• If a student is absent, families must email an excuse note to the Attendance Team,  within 5 days of the absence.
• When a student is absent, a robo call/email notification will go out in the evening to the families informing of the absence.
• Students with 5 consecutive absences must provide official documentation.

Excused absences and tardies:
The following reasons for an absence or a tardy arrival are considered excused, according to the DCPS attendance policy:

• Student illness (a doctor’s note is required for a student absent 5 or more days in a term)
• Medical or dental appointments for the student
• Observance of a religious holiday
• Death in the student’s immediate family
• Necessity for a student to attend a judicial proceeding as a plaintiff, defendant, witness or juror
• An emergency or other circumstance approved by DCPS
• For a complete list of what is classified as an excused absence or if you would like to reference visite the DCPS Attendance and Truancy Policy

Per DCPS Policy:
Students and their families will receive an attendance letter when they accumulate a certain number of unexcused absences.

• 3 unexcused absences: letter will be sent home or emailed to family
• 5 unexcused absences: a member from the attendance team will meet with the family and support the individual student by developing an attendance action plan and intervention strategies that are school- or community-based and are designed to enhance the student’s success. Meetings can be held in-person, over the telephone, or on a video teleconference.
• 7 unexcused absences: MPD warning letter will be sent.
• 10 unexcused absences: CFSA referral will be made.

DCPS is partnering with local doctors, nurses and DC Health on a project to support our students’ health and attendance in school. This pilot project started in school year 2017-2018 and currently includes Marie Reed among other schools.

Through the project – which is called the Chronic Absenteeism Reduction Effort or CARE – parents or guardians can give permission to DCPS to securely share attendance information with their child’s doctor(s), nurse(s) and medical office staff. This information will help these healthcare professionals to provide special outreach and medical attention to children that might be missing school and their families. Click here for more information, your CARE Enrollment Packet and consent form

If you have questions, please contact our Attendance Team. Please click here for a Frequently Asked Questions document