Skip To Main Content

Attendance

Attendance At A Glance

Students do their best learning IN class!!

Attendance impacts grades and student progress towards graduation.  Students who regularly attend class achieve at a higher level  than with poor attendance. Being in class helps form stronger relationships with peers and teachers.  

Being in class is valuable!

GHS Attendance Policy at a Glance:

  • 5 or More unexcused absences in a class* may result in loss of credit.
    • 3 Tardies = 1 Unexcused Absence
    • Over 15 Minutes Late = 1 Unexcused Absence
    • Leaving Classroom for more than 15 Minutes = 1 Unexcused Absence
  • The absence count resets at the start of each semester

*Note: Sem Skills count towards English, Science Labs count towards Science, Extended Algebra Labs count towards Math.

Need to report an absence? 
Call or Email the House Office:

 

Attendance Policy

Attendance is a critical element that supports teaching and learning. In classrooms, students contribute to class discussions, engage in discourse, are enriched by the synergy of multiple minds working as a team, and benefit from the direct instruction of a qualified teacher. Students learn from their classmates and contribute to the learning of others. We believe that consistent class attendance is vital to students' success.  See also Attendance and Excuses (5113) & Attendance Regulation (5113R)

Additional Information for Parents

It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure compliance with the State’s compulsory school attendance requirements. (Conn. Gen. St. Sec. 10-184, 10-198a). Parents/guardians must contact the appropriate House Attendance if the student will not be in school. To report an absence, please call the following:

GHS has an automated dialing service that calls home when a student has an absence recorded for that day. An email is sent home as well. If called out, students should not be on school grounds. Parents may not excuse students from any class if the student remains in the building. Any student found on campus during the time in which he or she has been excused will be subject to disciplinary action.

Connecticut state law requires parents to make sure that their children between the ages of 5 to 18 attend school regularly. A student must remain in school until age 18 unless the student graduates or gets written consent from a parent/guardian on a district-provided form to leave school at age 17.

Notifying the School of an Excused Absence Parents are asked to call the attendance office before noon if their child will be absent from school. This deadline is necessary for GHS to accurately enter the attendance information into our parent notification software. Parents who have unwittingly missed the noon deadline will be given a 24-hour grace period (i.e. before noon the next day) to call the house attendance secretary. If there is no phone call within the 24-hour grace period, the status of the absence will not be changed, and the student's absence will be considered unexcused.

Truancy

A student from ages five to eighteen inclusive who has four unexcused absences in one month or ten unexcused absences in one year is considered truant.

When a student is truant, all the support services of the school are to be used to assist with the problem with particular emphasis on referral to Pupil Personnel Services staff, the Pupil Review Team and, if necessary, the Planning and Placement Team process. The school will coordinate services with and referrals of students to community agencies providing child and family services.

When none of these interventions is successful, and the parent or other person having control of a truant child fails to attend the required meeting with school personnel and/or fails to cooperate with the school in attempting to solve the truancy problem, the Superintendent or designee will refer the student to the Interagency Team (IAT) or Department of Children and Families (DCF).

See also Truancy (5113.2)