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Committee presses MCPS on how tardiness and partial‑day absences are recorded
Summary
Council members raised teacher concerns that students who repeatedly arrive late or skip periods can be counted present for the day; MCPS described a period‑based formula and urged schools to use separate tardy tracking and restorative interventions while the district considers clearer attendance policy guidance.
Council members and MCPS staff spent significant time on how the district measures daily presence and how that can mask chronic instructional loss when students arrive late to multiple classes or skip periods.
MCPS explained that for high schools the daily presence metric uses a period‑based rule: attending more than 50% of scheduled periods counts as present for the day, 50% equals a half‑day, and less than 10% counts as absent. Staff said tardy data are tracked separately and schools use restorative strategies, attendance teams and alternative‑teacher assignments for repetitive tardiness or hallway wandering.
Members said teachers have reported students who miss the first portion of many classes are counted present for the day, producing unrecognized instructional loss; MCPS acknowledged the concern and said the system maintains separate tardy records that principals and attendance teams should use for targeted interventions. "We keep separate tardy data... they should be digging in even though it doesn't show up in the data that you're looking at," an MCPS speaker said. Members asked for work toward a clear district attendance policy that balances accountability with student supports.
