Middle School Attendance

Students participating in extracurricular activities must attend school during the day of the activity in order to participate in the activity.  Students who are absent from school for more than one-half day on the day of a game, match, or event will not be permitted to participate.  Students must be in school at least 4 periods to be considered eligible to participate in extracurricular activities.

Dublin City Schools is committed to providing a formal, high quality education to its students.  To achieve this goal, students must consistently be present at school.  Chronic absences or tardiness disrupt the learning process, and makeup work is not a sufficient substitute for in-class time.  Therefore, it is important that the school and home come together to assure students achieve high attendance. 

When a student arrives late to school (up to 1.5 hours), they will be considered tardy. Tardiness for reasons other than those listed as excused will be considered unexcused. Students who are tardy must report directly to the office to sign in and get a pass to class.

Students are permitted to go on vacation during the school year without academic penalty (except the week ending each semester). The purpose of this administrative guideline is to accommodate parents who must take their vacations during the school year because of company (industry) policies and the desire to enjoy that time as a family. 

A.  Whenever a proposed absence-for-vacation is requested, parents must discuss it with the principal or his/her designee. The length of absence should be made clear, and those involved should have an opportunity to express their views on the potential effects of the absence. 

B.   The student may be given approximate assignments and materials and pages to be completed. 

C.  The time missed will be counted as an unexcused absence under HB410, but shall not be a factor in determining grades unless make-up work is not completed. If lengthy, time missed may cause the student to become  “Habitually Truant” under the HB410 attendance law.

Middle School school students are permitted to leave from normal school classes to shadow individuals or organizations in career areas that are of interest to students.  Arrangements for such experiences should be made well in advance to ensure that permission is granted.  The following procedure must be completed prior to permission being granted:

1. Students have up to two (2) days each year to shadow.  Students may contact one of the available Industry Partners from the list available in the guidance office or they may use their personal resources to identify a professional/organization.

2. The student must complete a Job Shadow request form a minimum of two (2) school days prior to the experience and submit to the attendance office for approval.

3. No requests will be honored three (3) school days prior to and/or after a school vacation or holiday.

4. Students should complete the Job Shadow Student Packet within one week of the experience.

The Principal will approve up to three (3) religious expression days per school year after receiving a written request from the student's parent or guardian. Religious expression days may be used to take holidays for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief systems or to participate in organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual organization. Students who are absent on approved religious expression days will not face any academic penalties and will be provided with academic accommodations with regard to examinations and other academic requirements that are missed. 

To receive accommodations for religious expression days, parents or guardians must submit written requests to the Principal within fourteen (14) days after the start of the school year or fourteen (14) days after a student is enrolled in the District. The requests must specify the religious expression day(s) to be approved. The Principal will approve the days without inquiring into the sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief system. However, the Principal may verify the authenticity of a request by contacting the parent or guardian to confirm they signed it. The Principal may deny the request for religious expression days if the parent or guardian indicates that the signature is not authentic. Once the days have been approved, the Principal will ensure that each teacher schedules a time and date for alternative examinations or other academic requirements that conflict with the student's absence. Students may participate in interscholastic athletics or other extracurricular activities on days in which the student is absent for religious expression.  For more information please visit the district’s website page, Religious Expressions Days.

The Dublin Board of Education recognizes that in exceptional circumstances, a student may need to be absent from school for an extended period of time.  However, a long-term absence can have a significant impact on your student's education. 

Any student absent for more than eighteen (18) days in a school year will find that attendance records become a significant factor in a promotion or retention decision at the close of the school year. 

Should a student be absent from school for thirty (30) days or more, the principal may make a referral to the juvenile court that may bring charges of parental neglect against the parents/guardians.

If parents/guardians plan to remove students from school for travel purposes or visitation for extended periods, they must complete a Pre-Arranged Absence Form (5200 F1), which is available on the DCS website or from the school office.  The Pre-Arranged Absence Form should be submitted to the office at least five (5) school days prior to the expected absence. 

If you wish to avoid your student being considered habitually truant or considered for retention, you should plan to withdraw your student and re-enroll with Dublin City Schools when you return.