General Information
State law requires school attendance for students ages 7 to 16. Gwinnett County Board of Education Policy states that students will be excused from school under the following circumstances:
- Personal illness or Doctor/Dentist appointment.
- Serious illness or death in the immediate family.
- Court order. Documentation must be attached.
- Religious holidays.
- Unsafe conditions (inclement weather).
- Voter registration.
The only reasons accepted to justify an absence and/or arrivals and departures outside of school hours are those listed above and verified by the following formal documentation:
- Doctor's or hospital notes,
- Court or government-required documents, and
- Obituary or funeral brochures/programs.
Documentation
To justify a school absence, parents/guardians must send a personal note and/or medical justification through PARENTVUE. Please see https://www.gcpsk12.org/families/parent-vue/report-absences for instructions.
You may also email the attendance office (PDSHSattendanceoffice@gcpsk12.org) with the following information: Student name and number:
- Student's full name
- Student ID
- Date
- Reason for absence
- Parent/guardian signature
- Parent/guardian phone number for verification
- Medical/court documentation, if applicable
Important update to the absence policy
To justify absences of 4 consecutive days or more, official documentation (doctor's note, program/event documentation, etc.) is required; handwritten notes will not be accepted to justify extended absences. Without proper documentation, these absences will be recorded as unexcused.
Additionally, please be aware that for students with 10 or more excused absences, the total number of absences will be factored into determining if additional absences will be excused absences. While a portion of the requested absence may be excused, the excusing the full absence is not guaranteed.
