Excused Absences

Excused Absences

Excused absences may be granted after submission of substantiating documentation (e.g., doctor’snotes). Absences due to illness without a doctor’s note should be recorded as zero (0) hours, and a plan to make up those hours should be created with the homeroom teacher.

 

Documentation should be submitted to the student’s Homeroom teacher or Director of Compliance within 48 hours of the absence. Students who are granted an excused absence should discuss making up attendance hours with their teacher(s). In the event of prolonged absences, please contact the Director of Compliance as soon as possible to discuss the student’s circumstances.

GACA-sanctioned events (field trips, etc.) will count as excused absences. Additionally, Georgia law
allows for excused absences due to personal illness, death or serious illness in the family, recognized religious holidays, absences caused by government order, inclement weather or dangerous conditions,and voter registration or voting in a public election (not to exceed one (1) day per school year).

If a student is absent due to illness for more than ten (10) consecutive days, the homeroom teacher
should be notified prior to the ten (10) school day mark to avoid withdrawal.

Vacation Days

Students are allocated “Vacation” days based on the number of weekdays in the school calendar that are marked as non-school days on the GACA school calendar (e.g., Labor Day, Spring break, etc.). A student may choose to use their vacation days on a different date than the non-school days, with prior approval from the student’s homeroom teacher, and a student must be on pace with their lessons. For example, a student may choose to work on Labor Day and take the next day off. The Learning Coach would record hours of attendance on Labor Day, as though it were a regular school day, and then mark the following day off as “V” for vacation.

Excessive use of vacation days will send a student into Alarm status and may result in the replacement of used vacation days with unexcused absences. Please note that a student will not have access to teachers during GACA school holidays.

A student who knows in advance that they will be absent must notify their homeroom teacher. If a student will be absent, the student should work with their subject area teachers to create a plan for maintaining their schedule and Live Lessons to keep current with all assignments and lessons.

Natural Disasters

In the event of a natural disaster which limits a student’s ability to log in and complete daily lessons, students will be given ten (10) days to resume regular lesson completion prior to withdrawal. Extensions will be given only when the local school where the student is zoned remains closed.

 

In the event of a state-wide natural disaster, GACA will follow the guidance from the Department ofEducation with regards to school closures, state-testing, and other events.