Attendance Policies & Procedures for 2024–2025
Our attendance policy, informed by the Code of Virginia, remains the same as it was prior to the pandemic and will be upheld during the 2024–2025 school year and beyond. If a student is absent due to an appointment during school hours, parents/guardians are required to provide a professional note to ensure their absence is coded appropriately. As always at Bell Creek, your communication is key to ensuring the accuracy of your student’s attendance record.
Please take the time to review HCPS attendance policies and procedures as written below. Additionally, you may find more attendance information in section 7 of the Hanover County Policy Manual or by contacting Bell Creek Middle School at 804-723-2260.
Attendance Procedures
Full Day Absence
Parents/guardians should report their student's absence as soon as possible. Absences that are not reported within three days from the onset will be recorded as "U" for unexcused. Parents/guardians may excuse a student’s absence without a professional note if the absence occurs within the student’s first 10 absences from school.
- Written documentation is required from parents/guardians. Absences may be submitted through this attendance note or through the QR code.
- Submit any professional notes (doctor, dentist, orthodontist, counselor, court, etc.) to the Attendance Office to excuse absences for professional appointments. You may also email these to Kerrie Tompkins.
- All absences without parents/guardians notification will remain unexcused. See absence monitoring and limits below.
Late Arrival - After 8:45 a.m.
A student who arrives after 8:45 a.m. is late. Students should do one of the following:
- Students coming from a medical, dental, or court appointment should sign in on the laptop at the Attendance Office. We request that the student bring a note from the provider to excuse the absence.
- All transportation-related tardies that are not school bus-related are unexcused.This includes car trouble, traffic delays, and late rides. Students who elect to arrive by private transportation should allow extra time for bad traffic conditions or other problems.
Parents/guardians do not need to accompany their students inside. Students should report to the main office doors and sign in with attendance. Attendance codes will be tardy if a student is late to the class but attends more than half of the block and absent if a student attends less than half of the block.
Early Pick Up - Bring ID
We strongly encourage you to schedule all appointments after school hours. If you must leave early, to expedite our dismissal process, please do the following:
- Early dismissals from the Attendance Office will end at 3:30 p.m. If you need to pick up a student before the dismissal bell, please be sure to be at BCMS by 3:30 p.m, otherwise, your student will meet you in the parents/guardians pick-up line after 3:45 p.m.
- Written documentation is required from parents/guardians. Early dismissals may be submitted through this attendance note or through the QR code above. The student may also drop off a parents/guardians note at the Attendance Office before school.
- The student will be issued an early dismissal pass in our electronic pass system, allowing the student to leave class. Students will be in the main office at the indicated dismissal time.
- Parents/guardians must present a valid ID and sign students out.
*We require anyone picking up a student from school to report to the Attendance Office and present appropriate identification. If the person picking up a student is not on the student’s pick-up list in PowerSchool, we require written communication from the student’s parent or guardian.
Absence Monitoring and Limits
We monitor attendance daily to determine need for support or intervention.
- 5 total absences (regardless of absent code): The school will be mailing home an attendance letter and a phone call home to discuss a plan to improve attendance.
- 10 total absences (regardless of absent code): The school will be mailing home an attendance letter and a phone call home to discuss a plan to improve attendance. At 10 days of absence, a professional note is required to excuse any further absences.
- 5 Unexcused absences: If a student has five unexcused absences, the school will call home to discuss a plan to improve attendance and reduce unexcused absences.
- 10 Unexcused Absences: If a student has ten unexcused absences, the student’s administrator will contact the parent to set up an attendance meeting to create a formal attendance plan with the intention of improving the student’s attendance.
Attendance for Course Credit
Students who miss more than 10 blocks of a year-long class or five blocks of a semester block are required to apply for an attendance waiver. An attendance waiver may be granted by the division superintendent, or his/her designee, if the student is passing the course for which the waiver is being sought and for one of the following reason(s):
- Medical hardship (condition whereby a student could not attend as certified by a licensed physician),
- Extenuating educational circumstances as determined by a committee appointed by the division superintendent or his designee or a special education eligibility committee, or
- Transfer situations as approved by a committee appointed by the division superintendent or his/her designee.
If a student doesn’t meet the conditions for granting a waiver under medical hardship, extenuating educational circumstances, or transfer situations, then the designee will create a plan to make up for lost instructional time.
As a general rule, providing medical or professional documentation for absences, early dismissals, and late arrivals provides us with the most accurate picture of your student’s attendance, and expedites our attendance process overall.