Reporting an Absence, Early Dismissal, Late Arrival
To report absences, early dismissals, and late arrivals, email CHSabsence@hcpss.org. A note must be received within five days of the absence. If a note is not received, the absence will be documented as Truant (unexcused). In your email, please include the following:
- Legal full name of student and grade
- Reason for absence/tardy
- Date student is out/tardy
- If requesting an Early Dismissal, please note the time and reason
Early dismissal requests are reviewed twice daily, once at 7 AM and again at 11am. Please allow ample time to process the request. Last minute appointments will require a parent/guardian to come into the building with an ID to sign out their student.
- HCPSS has updated Attendance and Grading expectations.
- For questions about attendance, please reach out to our Attendance Secretary, Diane Howse at diane_howse@hcpss.org.
Discretionary Days
A written request for such absences to be lawful/excused should be submitted at least one week in advance. Please download the Discretionary Absence Form and email it to chsabsence@hcpss.org.
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.
Such absences may not occur during exam or state-mandated testing periods unless authorized by the principal/designee.
Religious Obligation Days
If you are requesting a day for a religious holiday not identified by the Howard County Public School System school calendar, please download the Religious Obligation Form and email it to chsabsence@hcpss.org.
Attendance Information and Resources
With the collaborative effort of HCPSS parents, staff and students, we are confident that all students can have successful attendance. This will improve student success in school and in future life!
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In the 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Please review Policy 9010 for more information. Please help us support a culture of showing up to school every day!