• School attendance is positively correlated with student academic achievement. Therefore, students who have perfect attendance are more likely to perform well in school while those students who miss a lot of school are more likely to do poorly in classes.
• The law requires students to attend school regularly; the compulsory attendance law in the state of Florida requires regular school attendance for all children between the ages of 6-18.
• Parents are permitted to write up to six notes per semester to excuse absences from school.
• Court or doctors' notes may be used to excuse an unlimited number of days from school (where the parent/guardian is not signing as the doctor or court official).
• All notes to excuse absence from school should be submitted to the attendance office within 5 days of returning back to school so that the attendance clerks may update the child's attendance record.
• Missing too many days of school can result in loss or prevention of getting a driver's license.
• When a student returns to school after an absence, they must provide their homeroom teacher with a parent, doctor, dentist, or court note explaining the absence. 
• If a student is checked out of school, it is marked as unexcused until a note is brought in to the homeroom teacher and turned into the attendance office.
• Students must report to the attendance office when checking in late to school and should present a note at the time of arrival. Students who do not check in and go to class will be marked with an unexcused absence for each period they miss.
• Students are expected to arrive to class on time. Students are graced with 3 tardies before disciplinary consequences are enforced.  Late students will be marked tardy to school and each class.
• If a student is absent from any class period, an automatic phone call is sent to the primary number on record.
• If a student misses more than 5 days in a 30 day period, truancy proceedings will begin. This is usually started with a phone call home, followed by a visit by the County Truancy Officer; visits by the School Resource Deputies; Educational Planning Team Meetings with a required Student Attendance Plan; recommendation to SARB (School Attendance Review Board); and then Truancy Court proceedings.
• Students with 15 or more unexcused absences in a period of 90 calendar days are legally truant to school.

More information regarding attendance can be found on our district site.

CHECKING OUT A STUDENT:

Please Send New Emails for Each Check Out

**Please send the email as early as possible the day for the Check Out**

Student’s Legal First & Last Name

Time of Check Out

Date of Birth

• If anybody is picking them up, we will need their name (as it is on their Driver’s License) and for them to bring in their Driver’s License.
• Please include your (Legal) First & Last Name with Phone Number, so that we are able to contact you and confirm the Check Out. Your name, email and phone number should match the Skyward information.

Emails can be sent to: ehsattendance@gm.sbac.edu.If you do not get a response, then please contact the school at 352-955-6704.

OR

You are welcome to come to school in person with your Driver’s License and check your child out in the Attendance Office. For appointments, we ask that you come as early as possible because it does take a moment to get your student. Please come to school for all check-outs no later than 2:15pm.

Thank You,

Attendance Office