• Student first and last name - absence in the subject line  
• Sent from the e-mail address on your family file 
• Date and reason for absence
• Parent name and phone number

Upon receipt of the note, the attendance record in Synergy will be updated per HCPSS policy. Please review HCPSS Policy 9010 – Attendance for guidelines on what is considered to be a Lawful (Excused) Absence.

A student has five days from the date of the absence to send a note. If the note is received after the five-day grace period, the absence will remain unexcused. If a note is not received, the absence will be documented as Truant (unexcused). Please see the Secondary Student Handbook for more information.

Late Arrivals

Prior to 8:00 AM, students will sign in on the Late Arrivals sheet located in the front office. After 8:00am, students will sign in using the Lobby Guard system in the front office. Parent/Guardians do not need to be present in order to sign their student(s) in late. 

If it is an excused tardy parents should email a note to dmsabsence@hcpss.org.

• Student first and last name and late arrival in the subject line 
• Sent from the e-mail address on your family file
• Indicate the reason for the late arrival.
• Parent name and phone number

Early Dismissal Procedures 

We strongly encourage parents and guardians to not request an early dismissal after 2:10pm due to limited time before regular dismissal of 2:20pm. 

A lawful absence is an excused absence for any portion of the day under the following conditions:

• Illness of the student
• Death in the immediate family
• Court summons
• Observance of a religious holiday - complete THIS FORM if you need to be absent for a religious observance
• Hazardous weather conditions (as determined by the Superintendent)
• State emergency (as determined by the Governor)
• Suspension
• Lack of authorized transportation (school system transportation)