Skip To Main Content

Strengthening our community one student at a time.

Attendance

ATTENDANCE PROTOCOL

Please refer to the Emanuel County Schools Student Handbook for Attendance Protocol for further information.

  • Students are expected to attend school regularly and to be on time (8:00).  This is a parental responsibility.
  • A note stating the reason for an absence is due upon return to school.  A doctor’s excuse is preferred, but a handwritten note will be accepted.  However, if a student has excessive tardies or absences, doctor’s excuses will be needed for truancy issues. Only 5 handwritten notes will be accepted each school year.
  • Absences for which a note is received will be marked “Excused” if it is recognized by the State Board of Education.
  • Excused absences are recognized by the State Board of Education as follows: illness of the child; serious illness of immediate family member; death in the child’s family; religious holidays.  If you have a concern about particular situations, please consult the office. Absences for which NO note is received will be considered “Unexcused.”
  • When a student has been absent for three consecutive days, someone from the school will call to check on the child.
  • Five or more unexcused absences will result in intervention by the school counselor’s office. Seven or more unexcused absences will result in referral to the School Social Worker for Truancy Court.

 

 LATE FOR SCHOOL

  • Every effort should be made to get children to school on time.  
  • Promptness is part of learning responsibility, which is a major goal at Swainsboro Primary School. 
  • Instruction begins at 8:10. STUDENTS ARE TARDY AFTER 8:10.
  • Students who are late must be brought inside the building by parents and must sign-in before proceeding to class.  
  • Work missed due to tardiness must be made up.
  • Chronic tardiness is a serious problem.
    • Excessive tardiness is referred to the Emanuel County Schools Social Worker’s Office for intervention and possible referral to Truancy Court.
    • Georgia and Emanuel County Truancy Laws are in effect.

 

DISMISSAL  
  • To be counted present, a student must remain at school until 11:30 a.m.
  • A student is counted absent if picked up before 11:30 and not returned to school.
  • If students leave school before the end of the school day, this will impact perfect attendance.
  • The school day officially ends at 2:45.
  • Students are expected to stay at school ALL day!

 

PICK-UPS
  • Our instructional day ends at 2:45.  
  • Students should NOT be picked up prior to 2:45 unless there is an extreme emergency.  
  • Students leaving school before 2:45 must be signed out in the office.
  • Parents of students routinely leaving school before 2:45 will be referred to the School Social Worker and to Truancy Court.
  • Parents must wait in the car line or walk up to the designated area behind the gym to pick up their child/children. You MUST have your car pick-up tag. Children will not be permitted to wait for rides in the office or in front of the building. **All students must be picked up by 3:10.
  • Should a student need to leave school early on a particular day, parents may pick up the student at any time of the day before 2:15.  However, parents are encouraged not to pick up their children before the end of the school day due to the loss of instructional time.
  • Grades of students frequently missing blocks of class time due to early dismissal may be affected since all work will not have been completed.  Students missing work due to early dismissal FOR ANY REASON are expected to finish assignments from class.
  • The grades of students who regularly miss ANY class (including music, health/P.E., art) due to early dismissal may be adversely affected if all assignments are not completed.
OTHER GUIDELINES REGARDING STUDENT ATTENDANCE:

Please refer to the Emanuel County Schools Student Attendance Protocol found on page 9-12 of the Handbook.

 

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

  • Students are not allowed to leave campus during school hours without permission from the parent / guardian.
  • The office must be notified in writing of restrictions regarding parents who are NOT allowed to pick up a student from school (See “Custody” section of this Handbook).  It may be necessary to provide a legal document in the case of custody disputes.
  • ONLY those persons listed on the Registration Form will be allowed to sign out a student from school.  Persons unknown to school staff may be asked for identification.

