FAQ

Yes, students can use middle school community service hours after they have been promoted to the 8th Grade. The service activity still must meet the requirements of community service hours. Middle school counselors will document hours in the student information system prior to students entering the 9th Grade.

Virtual In-School Suspension (VISS) is an alternative learning environment for those students who are experiencing difficulties while Learning at Home. This space will allow students to reflect, engage in SEL curricula and classroom assignments with the ISS Coordinator. VISS can be monitored by any of the following stakeholders: ISS Coordinator, Dean, Behavior Tech, or another non-instructional staff member who has been trained on the ISS Guidance and Student Behavior Tracker. Students who are fulfilling Virtual In-School suspensions are considered present for that day.

For the 2020-2021 school year, attendance is not a prerequisite for grades and promotion.

We encourage students to log in regularly to their scheduled courses and complete assignments. However, due to a wide range of schedules and lessons, students who are tardy will not be penalized in their attendance records when learning at home.

If a student registered in school is absent 20 days in a row without an excuse (i.e., does not log into Canvas or contact their school to indicate attendance), they may be withdrawn due to non-attendance. This applies to all students in Pre-K through 12th grade regardless of whether they are in-boundary or out-of-boundary. Students can return to their neighborhood school to re-enroll but are subject to the wait list if they are attempting to re-enroll in an out-of-boundary school.

Staff from your child’s school or collaborating school program provider will reach out to families if in-person care becomes available to your child. You may also reach out to dcps.partnerships@k12.dc.gov or your typical before/aftercare provider to inquire about opportunities.

DCPS will not sponsor virtual before or afterschool programming while DCPS is in an all-virtual stance. Partners who typically provide before or afterschool programming are encouraged to collaborate with DCPS to provide in-person care for small groups of students during the school day, in alignment with DCPS and Department of Health guidelines, where students are able to engage in their virtual learning and enrichment opportunities. Partner programming that is offered in DCPS buildings will be free of charge to families. Partners funded independently from DCPS are able to provide virtual afterschool programming to families who choose to enroll.

Generally, absences not listed here on the attendance page, including extended travel, are considered unexcused. If a student or parent/guardian anticipates an absence not covered by the excused absences listed, they may submit a request for an excused absence due to a special circumstance to their school principal. The principal will consult with their Instructional Superintendent before determining whether to grant the excused absence request.

Any absence for an entire day without a valid excuse is marked as an unexcused absence. When learning at home, an absence is when a student does not log in to Canvas and/or call the school to indicate they completed their coursework through another mechanism, such as paper packets due to technology issues. Click here for a list of absences that may be classified as an excused absence.

No. While it is important that students are engaging with their teacher during live instruction, attendance will not be taken at the course level. Students’ daily attendance expectation is that they log into Canvas at least once a day. If this requirement is met, students will not be considered absent.