Attendance Policy
Lake Nona High School Attendance Procedures
2026–2027
Regular and punctual attendance is essential to student achievement. Attendance is the shared responsibility of students and their parents or legal guardians, as required by Florida law and OCPS School Board Policy JE.
Attendance Office
Attendance Clerk: Ms. Joanna Cardoso
Telephone: 407-956-8302
Submit attendance documentation to:
Physical documentation may also be submitted to the Attendance Office.
Reporting an Absence
All absences are recorded as unexcused until OCPS approved documentation is received and reviewed. Documentation must include:
- Student’s full name and student ID
- Date and reason for the absence
- Parent or legal guardian’s name and signature
- Supporting medical or legal documentation when required
Documentation requesting that an absence be excused must be submitted within 24 hours of the student’s return to school. Late documentation may not be accepted without approval from the principal or designee. Parents or legal guardians may excuse up to 10 absences per semester by written notice. After the 10th parent-excused absence written notice, additional absences must include appropriate medical, legal, or other official documentation to be considered excused.
A telephone call alone will not excuse an absence. The principal has final authority to determine whether an absence is excused.
Medical Documentation
Documentation from a licensed healthcare provider may be required when a student:
- Misses three or more consecutive school days because of illness;
- Requests that more than five nonconsecutive medical absences be excused; or
- Demonstrates a pattern of repeated illness-related absences.
Whenever possible, appointments should be scheduled outside the school day.
Excused Absences
Absences may be excused for:
- Student illness or injury
- Illness or death in the immediate family
- Religious holidays or instruction
- Documented medical, therapeutic, legal or court appointments
- School-approved activities
- Principal-approved prearranged educational absences
- Head lice, up to four school days per year
- Catastrophic events or other reasons permitted by OCPS policy
Religious and Prearranged Absences
Requests for religious observances or prearranged absences must be submitted in writing with supporting documentation at least five school days in advance.
Prearranged absences require prior approval from the principal or designee. Submission of a request does not guarantee approval.
Please submit to LaKisya.Killingsworth@ocps.net
Daily Attendance and Early Departure
Students who miss more than half of the school day (4 periods) will be recorded as absent for the entire day. Students who attend more than half of the day but leave early will receive an excused or unexcused early-departure entry.
Early departures during the final hour of the school day are strongly discouraged.
Tardiness
Students who are not in their assigned classrooms when the class period begins are considered tardy. Repeated tardiness may result in parent contact, interventions and disciplinary consequences.
***Note: Five (5) tardies to school results in an one (1) unexcused absence.*****
Attendance Corrections
Students who believe their attendance is incorrect must speak with the teacher who recorded it. The teacher will submit any necessary correction to the Attendance Office.
Make-Up Work
Students will receive a reasonable opportunity to complete work missed during an excused absence. Generally, one school day will be provided for each day absent, plus an additional day. Students are responsible for contacting their teachers and completing all missed work by the established deadline.
Nonattendance and Truancy
A pattern of nonattendance may be identified when a student accumulates:
- Five unexcused or unexplained absences within one calendar month;
- Ten unexcused or unexplained absences within 90 calendar days; or
- Fifteen unexcused absences within 90 calendar days, which may result in habitual-truancy procedures.
The school may initiate parent conferences, attendance interventions, Child Study Team review, social-work referrals and other actions required by law and OCPS policy. Habitual attendance concerns may result in notification to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and the suspension of driving privileges, as required by Florida law. Student attendance is reported in accordance with applicable state statutes. On-campus driving and parking privileges may also be suspended or revoked due to habitual attendance concerns.
Course Credit
Students must meet state instructional-hour and course-mastery requirements. Approximately 20 absences in a yearlong course or 10 absences in a semester course may affect course credit.
School Events, Student Privileges, and Extracurricular and Athletic Involvement
- Students with five or more unexcused absences will be ineligible to participate in all Homecoming activities.
- Students with 10 or more unexcused absences during a semester may be ineligible for Lake Nona School Events, Student Privileges, Extracurricular and Athletic Involvement.
- Students who would like to participate in Prom will only be approved if they are on track for graduation, are in compliance with attendance, are passing their current classes, and have no Level 4 infractions or other infractions that involved violence/fighting.
- Seniors who would like to participate in Senior Events will only be approved if they are on track for graduation, are in compliance with attendance, are passing their current classes, and have no Level 4 infractions or other infractions that involved violence/fighting.
- Eligibility will be based on official school records and is subject to administrative review.