• Alabama state law requires that students be present during school hours. Parents will be notified of student absences by an automated email and by written notification according to the following guidelines:

      • An automated email will be sent after each absence, and a letter will be sent home after a student has accumulated five unexcused absences.
      • After the seventh unexcused absence, the system's attendance office will petition the District Attorney's office.
    • All parent and doctor absence notes should be uploaded through our Attendance/Tardy Excuse Droplet Link. Please ensure that you complete all required information, select your reason, and upload your excuse. Parents will receive a confirmation email from Droplet indicating whether their absence has been approved. Please allow 48 hours for a response. Please check PowerSchool to ensure your excuse note has been coded correctly. We will not accept excuses by any other means, and notes will not be accepted outside the MCS Board Policy three-day window.

    • As a reminder, students in secondary schools are allowed to be excused on a parent's note five days per semester. If the school needs clarification on a message, you may be asked to bring an original copy of the doctor's note to the school. If a child is absent for more than 18 days, whether the absences are excused or unexcused, the Alabama State Department of Education considers them chronically absent. Points are deducted from the school's A-F Accountability Report Card for each child who has 18 absences or more per school year, regardless of the reason for the absences.

    • The school administration monitors tardiness. It is essential that your child is present at the beginning of the school day, and instruction begins at 8:15 a.m. Students' tardiness to school should be signed in at the front office by a parent. After the third unexcused tardiness to school, it should be addressed in accordance with Alabama law. Code § 16-28-2.2 of the Alabama Code requires that the Principal or their designee schedule a conference with the legal custodial parent to address parental responsibility for the student’s regular and punctual attendance. Excessive tardiness will be addressed as truancy, and the Madison City School policy for truancy will be followed.
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    • Per Madison City Schools’ Policy 6.01.4, absences, tardies, and early checkouts will be excused for the following reasons:  1. Personal Illness. 2. Hospitalization  3. Emergency  4. Death in immediate family  5. Court subpoena  6. Religious holidays  7. Absences approved by the principal (to include out-of-school suspension). See Policy 6.18 Student Suspension (including Students with Disabilities).