Attendance Policy

Student attendance is a means of improving student performance and critical in raising student achievement. Together, the staff of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, students, parents and the community must make every effort to lessen the loss of instructional time to students.

Excused School Absence

Any student who has been absent from school will be marked unexcused until he/she submits required documentation as specified below. Failure to provide required documentation within three school days upon the return to school will result in an unexcused absence.

  1. Student illness: Students missing 5 or more consecutive days of school due to illness or injury are required to provide a written statement from a health care provider. The written statement must include all days the student has been absent from school. If a student is continually sick and repeatedly absent from school due to a specific medical condition, he or she must be under the supervision of a health care provider in order to receive excused absences from school.
  2. Medical appointment: If a student is absent from school due to a medical appointment, a written statement from a health care provider indicating the date and time of the appointment, must be submitted to the principal.
  3. Death in immediate family.
  4. Observance of a religious holiday or service when it is mandated for all members of a faith that such a holiday or service is observed.
  5. School-sponsored event or educational enrichment activity that is not a school-sponsored event, as determined and approved by the principal or principal’s designee: The student must receive advance written permission from the principal or the principal’s designee. Examples of special events include: public functions, conferences, and region, state and national competitions.
  6. Subpoena by law enforcement agency or mandatory court appearance.
  7. Outdoor suspensions.
  8. Other individual student absences beyond the control of the parent/guardian or student, as determined and approved by the principal or the principal’s designee. The principal shall require documentation related to the condition.

Unexcused School Absence

Unexcused absences include:

  1. Absences due to vacations, personal services, local non-school event, program or sporting activity
  2. Absences due to older students providing day care services for siblings
  3. Absences due to illness of others
  4. Absences due to non-compliance with immunization requirements (unless lawfully exempted)