Attendance Policies

If students are absent from school, parents/guardians need to send a note to the school stating the reason for the student absence. Excuse notes are to be turned in daily following the guidelines listed below. The State Board of Education has established attendance rules by which a student is considered excused from school:

• Personal illness or attendance in school endangers the health of the student or others.
• A serious illness or death in a student’s immediate family necessitating absence from school.
• A court order or an order by a governmental agency.
• Observance of religious holidays necessitating an absence from school.
• Conditions rendering attendance impossible or hazardous to student health or safety.
• A period not to exceed one day is allowed at the discretion of the local unit of administration for registering to vote or voting in a public election.
• Visiting with a parent or legal guardian prior to or during leave from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the National Guard (maximum of five school days per year).

Excuse Note Guidelines
Notes excusing an absence must come to the front lobby using the form provided below. Filling out and turning in the Norcross HS Student Absence Form will help ensure that the student's absence is properly coded in our records.

Norcross HS Student Absence Form

A hand-written note will only be accepted if contains the following information:

• The name of the student with ID number
• The reason for the absence
• The date(s) of the absence
• A parent contact phone number
• A parent signature

Parent notes will be accepted for five (5) absences per semester. After five absences, formal medical documentation will be required for the purpose of validating a serious or extended illness.

Students arriving to school following the 7:20 a.m. tardy bell must report to the Front Lobby to sign in. Check ins will be regarded as tardy to class/school. Parents are not required to check their child in.

To be considered for an excused check-in, the student must bring a note signed by parent/guardian stating the date, student name, student number, reason for the lateness, and a phone number for follow-up. To be excused for a doctor or court appointment, the student most provide medical or court documentation of the appointment when he/she returns to school. Students arriving late to school without proper documentation will be considered unexcused.

Parent notes will be accepted for five (5) check-ins or tardies per term. After five check-ins or tardies, formal medical documentation will be required for the purpose of validating a serious or extended illness.

Please note, failure to check in with the Front Lobby may cause the student to be considered as AWOL from class. Once a student has checked into school, they need to report immediately to their class. 

Students who need to leave campus during the day must check out through the Front Lobby. Contact with a parent or guardian is required before a student is released from school. (This includes all students, including those 18 years old or older.) Parents are not required to come inside for student once check out verification has been made. Please allow your child at least 10 minutes to leave class and report to the Front Lobby when checking out.

Due to dismissal needs and buses lining up in front of the school, students may not check out after 1:30 pm.

Procedure for Checking Out:

• Parents may email a note to NHSAttendance@gwinnett.k12.ga.us. Please email by 7:20 a.m. for same day check out in order to allow time to verify the check out.
• The note should include the following:
  • Date
  • Student’s first and last name
  • Student number
  • Check out time
  • Reason for the check out
  • If the student will be picked up or drive
  • Parent signature and phone number(s) for verification

Students checking out for a doctor, dental or court appointment will be considered unexcused until the Attendance Team has been provided with medical or court documentation of the appointment.

Students who need to check out for an illness or injury must be processed through the clinic and should follow the process below.

• The student should obtain a pass from his/her teacher to go to the clinic to call a parent, guardian or emergency contact person listed on the clinic card.
• The parent/guardian will be contacted for permission to check out. 
• Students must officially check out through the Front Lobby.

Administrator’s monitor student check ins and check outs. Students who have excessive check ins and/or check outs may be given restrictions or use some other alternative. A student who checks in or out of school five or more times in a semester may have his/her parking privileges revoked at any time or not be given permits to make-up work.

Students are expected to be on time to each class every day. Students should also be on time to their assigned lunch period. In an effort to change student behavior, students who have an excessive amount of tardies will receive consequences. These consequences may include: an administrator conference, silent lunch, detention, in school suspension, or out of school suspension.

Make school attendance a priority

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
• Help your teen maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and non-Covid-19 related medical appointments during the school day.
• Keep your student healthy.
• If your teens must stay home because they are sick or in quarantine, make sure they have access to their Google Classrooms to find missing work and materials.

Help your teen stay engaged

• Find out if your children feel engaged by their classes, and feel safe from bullies and other threats.
• Make sure your teens are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact the school and work with them to find a solution.
• Monitor you teen’s academic progress and seek help from teachers, counselors or adminstrators when necessary. 
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
• Encourage your teen to join meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.
• Notice and support your students if they are showing signs of anxiety.

It's important that you check your student's attendance every day.

ParentVue gives parents to need-to-know information about their student's education, including their attendance and grades. Learn more on the GCPS website or contact the NHS Parent Center. 

We want to partner with you when it comes to your student's attendance. Our school district has adopted a form of school-to-home communication called ParentSquare. NHS will utilize this communication platform to share information with you and we encourage you to use it to communicate with us if you have concerns or questions about your student's attendance, grades or behavior.

You can learn more about ParentSquare on the GCPS website or contact the NHS Parent Center. 

If you wish to reach out to Norcross High School regarding attendance, you may also contact us at NHSAttendance@gcpsk12.org with any attendance related questions or concerns.