. Work given/due on the date(s) of the absence(s) will be assigned a grade of 0 if the absence remains unexcused. After 7 excuse notes in a school year, the school may request additional documentation, including doctor's notes, to continue to excuse absences and tardies.

The written note from the parent/guardian must include:

• student name
• student ID# (written on the note)
• date of absence(s)
• parent signature
• parent daytime phone number

For any appointments/doctor's office visits please provide:

• doctor's note
• court order by a government agency
• date of absence(s)
• reason for the absence(s)
• student ID# (written on the note)

Drop off ALL Excuse Notes at the Attendance Kiosk
or Email Excuse Notes to the Attendance Clerk: Josue Ulysse

Excused absences are defined by state law and include ONLY the following areas:

• When a personal illness or attendance at school endangers a student's health or the health of others. Documentation may be required within five days of a student's return to school.
• A serious illness or death in a student's immediate family necessitates an absence from school. Documentation may be required within five days of a student's return to school.
• A court order by a government agency, including pre-induction physical examinations for service in the Armed Forces, mandating absence from school.
• Observing county-approved religious holidays which necessitate absence from school. In some instances, documentation may be requested.
• Conditions rendering attendance impossible or hazardous to student health or safety.
• An absence not to exceed one day for registering to vote.
• Local boards of education may allow a period not to exceed one day for registering to vote or voting in a public election. Visiting with a parent or legal guardian prior to or during leave from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting as a member of the Armed Forces or the National Guard(maximum of five school days per year).

Parent/guardian notes will be accepted for up to 10 absences (or partial absences) per school year. Thereafter, the only excused reasons for absences or check-ins must be verified through formal documentation (e.g., doctor or hospital note).

Excused documentation should be submitted to the attendance office within two days of returning to school. Failure to do so may result in the absence or being tardy considered unexcused.

The Gwinnett County Board of Education Policy concerning make-up work is:

“If a student has missed an assignment due to an excused absence, the grade of zero will be averaged in the place of that grade until the student makes up the work.”

All pre-assigned work and assessments are due in class on the day of a student’s return from an absence.

It is the student’s responsibility to request and complete make-up work. Failure to complete make-up work will result in the student receiving a grade of zero for each assignment. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain review information prior to the test/quiz.

Make-up work must be completed within five school days of the student’s return to school unless arrangements for extended time have been approved by the teacher. All incomplete work carried over into the new grading period should be completed no later than the tenth day of the following semester.

If parents find it necessary for students to miss school due to an out-of-town trip including college visits (limit 5 days per year), the student’s absence must be approved by the Attendance Administrator. If a student has excessive absences, a prearranged absence may not be approved. If the prearranged absence is approved, the absence will be classified as unexcused but the student will be allowed to make up missed work. Pre-arranged absences should also be requested for social security immigration or DMV appointments, etc.

Prearranged absences are not granted on Exam days.

If a student has a prearranged absence approved by the attendance office, all make-up policies regarding excused absences apply.

Pre-arranged Absences Procedure

The required prearranged absence form should be obtained from the Attendance Office. The student must complete the form following each Step, 1-4 as shown below:

1. Step 1 Parent/Guardian Signature
2. Step 2 Teacher Approval/Signature
3. Step 3 Administrator Approval / Signature
4. Step 4 Return completed form to the Attendance Office

The completed form must be returned to the Attendance Kiosk, 3 school days PRIOR to the first day absent to be valid.

The student must bring a parent/guardian or doctor’s note to the Attendance Kiosk within 2 days of returning to school. The note should include the date, reason, parent/guardian signature, and phone number for verification.

Absences or check-ins/tardies are unexcused for all other reasons, including but not limited to:

• Car Trouble/Car Accident/Traffic Congestion
• College Visits
• DMV Appointments
• Family Matter
• Family Visits
• Missing the Bus
• Out of Town
• Oversleeping
• Personal Reason
• Power Outage
• Running Errands and/or Skipping School
• "Senior Skip Days" are a violation of the Attendance Policy
• Trips
• Unspecified Family Emergency
• Vacations
• Weather (if school is open)

If the student has no note, he/she will be considered as having an unexcused absence or check-in. If the student fails to bring a note, the absence will be regarded as an unexcused absence. Classwork and/or testing may not be made up for unexcused absences.

*To excuse a College Visit (Maximum 3 Days Per Year)
Students are encouraged  to visit colleges in the summer or on weekends. A College Visit absence will be marked unexcused until proper documentation is received verifying the visit. I.E. Official written invitation from college for a specified visit date, stamped signature on college letterhead with date of visit, etc.