Liberty High School

1. Excused Absences

   School Attendance Florida Statute 1003.21 requires that all students between the ages of six (6) and sixteen (16) attend school regularly. Students who have attained the age of sixteen (16) and who have not graduated are subject to compulsory school attendance until a formal declaration of intent to withdraw, signed by student and parent/guardian, is filed with the district school board. Students are obligated to attend one hundred eighty (180) days of school each year. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to see that this law is obeyed. It is important to note that failure to attend school in a regular and timely fashion hinders the educational process. In addition, truancy and poor performance have a direct relationship to juvenile delinquency and destructive behavior, not to mention the disproportionate percentage of juvenile crime that occurs during school hours. Each parent or legal guardian of a child within the compulsory attendance age is responsible for the child’s school attendance as required by law.

   It is the responsibility of the parent(s) or guardian to submit a written statement on the FOCUS Parent Portal indicating the reason for the absences within two (2) days of the student’s return to school.  As a reminder, Liberty High School can only accept 10 handwritten notes per year as excused absences. The written statement must include the following information for each absence:

• Date the excuse is written
• Date(s) of the absence(s)
• Full name of the student
• Reason for the absence
• Daytime telephone number of parent or guardian
• Signature of parent or guardian

Please follow the directions below to upload your child's absence note to FOCUS Parent Portal.

1. Login to your Parent Portal account.
2. Click on the three lines at the top of the page.
3. Choose the student that you would like to upload a note for. (This will be on the right side.)
4. Click on "Absences." (This will be located 4 down on the left side)
5. Choose the date that you would like to update. At first, it is going to say "no file."
6. Underneath it, click on "Upload or Download or Take a Photo." 
7. The provided documentation can be either a handwritten note OR a medical doctor's note.

We no longer accept excused notes delivered from students or via email. Additionally, we cannot accept phone calls as documentation for an excused absence. 

3. An excused absence should be coded as an “E” for reporting purposes. Final determination on whether an absence is excused or unexcused is the responsibility of the assistant principal, Ariel Seabolt. Any planned absences, other than medical appointments, must be approved in advance by the assistant principal. 

Pre-approved excused absences can be emailed to the attendance clerk, idaliz.burgos@osceolaschools.net OR brought to the school and submitted to the attendance office. Please use the Parent Request for Excused Pre-Arranged Absence of Student form to make this request. 

Any questions regarding excused absences can be emailed to idaliz.burgos@osceolaschools.net

2. Unexcused Absences

•  Any absence which is not justified by the parent or guardian according to allowable excuses (see above) or for which the reason is unknown
• Not attending class while on a school campus. 
• Final determination on whether an absence is excused or unexcused is the responsibility of the assistant principal. 
• An unexcused absence should be coded as a “U” for reporting purposes.