• Students are expected to attend school on time each of the school year’s 180 days. Students may not miss more than five (5) days in a ninety (90) day course or ten (10) days in a one-hundred-eighty (180) day course.

    Students must also be in attendance 120 hours in a class to receive credit. The principal has the final decision in all matters concerning attendance. Days missed because of an approved school function are counted as school-related absences. All absences of three days or more must be pre-approved by the principal.

    There is no need for parents to call in when a student is sick.  Notes need to be provided upon the student's return to cover days missed. 
     
    Please turn in all excuse notes to the attendance office on the cafeteria hallway.

      Lawful Absences

      • Understanding that circumstances sometimes prevent attendance, the Dorchester School District Two Board considers the following absentee situations as lawful absences:
        • Absences caused by illness.
        • Absences because of a medical/dental appointment (Every effort should be made to schedule doctor or dentist appointments before or after school or to stagger appointments for high school students so that the same period is not always missed. A medical statement from a physician will be required upon return to school. Students who exceed 10 days because of routine dental, doctor, or clinic visits will have days in excess of 10 charged as unlawful absences).
        • Absences because of serious illness or death in a student’s immediate family.
        • Absences because of a recognized religious holiday.
        • Absences because of special circumstances that are approved by the school’s Principal, Superintendent, and Board of Trustees.
        • Absences because of a school-sponsored event provided the student has acquired fewer than ten absences.

        Planning college visits?
        Please make sure you bring back proof of your visit to submit to the attendance office so that the absences do not count against the student. Parent notes alone are not sufficient in this case.

        Absent due to a funeral?
        Please make sure you bring back the obituary, funeral program, online death announcement, etc. for to the attendance office.  

         

      Excuses and Makeup Work

      • Excuses
        Within three days after returning to school, students must submit a written excuse to the attendance office explaining the absence, signed by parent(s) or guardian, and accompanied, if applicable, by a doctor’s statement. If students do not do so, the absence will be considered unlawful. The excuse should contain the following information:
        •      Date excuse was written.
        •      Reason for the absence.
        •      Date of the absence.
        •      Telephone number where parent or guardian can be reached.
        •      Signature of parent, guardian, and/or doctor.
        Note: Attendance is taken on class-by-class basis; therefore, sign-in or sign-out may cause a variance in number of days absent in individual classes.
          
        Make-up Work
        If a student is suspended, signs in or out of school and misses a pre-scheduled test, he is required to make up the test on the day he returns or at the teacher’s convenience. When students return to school after an excused absence, they must make-up required work (including tests and homework) within a three (3) day period. The teacher may decide the day and time. This is true except in cases of extenuating circumstances. A student who knows in advance that he will be absent must check with his teachers to determine what assignments must be completed. This applies to all school-sponsored activities and any other pre-arranged absences.
          
      • Students A-R Submit an excuse.
      • Students S-Z Submit an excuse

      Contact Information