Attendance Guidelines and Procedures

Students are expected to attend all classes. The teacher is responsible for taking roll during the first 15 minutes of each class and maintaining an accurate record of student attendance. Send all tardy students to the tardy window to obtain a pass.

Excused absences are for approved reasons and with parent notification.

Excused absences accepted by VBCPS policy include:

• Illness/ Doctor or dental appointment
• Death in the family
• Religious holiday (reference School Board Policy 5-17 and Regulation 5-17.1)
• Pre-arranged absences/Other – approved by the principal
• Emergency conditions, i.e. fire, flood, or major storm
• School-sponsored/ related activities

Unexcused absences or tardy include:

• Overslept (parent/guardian or student)
• Missed bus or ride (a student is required to wait for bus to arrive. Leaving a bus stop to choose to be dropped off is not considered excused)
• Vehicle problem/Traffic
• Child care, including siblings and family
• Non-pre-arranged trip
• Other reasons unacceptable to the administrator, or his/her designee, including unspecified family emergencies.
• Non-school sponsored sporting events/related activities
• College visits without official college documentation

All students who arrive late or leave early are required to sign in and out at the Front Security Desk and provide a note of reason in order to be eligible for consideration of an excused absence. Students leaving the campus without following proper procedures will be considered as class cutting (CUT).

Early Release requests must be done by completing the Early Release Request Form and received by the attendance office no later than 7:20 am the morning of and no earlier than 3:30 pm the evening before the request. Phone verification will be made prior to the approval of release. For student drivers, we do not accept last minute requests to have students released and any extenuating circumstances are to be approved by the administration.

Students are required to have an authorized adult sign the student out at the Front Security Desk. We cannot release a student from class prior to the arrival of the authorized adult as they must go through the proper release format.

Authorized adults other than parents or custodial guardians must be on the student’s approved pick-up list. To add an adult to this list, please call Kellam Data Tech, 757.648.5130, note of request must be submitted along with a phone verification for addition. Authorized adults must be at least 18 years of age and cannot be a student at Kellam High School.

Please note that students arriving to school more than 15 minutes late (after 7:35AM) of a class, are considered absent from that class or (CAU/CAE) This absence is calculated within the excessive absence policy.

Daily Absence

The parent/guardian must inform the Attendance Office by completing the electronic Kellam Absence Form, OR by sending an email to KellamAttendance@vbschools.com, of the reason for an absence or tardy either prior to or within three school days of the absence. Upon student’s return to school, please forward documentation to the Attendance Office. All absences from parents or guardians must have the following information:

• Student’s full name and grade level
• Date note was written
• Date of attendance issue
• Reason for the absence(s)
• Contact phone numbers of Parent/Guardian
• Parent/Guardian signature
• Notes that cover multiple days must be date specified for proper verification.

Excessive Absences

Students who accumulate 5 all day unexcused absences will be referred to their school counselor. The student’s counselor will confer with the student and contact parents to devise a plan to improve attendance. After 7 absences in any block, students will receive an “E” 63%. A waiver to prevent automatic failure may be requested by parent for extenuating circumstances beyond parent/ student’s control. An SRT meeting with the School Social Worker will convene to further develop a plan to resolve non-attendance. More information can be found in the Behavior Supports & Code of Student Conduct document.

Activity/Testing

All school-sponsored activities are marked as ACT. If a student is participating in a school-related activity (i.e. class field trip, AP testing, SOL testing etc), a roster will be submitted to attendance to be updated for that day. Please allow at least 24 hours for attendance to update rosters before addressing concerns.

Unverified Absences/Truancy

UNV is the code used for absences that are not verified by parent or guardian. An accumulation of this code will result in a truancy letter. When a note is not submitted (excused or unexcused), the attendance for that block/day will remain coded UNV. To prevent truancy letters, notes must be turned in to verify the student’s absence. To appeal any discrepancies of UNV for a class, please contact the teacher of that class by email. Upon correction, the teacher will submit a request for change to the Attendance Office.

Advanced Absence Notification Form

This form is accessible for students who are going to be absent for reasons other than those listed under excused absences accepted by VBCPS policy such as vacations, college visits, and non-school sponsored sporting events. The request form must be completed at least seven (7) days in advance and submitted to the attendance office. Please include official documentation for college visits. Submission of the form is not guaranteed Approval for an excused absence. Approval of this form does NOT exempt days missed from the Excessive Absence Policy. Students are responsible for all classwork.

Students returning from an absence should complete an electronic Kellam Absence Form from their parent/legal guardian within three school days. Questions should be directed to the Attendance Office at 757.648.5100 or email KellamAttendance@vbschools.com.

In accordance with the School Board Regulation 5-17-1, “Students having 7 or more absences from class (excused or unexcused) within a given semester will receive a failing grade (63/N) for that semester or the actual class grade, whichever is lower.” A parent may request a waiver to prevent automatic failure of the attendance regulation for extenuating circumstances beyond the parent and/or student’s control. A waiver should only be submitted if your student is passing the class for which a waiver is needed. Once a student has reached 7 absences in a class, an Attendance Letter, along with an Attendance Waiver Request Form, will be mailed out alerting the parent/guardian that a waiver is needed for the mentioned class. Any documentation that has already been submitted (i.e. Medical notes, court documents, etc.) are on file and will not need to be resubmitted.

Attendance waiver request application for A/B scheduled classes: First Semester, should be submitted on or before Jan. 19, 2024, and Second Semester, on or before May 31, 2024, so the results may be reflected on the student’s report card.

Attendance waiver request application for Term 1 4x4 scheduled classes: First Grading Period, should be submitted on or before October 26, 2023, and Second Grading Period, on or before Jan. 19, 2024, so the results may be reflected on the student’s report card.

Attendance waiver request application for Term 2 4x4 scheduled classes: Third Grading Period, should be submitted on or before March 29, 2024, and Fourth Grading Period, on or before May 31, 2024, so the results may be reflected on the student’s report card.

Please note that School Board Policy requires waiver requests to be submitted no later than 10 days after the semester/grading periods. View the policy.

• Kellam Absence Form
• Advanced Absence Notification Form
• Early Release Request Form