Attendance Procedures

    Attendance Secretary  

     

    MCPS excuses absences for illness, medical appointments, school-sponsored field trips, school-sponsored sporting events or assignments, death in the immediate family, or suspensions. MCPS considers travel-related absences to be unexcused.

    Reporting Absences  

    Parents whose child is or will be absent should inform the attendance secretary by phone (240-740-6280) or email  EasternAttendance@mcpsmd.org .  Include the child's name, grade, and date of absence in the phone or email message. Within three days of the child's return to school, the parent or guardian must send in a signed note explaining the absence.

    If the attendance secretary has not heard from the parent of an absent student by approximately 9:30 a.m., the automated attendance system will inform the parent via phone that the child is not in school. Parents who believe their child to be in school should contact the main office immediately.

    Parents of students with excessive absences will be contacted by the school.

    Excused Late Arrival or Tardy  

    Students arriving late to school due to illness, medical appointments, or other excused reasons need to be signed in by a parent and submit a written excuse, signed by either a parent or physician.

    Students who arrive at school after 8:15 a.m. without an excuse are considered tardy and must sign in the main office to ensure proper attendance records are maintained. 

    Students are also marked tardy if they arrive at any class after the bell has rung.

    Early Dismissal  

    If a student needs to leave school early, parents or guardians should send a signed note with the student in the morning. Students will only be released to persons listed on the MCPS record on file or in a note signed by the parent. Students should turn the note into the attendance secretary, who will write a pass allowing the student to leave class at the designated time. If a student has not brought in a note, the attendance secretary will call the student out of class when the parent or authorized person arrives to pick the child up.   In all cases, the parent or authorized person will need to show identification and sign the binder indicating that the child has left the building. Students who have not brought in a note prior to the early dismissal must bring a signed note the next day indicating the reason for the dismissal.

    Students being picked up by a classmate's parent in order to complete a school assignment need to bring in a signed permission form from their parent. The form should be turned into the attendance secretary before school in the morning so that the student can receive a pass to get out of class. The parent picking up the students must show identification and sign them all out.

    Monitoring Student Attendance  

    Parents may check their child's attendance record using the MyMCPS parent portal. Any discrepancies should be reported to the attendance secretary.