Regular school attendance is paramount to success. Please be sure to come to school on time and ready to learn every day, and do your best to leave outside appointments for the after school hours. Of course, we understand there are times, due to illness or other unforeseen events, that require you to be late or miss a day of school. When this happens, please follow the guidelines on this page.

Our attendance policy, informed by the Code of Virginia, remains the same as it was prior to the pandemic and will be upheld during this 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. 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 Mechanicsville High School at (804) 723-2200. 

Attendance Procedures

Full Day Absence

Parents/guardians should report their student's absence as soon as possible. Absences that are not reported within three (3) 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 a parent or guardian. All absences should be submitted through this absence form or through the QR code, pictured right.

•  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 [email protected].

• All absences not reported by a parent/guardian will remain unexcused. See “Absence Monitoring and Limits” section below for more details.

Late Arrival 

A student who arrives after 8:45 a.m. is late and should do one of the following:

1. Students without a parent/guardian note will report to the tardy table until 9:00 a.m. 
2. Students arriving with a parent/guardian, or with a parent/guardian note, or arriving after 9:00 a.m., will report to the attendance office for a late pass.A student who arrives after 8:45 a.m. is late and should do one of the following:
   
   Students coming from a medical, dental, or court appointment should sign in at the Attendance Office. We request that the student bring a note from the provider to excuse the absence. If necessary, we will accept a note from a parent/guardian. That note should include the date, the student’s full name, the excusable reason for late arrival, and the parent/guardian signature and daytime phone number. 
   
   
3.  Students who are on late buses will receive a late bus pass upon arrival.

All transportation-related tardies that are not school bus-related are unexcused. This may include: car trouble, traffic delays, slow moving farm equipment, late rides, etc. Students who elect to arrive by private transportation should allow extra time for bad traffic conditions or other problems.

Other unexcused reasons for being late include, but are not limited to, oversleeping, “not feeling well this morning,” completing school work, transporting family members, and providing care for a sibling.

*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 Dismissal

We strongly encourage you to schedule all appointments after school hours. If an early dismissal is necessary, the student should do the following:

1. Drop off a parent/guardian note at the Attendance Office at the beginning of the school day. 

2. Students may pick up their pass for dismissal from the Attendance Office after first block. 

3. Quietly leave class at the time designated on the pass (we will not call students from class). 

4. Sign out at the Attendance Office. A parent is not required to come into the school. 
   

5. If your student should return to the school, they must sign back in at the Attendance Office. 

6. If the student does not submit a parent note, the parent must come in to sign the student out prior to 3:15 p.m. Please plan to show your photo ID for parent verification. The person picking up the student must be on the student's emergency contact list.

Absence Monitoring and Limits (HCPS Policy)
We monitor attendance daily to determine need for support or intervention.

5 Unexcused/Excused Absences: The school will be mailing home an attendance letter and a phone call home to discuss a plan to improve attendance.

10 Unexcused/Excused Absences: 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 (HCPS Policy)

Students who miss more than 10 blocks of a year-long class or 5 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):

1. medical hardship (condition whereby a student could not attend as certified by a licensed physician),
2. extenuating educational circumstances as determined by a committee appointed by the division superintendent or his designee or a special education eligibility committee, or
3. 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.