View the CMCSS Focus Video Attendance - Things to Know

NOTE: The attendance policy applies to all students K-12. Suspensions are counted as absences.
The Compulsory School Attendance Law in Tennessee (TCA-49-6-3001) requires children (ages 6-17 inclusive) to attend school each day. A student who has been absent five (5) days (this means an aggregate of five days during the school year and not necessarily five consecutive days) without adequate excuse is considered truant and may be summoned to court for as few as 5 absences (TCA-49-6-3007).

The following are “official/adequate excuses” that should be turned in to the attendance secretary in the school office:

• medical note (doctor, dentist, hospital, etc.)
• court note
• funeral notice (newspaper/program from the funeral home)
• military deployment paperwork-for military dependents, TN Law (TCA 49-6-9019) allows the following for out of country deployments:
  • 1 excused absence when the parent leaves for deployment
  • 1 excused absence when the parent returns at the end of deployment
  • Up to 10 days excused absences when the parent is home from the deployment for Rest and Recuperation
  • Up to 5 consecutive days of excused absences when the parent deployment is less than 12 months

Military paperwork/documentation MUST be provided to the school for these to be excused.

Parent notes are NOT recognized as official documentation and will NOT excuse an absence.

Promotion and Retention/Awarding of Credit

Elementary School students: In order to meet the requirements for promotion, students in elementary school grades must attend school 85% of the days school is in session. Attendance for promotion will be determined at the end of each school year. Students absent more than 27 days are subject to retention in the current grade level.

Middle School students: In order to meet the requirements for promotion, students in middle school grades must attend school 85% of the days school is in session. Attendance for promotion will be determined at the end of each school year. Students absent more than 27 days are subject to retention in the current grade level.

High School students: In order to meet the requirements for receiving course credits necessary for graduation, students in high school must attend each class 90% of the school days per semester. School-sponsored events do not constitute absences for this purpose. Students absent more than 9 days in a class are subject to loss of credit in that class. Attendance for credits earned in a class will be determined at the end of each semester. NOTE: An absence is defined as any student missing 10 or more minutes of the class period.

Exclusive of suspension / expulsion as defined by the Student Code of Conduct, it will be the student’s responsibility to see the teacher about allowable make-up work upon the day of the student’s return to school. During the school year, this work must be completed at the convenience of the teacher within an equal number of days commensurate with the number of consecutive days of the absences.