Attendance Information

Attendance Requirements

In-Person Attendance

All children between the ages of 5 and 16 are required by SC Law to attend a public or private school or kindergarten. Parents or guardians may choose to home school their children instead of enrolling them in a public or private school.

The school year consists of 180 school days. Students must attend 170 days of each 180-day year course and 85 days of each 90-day semester course to receive credit. Students are counted present only when they are actually in school, on homebound instruction, or are present at an activity authorized by the school principal.  A student is considered in attendance when present for at least three (3) hours of a school day.

Any student who misses school must present a written excuse, signed by his or her parent or legal guardian or a health care professional, for all absences within two (2) days of the student’s return to school. If a student fails to bring a valid written excuse to school, his or her absence will be recorded as unlawful. A child, ages 6 to 17 years, is considered truant when the child has three (3) consecutive unlawful absences or a total of five (5) unlawful absences. A parent may provide up to 10 parent notes per year excusing a student illness or an absence related to an immediate family member’s illness or death. 

Virtual Program Attendance

Students are counted present when they are present in a Google Meet for the entire class time and have their cameras on.  Any student who misses school must submit a written excuse for absences within two (2) days of the student’s return to school signed by his or her parent or legal guardian or a healthcare professional.

Absence notes should be submitted by the parent or a doctor’s office may also email a copy of a medical note directly to:

* A scanned document, or a picture of the document may be submitted.