Attendance Procedures

Procedures for reporting student absences

Early Dismissal Procedure

Please do not request early dismissals online or by phone. 

To request an early dismissal please send a note, or complete and print an Early Dismissal Request Form for your child. Your child should bring the note or form to the main office upon arrival to school in order to receive an early dismissal pass for that day. If you forget to send a note, students should still come to the front office to get an early dismissal pass.

All early dismissals must be before 2:00pm.

Reporting Absences

If a student will be absent or arriving late to school, parents or guardians should always report the details of the absence to the RCMS Attendance Office. Teachers do not have access to mark a student excused for an absence, which is why it is imperative that parents contact the attendance office (instead of, or in addition to, the teacher) when their child is absent so we can mark them correctly. 

Parents or guardians should always use your SIS ParentVue account, email @email, or call the attendance line at 703-925-3636 in the morning to let the school know of any tardiness or absence. For middle school students, attendance is checked daily for each period. Automated absence calls and emails are sent if we have not heard from a parent by 9:00 a.m. In addition, calls and emails follow at 6 p.m. via an automated attendance system for any unverified absences.

We offer three different ways to report an absence

Extended Absences

If you are planning travel or other circumstance where your student will be absent for four or more consecutive days, a Prearranged Absence form is required. Please have your student come to the front office at least a week prior to the dates of absence to obtain this form and have it signed by all of his/her teachers. 

Please make sure that a parent or guardian has submitted the absence to the RCMS attendance office via an email to @email clearly stating the student’s name, student ID#, the dates of absence and the reason for the absence.

Please also note:

  • If an absence meets 15 school days, the student will be withdrawn on the 15th day and will need to be reenrolled.  Please contact @email upon your return for reenrollment.
     
  • Absences because of travel are considered Unexcused Locally (UNL).  After five UNL absences, you may receive an automated call from the Virginia Department of Education asking you to contact the school. You do not need to contact us if you have already submitted the information above. 
     
  • If traveling outside of the U.S., the FCPS-issued laptop is not permitted to be taken out of the U.S.  If access to a personal computer is available, the student may complete any assignments posted on Schoology and email teachers to keep current with assignments.
     
  • A negative TB test may be required for reenrollment.

Tardy Policy

The expectation for all Carson students is to be on time to class each day, every period.

  • All students must be in the classroom by the time the bell stops ringing.
  • Students are expected to have a pass if their tardiness is excused. They will not be allowed to go back and get a pass.
  • Teachers will make every effort to release students when the bell rings. If by chance they do keep a student after the bell, they will notify the next teacher via email or a written pass so that the tardy will be recorded as excused. 
  • Teachers will use professional judgment to work with students who might have a legitimate reason for being late. However, coming from PE class should not be the excuse.
  • For attendance purposes, students should always report to the main office for an office pass when arriving late to school.

View the Carson school Tardy Policy here.