Attendance At Severn River Middle School

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S R M S   A T T E N D A N C E   P R O C E D U R E S

Please review the Severn River Middle School Attendance procedures below with your child to become familiar with SRMS expectations.  Additionally, the AACPS Attendance Regulation JB-RA – COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE can be viewed HERE.  Thank you for your cooperation.

A B S E N C E   F R O M   S C H O O L

• A written note from the parent/guardian is required when a student returns from an absence.  The note must include the following: student name, student grade, date(s) of absence, reason for the absence, parent/guardian signature, and parent/guardian contact number.  Please reference AACPS Attendance Policy and Regulation for lawful reasons for absences.
• You may choose to write your own note, provide a doctor's note or use our student absentee note template to serve as your absence note.
• The note is turned into the office or tardy table upon arrival to school (preferred) or given to the student’s first period teacher. The tardy table is located in the main entrance hallway just before the cafeteria.
• Legally absent students will be allotted at least the number of days equal to the number of days absent for that class to make-up work.
• Notes must be submitted within three (3) days of the student’s return to school.
• For absence notes brought later than the third day, the student must take the note directly to the office to turn into the Ms. Theresa Bechtel, Attendance Secretary, or if no absence note is submitted, the absence is coded as an unexcused absence and make-up work is given to the student, but credit for make-up work is based on teacher discretion.
• A doctor’s note is required for an illness in excess of five (5) consecutive school days.
• It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for make-up work with his/her individual teachers.

E X T E N D E D   A B S E N C E  –  P L A N N E D  /  S C H E D U L E D

• Please note, a student is truant when he or she is unlawfully absent eight (8) or more days in a quarter; fifteen (15) days in a semester; or twenty (20) days in a school year.  Students who are truant may not meet the requirements for earning credit. Please understand that, although make-up work may be permitted, extended absences are counted as official days absent for the school year.  Further understand that the student is subject, as are all students, to school rules regarding maximum number of days absent and passing courses.  A passing grade cannot be awarded if absences for the semester are excessive according to Board of Education policy.  Understand that some grades for class participation cannot be made up and these absences may affect the student’s grade.
• To request for official recognition of an extended absence so that the student will not be marked truant, a student must do the following:

1.  Obtain a Pre-Approved Notification of Absence form from the main office or download the appropriate form provided at the following links for  Grade 6 ,  Grade 7  or  Grade 8
2.  Sign and date the form.
3.  Have teachers complete the required information.
4.  Take the form home to have their parent/guardian sign the form.
5.  Return the form to the main office with a written note from parent/guardian explaining the absence attached.
6.  If teachers agree, the student should arrange to complete the work they will miss during their absence.    

L A T E   A R R I V A L   T O   S C H O O L

• If a student arrives to school after 9:27 am (on regular days and 2 hour early dismissal days) or 11:27 am (on 2 hour delayed opening days) they are considered late to school and must report to the tardy table or main office to obtain a late pass.  The tardy table is located in the main entrance hallway just before the cafeteria.
• A written note must be presented in order for late student to be considered Late Excused. You may choose to write your own note, provide a doctor’s note, or use our late note template to serve as your late note.  The note should include the following:  student name, student grade, reason for being late, and parent/guardian signature. 
• Students without a written note will be given a pass to class and coded as Late Unexcused.

 E A R L Y   D I S M I S S A L  –  P L A N N E D  /  W I T H   N O T E

• If a student needs to leave early, they should bring a signed note from their parent/guardian to the tardy table first thing in the morning and before they report to their first period class.  Students may enter the building at 9:20 am to turn in their notes to the tardy table.  The tardy table is located in the main entrance hallway just before the cafeteria.
• You may choose to write your own note or use our early dismissal note template to serve as your early dismissal note.
• Early dismissal notes must include the date and time for the early dismissal, the reason, the student’s legal name, who will be picking up the student and a phone number where a parent/guardian can be reached if confirmation needs to be obtained.  The student will receive an early dismissal pass to present to their teacher 5 minutes before the stated time in their note.  At their early dismissal time, the student MUST report to the main office with their early dismissal pass to wait for their parent/guardian/authorized person to sign them out. Any absence from class as a result of early dismissal is counted as an absence. 
• IMPORTANT: For the security of our students and staff, AACPS Board of Education requires that every time a parent, guardian or other authorized person comes to Severn River Middle School, they MUST have their state issued driver’s license or ID card and/or their AACPS Employee ID Badge (if applicable) on their person in order to enter the school building. Identification MUST be presented to office staff for scanning into our Raptor Visitor Screening System when picking up a student for any reason, NO EXCEPTIONS.
• Please make sure your student’s emergency card is up-to-date and includes all persons who are authorized to take your child from school. Verification must be obtained before a student is released to any person not on their emergency card.  If a parent/guardian cannot be reached for confirmation by phone, SRMS office staff cannot release the student.

E A R L Y   D I S M I S S A L  –  U N P L A N N E D  /  N O   N O T E

• If a student needs to leave early from school and they did not turn in a note, they will need to be called out of class upon arrival of the person who is taking the student out of school early. SRMS office staff can only call students out of class after the person taking them has been verified to take the student out of school and scanned into our Raptor Visitor Screening System.  SRMS cannot accept early dismissal requests over the phone nor call students out of class and have them waiting in the office before their parent/guardian/authorized person arrives to pick them up.

• Health Room – Students are NOT permitted to text or call parents on their own for an early dismissal due to illness.  Students who are ill MUST be seen and dismissed through the Health Room.

A T T E N D A N C E   F A Q S

My child was at school, but marked absent for third period.  Who do I contact about that?
Please contact your child’s 3^rd period teacher.  If there was an error, your child’s teacher will contact the attendance secretary to correct their attendance.

My child was marked late from their fourth period class but says they were on time.  Who do I contact to fix their attendance record?
Please contact your child’s 4^th period teacher.

I received an automated phone call that my child was marked absent from first period, but I dropped them off at school this morning, so they should be at school.  Who should I contact?
Please contact the school’s attendance secretary at 410-544-0922

I left my ID in the car, can I still pick up my child without my ID?
Unfortunately no.  For the security of our students and staff, AACPS Board of Education requires that every time a parent, guardian or other authorized person comes to Severn River Middle School, they MUST have their state issued driver’s license or ID card and/or their AACPS Employee ID Badge (if applicable) on their person in order to enter the school building.  Identification MUST be presented to office staff for scanning into our Raptor Visitor Screening System when picking up a student for any reason, NO EXCEPTIONS.

H e l p f u l  S R M S  F o r m s  &  T e m p l a t e s

⟩  SRMS Student Absentee Note                               

⟩  SRMS Early Dismissal Note            

⟩  SRMS Late Note                             

⟩  6th Grade Pre-Approved Notification of Extended Absence Form   

⟩  7th Grade Pre-Approved Notification of Extended Absence Form

⟩  8th Grade Pre-Approved Notification of Extended Absence Form

H e l p f u l   L i n k s

⟩  AACPS Attendance Regulation JB-RA – COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE