• 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 your parent portal account. You will get an email notification that your note has been received from JMS personnel. If, for some reason, you are unable to upload your excuses to PowerSchool, please email your student's excuse to jmsattendance@madisoncity.k12.al.us. 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 taken away from the school on the A-F Accountability Report Card for EACH child who has 18 absences or more each school year, no matter the reason for the excuse. 

    The school administration monitors tardies. It is essential that your child is present at the beginning of the school day, and instruction begins at 8:15 a.m.

    Below are the instructions to upload your excuse notes in PowerSchool.

     
    Submitting Absence Notes in Powerschool

    Submitting an Absence Excuse

    1. Open the PowerSchool App on your Phone

    2. Click on More at the very Bottom of the screen right below the 3 dots

    3. Click on FORMS

    4. Click on Student Absence Form

    5. Enter the information, upload document if available, SUBMIT

    OR

    1. Log into the Parent Portal Account on your computer (https://madisoncs.powerschool.com/public)

    2. Click on FORMS in the left Navigation Bar

    3. Click on the Student Absence Form

    4. Enter the information, upload document if available, SUBMIT

    If you do not yet have a PowerSchool SIS Parent Portal Account or have any questions; please contact the registrar at your school.