JWS Attendance Policy

This information comes straight from our 2024-2025 Parent Handbook

Attendance

Regular attendance directly improves academic performance. Children rely on their parents/guardians to ensure they are in school and on time. It is the child’s responsibility to make up missed assignments. Parents/Guardians will be notified if your child’s absences or tardies are excessive and a pattern is developing. A student must be present for half of the instructional day. Therefore, students who arrive after 11:30 will be counted absent. Students who are absent must return a note/email indicating the reason within 2 days of the absence to the child’s teacher. Failure to do so will result in an “unexcused” absence.

Late arrivals and early checkouts count in the 20-day attendance policy. Students with more than 20 absences shall not be promoted, except by the determination of the principal.

Arriving Late

Students who arrive after 7:50 AM must report to the office for a tardy slip. The parent/guardian must accompany the child to the office and sign in him/her. Students must have no tardies or early outs to receive Perfect Attendance.

Early Check Out

If students need to be checked out early during the instructional day, parents/guardians must sign the child out in the main office. Parents/guardians are required to present a government issued form of identification. Please make sure you have proper identification and/or authorization when checking out your child. No student will be checked out after 2:40. Students must have no early checkouts to receive Perfect Attendance.

 

An Excused Absence means a child is absent from school for a legitimate reason.

These reasons include:

- Illness or injury

- Quarantine

- Death in the immediate family or

- Medical/Dental appointments.

The principal maintains the right to require doctor/medical notes if a student's illness absences are deemed excessive.

An Unexcused Absence means the school has not been notified, or the absence was for an unacceptable reason (haircut, hunting, vacation, overslept, etc). James W. Smith takes excessive absences seriously and will report all violations subject to the NC Truancy Laws. 

Reference: Craven County School Board Policy 4400: Attendance