Attendance Policies and Procedures

Procedures and policies regarding student attendance

PLEASE NOTE:

The online attendance reporting form will no longer be used.  Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, families can report all-day absences using ParentVue.  Meanwhile, the attendance phone number (703-802-7782) and attendance email (@email) to report attendance remain in use.  

Click here for more information about the change to ParentVUE for reporting all-day attendance. 

Unreported absences/delays will cause multiple automated attendance messages to be sent to the parent/guardian by FCPS. 

Rocky Run Middle School 

Excused Absences

In Virginia, all students aged five (5) through eighteen (18) are required to attend school regularly. FCPS must record student attendance every day school is in session.

Students may be absent for these identified reasons,:

  1. Illness, including COVID isolation / quarantine
  2. Medical procedures that cannot be scheduled outside of school hours
  3. Religious and cultural observances
  4. Civic engagement (secondary students only)
  5. Funerals

Attendance Reporting

Keep in Touch Automated Attendance System:  Fairfax County has a call out system using Keep in Touch.  Data for unverified and unexcused absences will be extracted twice daily from our computer system allowing calls and e-mails to be sent via Keep in Touch. The first FCPS call out occurs at 9:00 AM.

Attendance Procedures

As students see multiple teacher’s during the day, attendance is centralized and must be reported to the attendance office.  When students must miss school the following procedures must be followed:

Student Absent:  A student’s absence must be reported by a parent or guardian by using one of these methods:

If your student is sick, please don’t forget to include symptom details.  Parents/guardians have three (3) days to contact the school regarding the absence.  After the three days, the absence is marked unexcused.

Student Arriving Late: If your student will be arriving after the 7:30 start time, please contact the school to report the reason for delay and estimated arrival time by using one of these methods:

If you have reported your student’s delay, you don’t need to come in with your student to sign in.  If you have not reported the delay, we will need you to come in with your student and communicate to the front office staff the reason for the delay.

Student Leaving Early:  

  • Please send in a note OR a completed Check-Out-Form (English, Espanol)  with your student to bring to the Main Office upon arrival to school; in return the student will receive a pink check-out pass and meet you in the front office at your designated time.  Please make sure you bring in your picture ID with you.

If returning to school, the student must sign in at the Main Office before returning to class.

Students who become ill must ask to go to the clinic; they may only be checked out from the clinic.

We cannot accept phone calls for early dismissal. We need written documentation or an in-person check out.  As in years past, we cannot accommodate walk-ins after 2:00.

Prearranged/Travel Absences:

  • If you know in advance that your child will be absent from school for multiple days, please instruct him or her to visit the office with a note from the parent to obtain a prearranged absence form from the front office at least 36 hours before the date of the absence. Students will find all missed work posted on Schoology during their absences and will be expected to follow up with teachers regarding missed assessments upon their return.
  • Please note FCPS issued computers do NOT work outside of the US. Schoology and Google Drive can be accessed using personal devices. 
  • Rocky Run excuses up to 5 travel absences per school year. All additional days are considered 'Unexcused' Absences.

Excessive Excused or Unexcused Absences: 

  • School officials will request additional medical documentation to justify excessive daily absences. A Doctor’s note will be required when a student has accumulated absences in excess of 10 % of the school year. Please refer to the updated Students Rights and Responsibilities Booklet for regulations regarding excused and unexcused absences.  You may also view FCPS attendance regulations at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/attendance

Excessive Tardies:  

  • Students will receive progressive discipline consequences for unexcused tardies to school and during the school day.  Students will serve a lunch detention for every 5 tardies. Students will receive administrative detention and school service for continued tardies. Tardies related to late arrival due to traffic, missing the bus, or oversleeping are not considered excused.