Attendance Policy
Absences: In accordance with School and DA-DCPS Daily Attendance Policies, students must be physically present in school for a minimum of 2 hours in order to be counted as present for attendance purposes each day.
For each day a student is absent, Parents/guardians must submit supporting documentation explaining the reason for the absence.
Documentation submitted more than 3 days (72 hours) after the student's return to school will not be accepted, and the absence(s) will be deemed unexcused. Students with excessive absences will be referred to the administration/Attendance Review Committee.
Referrals will be issued after reaching the school's maximum allowance, and may result in the student's report card reflecting insufficient attendance for receiving a grade. All make-up work will be completed within 72 hours from the date of their last absence.
- Arrival: Arrival time is from 8:10 AM to 8:25 AM. Students must be in their seats at the commencement of homeroom in the morning. Any student arriving after the commencement of homeroom will receive a tardy pass. Students arriving or departing outside of the School's designated times may be enrolled in a before care program, where available, including all applicable fees. Please be advised: Mater Academy is not responsible for students who arrive more than thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of school, except for those are enrolled in and pay fees to the before-care program.
- Tardies: All tardies are unexcused. If students arrive after the commencement of school, please do not send the student to class. Students arriving after the commencement of school must report directly to the School's designated office/area. Students with excessive tardies will be referred to the administration/Attendance Review Committee.
- Dismissal: Dismissal time is at 2:00pm for Kindergarten and 1st Grade; and at 3:00pm for 2nd through 5th Grade. Students departing outside of the School's designated times may be enrolled in an after-care program, where available, including all applicable fees. Please be aware that all charges must be resolved in full by the last day of school. Please be advised that Mater Academy is not responsible for students remaining on campus after the School's dismissal times, except for those are enrolled in and pay fees to the after-care program.
- Early Dismissal: For a student to be dismissed early, parents must report to the designated office/area. Students with excessive early dismissals, will be referred to the administration/Attendance Review Committee. Students will not be dismissed 30 minutes prior to dismissal time without previous written notice. There are NO EXCEPTIONS!
- Rainy Day Policy: Students arriving during inclement weather will be escorted by Mater Academy East Staff to the covered pavilion or main/annex building. During dismissal, students will wait for pick-up under the covered pavilion area and will be called via walkie-talkie once the parent/guardian/bus/after school staff arrives.
SEVERE CLAUSE VIOLATION
Severe Clause Violation In a severe clause violation of the Student Code of Conduct or any other school policies and procedures, the parent/guardian will pick up the student. Any infraction within the Severe Clause will result in further administrative action. Severe violations include, but are not limited to: fighting, profanity, stealing, defiance of school personnel, assault upon a staff member, continuous disruptive behavior, any posting of videos or pictures pertaining to the school’s students or faculty, as well as possession and/or use of drugs, tobacco, electronic cigarettes (vapes), alcohol, and weapons.
