Attendance Laws
Maryland laws dictate attendance policies for state public schools. See the FCPS Calendar Handbook for current policies, including a list of excused and unexcused absences.
Heather Ridge Policies & Procedures
Heather Ridge School follows regulation 400-98 regarding Student Attendance. The school will take the following steps to communicate with parents/guardians regarding student absences:
- Daily phone calls will be made to the parents/guardians of the students who are absent.
- Letters will be mailed to parents/guardians when unexcused absences in the term total 3 days, 5 days and 10 days.
- A referral to the Pupil Personnel Worker (PPW) may be made when a student reaches 5 days of unexcused absence.
- Students with more than 10 days of absence in a semester may be required to present a note from a doctor, the Department of Juvenile Services, the Department of Social Services, or the Department of Mental Health in order for subsequent absences to be excused. Parents will be notified by mail if the school is requiring outside documentation for absence excusal.
Automatic Failure Due to Absences
Any student with more than 5 unexcused absences from a class in a term may fail that course for the term. Any student with more than 10 unexcused absences in a semester for a semester-long course or more than 20 unexcused absences in a year-long course may fail that class regardless of what grades have been earned.