Office of Student Services
Main: 803-981-1041 Fax: 803-981-5786
Memo
TO: Secondary Principals and APs, Elementary Principals and APs, Directors
FROM: Dr. Diana F. Smith, Executive Director of Student Services
CC: Dr. Keith Wilks, Dr. John Jones, Ms. Jennifer Morrison, Dr. Missy Brakefield
DATE: January 15, 2021
SUBJECT: COVID-19 Attendance Clarification
______________________________________________________________________________
As we move into 2nd semester, this memo is a reminder of the importance of accuracy and consistency in reconciling attendance in all of our instructional platforms.
Onsite (Face to Face) Attendance: Determined by students’ physical presence at school or in class.
Hybrid Attendance (On Remote Days): Determined by students using Launchpad to log into Canvas to access coursework. High school students are required to complete attendance surveys for each course.
Virtual Academy Attendance: Determined by students using Launchpad to log into Canvas, and by students being seen by the teacher for any amount of time. High school students are required to complete attendance surveys for each course.
Procedures to remember:
- Attendance is taken in all four classes for high school and in core classes for middle school.
- Attendance is taken daily within the first 15 minutes of the day or class.
- Students who log on for any amount of time are to be marked present, even if they log on late.
- Students in the virtual academy may not be marked absent for incomplete assignments or for not participating in class.
- Teachers have up to 4 days to correct attendance for students. After 4 days, any corrections must be sent to the Attendance Clerk at the school. For the Virtual Academy, corrections must be sent to the Attendance Clerk at the school where the teacher is assigned.
- Attendance surveys for high school students will continue for each course for the remainder of this school year. This provides documentation of student attendance in each course.
- Students who do not attend virtual classes due to technology issues should be referred to the technology hotline at 803-324-7478. Absences for students with legitimate, verifiable technology issues may be excused if the proper documentation is provided to the school to file and enter on the student’s attendance record. These issues should be addressed in a timely manner.