Please adhere to FCS policy regarding absences:

Pre-Approved Absences

• Families/Students must formally request for students to be absent due to family events or other pre-approved absences at least 5 days before absence occurs. Only the principal or assistant principal(s) can approve these absence requests. The student’s complete attendance record including excused, unexcused, disciplinary, or other absence types will be reviewed before the school approves these absences.  The school administration will also consider the student’s academic standing before approving these absences.

Excused and Unexcused Absences

• Excused Absence:“A hold harmless absence that has been documented and relates to one of the following circumstances in accordance with State Board of Education Rule 160-5-1.10 and Georgia State Code, O.C.G.A. 20-2-690.1.”
• The following is a list of all excused absences:
  • Personal illness or when attendance in school would be detrimental to the health of the student or others
  • A serious illness in the student’s immediate family necessitating absence from school
  • A death in the student’s family necessitating absence from school
    • Student are excused for up to 4 days due to a death in immediate family Students are excused for up to 2 days due to a death in non-immediate family
  • Observance of religious holidays necessitating absence from school
  • Compliance with a court order or an order issued by a governmental agency mandating an absence from school
  • Visitation with an immediate family member who is on leave from or is being deployed to military service
  • Important family events/celebrations for an immediate family member (graduation, wedding, religious ceremony, etc.)
  • Compliance with an order for a pre-induction physical examination for service in the armed forces
  • An absence for registering to vote or participating as an active voter in a local, state, or federal election
  • A verified interview for college admission or a documented college visit
  • A specialized, supplemental, or extracurricular program/event
  • Other absences pre-approved by the principal  Unexcused Absence:“Any absence not accompanied with a note or documentation or any absence that does not relate to the circumstances listed above is considered unexcused.”The following non-exhaustive list includes examples of unexcused absences:
  • Bad weather
  • Missing the school bus
  • Car trouble
  • Shopping
  • Babysitting
  • Oversleeping