Academic success is only possible with regular school attendance. Please be sure to come to school on time and ready to learn every day, and do your best to leave outside appointments for the after-school hours. Of course, we understand there are times, due to illness or other unforeseen events, that require you to be late or miss class. For the well-being and safety of every MHS student, we ask that parents and students respect the rules of attendance.

Please call the attendance office at (804) 723-2204 with questions or to report a student’s absence or tardy.

• Note to Attendance Form
  

Absences

We will mark all absences as unexcused unless a parent/guardian does one of the following within three school days of the absence:

• Sends a parent/guardian-signed note with a reason for the absence.

• Sends a professional note or documentation.

Tardies

A student who arrives after 8:45 a.m. is late. He/she should do one of the following:

• Students coming from a medical, dental, or court appointment should sign in at the attendance office. We request that he/she bring a note from the provider to excuse the absence. If necessary, we will accept a note from a parent. The parent note should include the date, the student’s full name, the excusable reason for late arrival, and the parent’s signature and daytime phone number.

All transportation-related tardies that are not school bus-related are unexcused. This includes car trouble, accidents, train delays, and late rides. Students who elect to arrive by private transportation should allow extra time for bad traffic conditions or other problems.

Other unexcused reasons for being late include, but are not limited to, oversleeping, completing school work, transporting family members, and providing care for a sibling.

Leaving Early

We strongly encourage you to schedule all appointments after school hours. If you must leave early, please do the following:

1. The student may drop off a parent note at the attendance office before school.

2. The student may pick up his/her pass for dismissal from the attendance office anytime after Block A1/B1.*

3. The student may quietly leave class at the designated time (we cannot call students out from class).

4. The student may sign out at the attendance office. We do not require a parent to come into the school.
   

5. Early Dismissal Form
   
   *Note: If a student has a note for dismissal prior to the end of Block A1/B1, he/she should request the pass before school.