 

 STUDENT TRANSPORTATION

  • Students will be assigned buses by the Transportation Department according to area of residence.  
  • Written notice from a parent must be presented to the office for a child to ride a different bus. In case of emergency, bus changes via email will be accepted ONLY before 2:00.   NO BUS CHANGES/TRANSPORTATION CHANGES AFTER 2:00! Email our office at spsoffice@emanuel.k12.ga.us if you must make a transportation change.
  • Complete information must be provided, including name of location, address, name of person in charge.  No child will be allowed to ride a different bus without a written pass from the office.  Bus drivers will not let students board without this pass. 
  • Riding a bus is a privilege.  It is not a right.
  • All students on the bus are under the authority of the bus driver.  
  • Students must obey the driver and bus rules.  Failure to do so can result in a child being suspended from the bus.  
  • All Emanuel County Schools buses are equipped with video cameras. 
  • In instances of controversy, tapes are pulled and viewed by administrators for use in determining discipline.  
  • Parents are not allowed to view videos because doing so violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
  • Students are expected to behave appropriately on the school bus.  
  • Parents will be contacted when children misbehave on the bus. 
  • Children who misbehave on the bus may receive a warning, informing them of their misbehavior. If the child continues to misbehave, he/she will be suspended from the bus for a designated period of time.  
  • The safety of student bus riders is always our primary concern.  

 

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION

Our school relies on you to get your children to school on time each day that they are not ill. 

You are a very important part of helping us achieve our goals of “College and Career Ready Performance Index” (CCRPI).  Our first measures are student scores, but we also have to meet expectations for attendance.   Not performing at the CCRPI level causes our school to lose funding for staff, materials and equipment, directly impacting your child’s education.  Georgia Compulsory Attendance law indicates that students 6-16 years old be in school.  There are consequences for breaking this law (see below).  It is incredibly important THIS YEAR, that your child be here, come on time and leave on time.  We need every instructional minute to teach the expectations!  Our staff is willing to help make appropriate referrals for you and your family if there are needs outside of your control causing students to miss days of school.  Emanuel County Schools provides free and safe transportation daily for students.

While we always appreciate doctor’s excuses, as well as parent notes, the Compulsory Attendance Law does not differentiate between excused and unexcused.  Each day missed is a lost opportunity for learning.  We are taking steps to help motivate families to be here on time every day.  

After three consecutive days, or a total of 5 days, the teacher will be contacting you to see if there are ways we can help you.  After 8-10 days or excessive tardiness and early releases, the Counselor will contact you and request a meeting.  If attendance continues to be problematic, the school system Social Worker will assist in making appropriate referrals.  Students missing 15 or more days will be tracked by the Georgia Department of Education.  Families with a history of chronic truancy may be contacted sooner or bypass steps in this process.

 

REWARDS FOR PUNCTUALITY AND GOOD ATTENDANCE:       

  • Perfect Attendance Celebration each semester
  • Medal and recognition at the end of the year for yearlong perfect attendance (no tardies, early releases, or absences)
  • Possible improved academics and behaviors for your child

POOR ATTENDANCE COULD LEAD TO:

  • Loss of Funding for our school
  • Your child’s academic performance being lower than his/her potential.
  • Retention in present grade (per Georgia Law) after specified number of days 
  • Tracking on Georgia Dept. of Education system, which is linked to other state information systems
  • Referral to outside agencies (Care Partners, Department of Family and Children’s Services, Ogeechee Behavioral Health, Department of Juvenile Justice)
  • Referral to Family Court (has resulted in fines, jail time, etc)
  • Disqualification for Special Services due to lack of opportunity to learn.
  • Also note that failure to attend requested meetings three times can result in a referral or loss of public benefits.

What you teach your child now about punctuality and attendance will affect them when they are able to drive to school on their own, and when they enter the working world.  It is our hope that we can partner together to educate your child as much as possible in a safe, fun and nurturing environment.  As you can see, we have to work together for your child to be the best that he or she can be for your family and for our school’s success!  Thanks in advance for your help!