When a student is absent, the parent/guardian must report the absence to the school by emailing dmsabsence@hcpss.org. The e-mail should include the following:
- Student first and last name - absence in the subject line
- Sent from the e-mail address on your family file
- Date and reason for absence
- Parent name and phone number
Upon receipt of the note, the attendance record in Synergy will be updated per HCPSS policy. Please review HCPSS Policy 9010 – Attendance for guidelines on what is considered to be a Lawful (Excused) Absence.
A student has five days from the date of the absence to send a note. If the note is received after the five-day grace period, the absence will remain unexcused. If a note is not received, the absence will be documented as Truant (unexcused). Please see the Secondary Student Handbook for more information.
Late Arrivals
Prior to 8:00 AM, students will sign in on the Late Arrivals sheet located in the front office. After 8:00am, students will sign in using the Lobby Guard system in the front office. Parent/Guardians do not need to be present in order to sign their student(s) in late.
If it is an excused tardy parents should email a note to dmsabsence@hcpss.org.
- Student first and last name and late arrival in the subject line
- Sent from the e-mail address on your family file
- Indicate the reason for the late arrival.
- Parent name and phone number
Early Dismissal Procedures
We strongly encourage parents and guardians to not request an early dismissal after 2:10pm due to limited time before regular dismissal of 2:20pm.
Early Dismissal Procedures:
- When a parent arrives at the school, please come to vestibule entrance with your driver's license or official ID and press the call button.
- Indicate that you are here for an early dismissal of your student/s.
- You will then be given access to enter the building and asked to follow the directions for "Early Dismissal" at our Lobby Guard.
- You must have your driver's license or ID available to complete the process.
- The easy-to-follow instructions will be clearly marked next to the Lobby Guard.
A lawful absence is an excused absence for any portion of the day under the following conditions:
- Illness of the student
- Death in the immediate family
- Court summons
- Observance of a religious holiday - complete THIS FORM if you need to be absent for a religious observance
- Hazardous weather conditions (as determined by the Superintendent)
- State emergency (as determined by the Governor)
- Suspension
- Lack of authorized transportation (school system transportation)