Reporting an Absence, Early Dismissal, Late Arrival
Any attendance (Tardy, Early Dismissal, Absence) questions or concerns can be sent to omhsabsence@hcpss.org.
In your email, please include the following:
- Legal full name of student
- Grade level
- Reason for absence/email (illness, court, appointment, family matter, etc)
- Date the student is out of school
- If requesting an Early Dismissal, please note the time, reason, and whether your student is returning the same day. Students will receive a pass that they can show their teacher at the time of dismissal.
- If noting a late arrival, please note the reason.
- Phone number of the parent/guardian sending the note/email.
Please allow ample time to process early dismissal requests. Last-minute appointments will require a parent/guardian to come into the building with an ID to sign out their student.
A note/email must be received within five days of the absence. If a note is not received, the absence will be documented as unexcused.
HCPSS has updated Attendance and Grading expectations.
Local Discretionary Days
The Howard County Public School System can grant students Local Discretionary Days (up to 3) upon request and approval. The Local Discretionary form for such absences to be marked lawful/excused should be submitted at least one week in advance to the attendance secretary at omhsabsence@hcpss.org.
Examples of such absences that are considered unexcused on a school day include, but are not limited to:
- Visits to post-secondary institutions
- Participation in college orientation programs
- Scheduled interviews with prospective employers.
- Special family events, including vacations/trips/travel
Parents/Guardians may access this Local Discretionary form as needed. Students are allotted up to a maximum of three (3) local discretionary days per school year.
Religious Obligation Days
If you are requesting a day for a religious holiday not identified by the Howard County Public School System school calendar, please download the Religious Obligation Form and return it to omhsabsence@hcpss.org.
Attendance Information and Resources
With the collaborative effort of HCPSS parents, staff, and students, we are confident that all students can have successful attendance. This will improve student success in school and in future life!
Research is clear that showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic and social success, starting from pre-kindergarten and continuing through high school.
- Missing 10% (or about 18 days of a school year or 2 a month) can drastically affect a student’s academic success at each grade level.
- By the 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that can indicate if a student is at risk for dropping out of high school.
- In the 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Please review Policy 9010 for more information. Please help us support a culture of showing up to school every day!