When students are absent from school, AACPS sends messages to families to ensure student safety and open communication.

For convenience and equity, messages are sent through two communication tools:

Alerts - the AACPS automated contact system provides one message per day for elementary students and two messages per day for middle and high school students. A morning message is sent to families of all absent students via phone, email, and text at 11 a.m., after all student arrivals are complete and attendance has been entered. The second message is sent via email and text to families of absent middle and high school students at 5:30 p.m. after all school dismissals have occurred. The latter call provides specific periods of absences.

Parent Portal sends notifications in real time when a student is marked absent for the school day or a specific class period. In order to receive Parent Portal notifications, parents/guardians must have proper accounts and notifications turned on in their settings. Access to Parent Portal is available for families of students in grades K-12. Parents/guardians can also send attendance notes directly to their student's school via Parent Portal. Visit www.aacps.org/parentportal to sign up or learn more.

Parents/guardians can always contact their student's school to discuss attendance records and resources.

Resources for Families to Support Student Attendance

Getting your child to school on time, every day can ensure your child has a chance to succeed in school. As a parent or guardian, there are steps you can take to make certain your child is in school every day.

• Establish and stick with routines such as bedtime, wake-up time, and homework schedule.

• Prepare for the next day by laying out clothes the night before and packing the backpack and

  lunch.

• Talk to your child about school.  Show your interest in what they are learning.

• If your child is reluctant to go to school, reach out to the teacher or school counselor for help.

If your child starts to demonstrate school avoidance behavior, i.e., refuses to get up, complains of vague illnesses, or skips school, get help right away!

Call your school counselor and ask for resources. The school will refer you to your school’s Pupil Personnel Worker. 

Maryland has a Compulsory Attendance Law which states that children between the ages of 5 and 18 shall attend public school regularly during the entire school year unless otherwise enrolled in a private school, approved home instruction, or home teaching through the school. Parents may be charged in District Court for failure to see that their children attend school. Parents can be found guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine not to exceed $50 per day of unlawful absence, or imprisonment not to exceed five(5) days or both.