ATTENDANCE

Recorded attendance line: 703-813-8787

Student success in school is directly tied to attendance. Responsibility for attending class rests
with the student. The school day is from 7:45 AM to 2:35 PM. Regular attendance at school helps
students develop effective study habits and good citizenship. Students are expected to be in school
except in cases of emergency. Personal illness, death in the family, observance of a religious holiday,
and medical appointments are recognized as valid reasons for excused absences and excused
tardies.

Daily Absences
If a student will be absent, his or her parent or guardian should:
• Between 4:30 PM and 7:00 AM, call the attendance line [703-813-8787] to inform the school
of the absence; please leave a message that includes the name of the person calling and his or
her relationship to the student; the student’s name and grade level; and the reason for the
absence.
• During office hours (7:00 AM - 4:30 PM), you may call 703-813-8700 to speak with an Office
Assistant. Alternatively, you may leave a message on the attendance line that will be cleared
regularly during the day.

If a student’s absence is not reported, school personnel will phone home to verify the absence. If we
are unable to contact a parent or guardian, students who have been absent must bring a note to
the Office upon their return. This note must include: the student's name; the date(s) of the absence;
the reason for the absence; the signature of the parent/guardian. Failure to bring the absence
note within 48 hours may result in an unexcused absence.

Pre-arranged Absences
Pre-arranged absences of three or more days for personal or medical reasons will be granted at the
discretion of the grade level administrator. To prearrange an absence, the student should bring a
written request to the Office. The student will receive a form to take to teachers for his/her assignments.

Late Arrivals
Students arriving after 7:45 a.m. must report to the Office for a tardy slip. They must bring a signed
note from home explaining their late arrival. Following school policy, the Office designates the
tardy as excused or unexcused. Please note that oversleeping, missing the bus, traffic,
or other transportation problems are not recognized as valid reasons for excusing late arrival to
school. Medical appointments must be verified with a written note from the doctor’s office.
Students who are late to school without a valid excuse are subject to Fairfax County Public Schools
attendance regulations and tardy policies.

Unexcused Absences
Students are considered absent from any class to which they arrive more than twenty minutes late or
which they do not attend. In accordance with Fairfax County Public Schools Regulations, a
student will receive an “F” for the quarter in any class in which he/she has three or more unexcused
absences. In accordance with the Code of Virginia, the school attendance officer will be contacted
should a student accumulate five days of unexcused absence.

Early Dismissal
Students who need to leave school early must bring a note from home stating the date, time, and
reason for leaving. The note should be taken directly to the Office. Students will receive a pass
to leave class early. The person responsible for checking the student out of school must meet the
student in the office, and sign the checkout sheet. Students will be released only with parent/ guardian’s verified permission.

Tardy Policy
Students are expected to be on time to all classes. Fairfax County Public Schools maintains a tardy policy for all secondary students:

• 3 tardies = 1 unexcused absence
• 3 unexcused absences per quarter may result in a failing grade for the class(es) which students have missed.

In addition, Glasgow Middle School employs a school-wide tardy policy that teachers and administrators use to notify parents of emerging problems. Students who are repeatedly late to class receive increasingly serious consequences.