Challenger Middle School Attendance
Attendance Matters!
Attendance Procedures 2026-27
Doctor/Dentist/Medical Provider Notes: Excuses may be turned in by the student, emailed directly to melanie.smith1@hsv-k12.org, or the medical provider can FAX to 256-428-7621. Excessive doctor’s notes will be investigated by Truancy Officer/Social Worker.
Parent Notes: Students are allowed eight (8) “days” of absence for the entire school year that can be excused with a parent note; however, the note must be received within 2 days of the student’s return to school following the absence(s) in order to be excused. Please make sure your child’s First and Last Name are on the excuse. Excuses may be turned in by your child, or you can email them directly to melanie.smith1@hsv-k12.org. Phone calls do not excuse absences, a note must be written or e-mailed. After the 8th parent note, doctor notes will be required to excuse any further absences. You may still send in a note explaining why your child was absent and the reason will be noted and kept in the student’s attendance file, but the absence will remain unexcused.
2nd Consecutive Day of Absence:
The homeroom teacher should contact the parent/guardian to check on the student. This may be done by phone/email/text and the teacher will ask the parent to send in an excuse for days missed.
3rd Unexcused Absence:
First Notification Letter will be sent to the parent via regular mail and e-mail, which includes the Compulsory Attendance Law.
5th Unexcused Absence:
Parent will be notified to attend a Mandatory School Conference at Challenger Middle School regarding attendance issues.
7th Unexcused Absence:
Student will be referred to Student Welfare and Social Services. Student Welfare and Social Services will send a Notification Letter to the parent/guardian, including the Date, Time, and Location of the Early Warning Conference that is mandatory for both the parent and student attend. If Truancy Court interventions are not adhered to by the parent/guardian and student, a hearing date will be given to appear before a Juvenile Court Judge.
Chronic Absenteeism:
A student is considered chronically absent when they reach 18 or more total absences (including both excused and unexcused absences). Our goal for the year is to have 96% non-chronic absenteeism.
Suggestions to Help Avoid Chronic Absenteeism:
A student must be at school for at least 51% of the day in order to be counted present for the day. Please keep this in mind when scheduling appointments for your child. Unless your child is sick/contagious, please wait until close to the appointment time to check them out, or return them to the school after the appointment. Please do not keep them home all day because they have an appointment, unless they are contagious.
If you are checking your student out early for the day, please wait until at least 12:00 to check them out, if at all possible. This will prevent them from having an absence as their daily attendance code, only absent for the classes they miss.
For any attendance concerns, please contact:
Melanie Smith, Clerical
FAX: 256-428-7620 E-Mail: melanie.smith1@hsv-k12.org
Uploading Excuses in the PowerSchool Parent Portal
Dear CMS Families,
We are excited to announce a new feature in the Huntsville City Schools Parent Portal. Parents and guardians now have the ability to upload attendance excuse documents directly through the portal. This enhancement makes it easier and more convenient to submit excuses for student absences without needing to send paper copies to the school.
Parent Portal Access
HCS has pushed out Parent Portal accounts for all custodial contacts. If you did not create your own account, your login will be your current email address on record with the school. You may use the "Forgot Password" link to set or reset your password.
If you find that you do not have an account, please contact your child's school. Be ready to provide your photo ID to update your email address.
How to Upload an Attendance Excuse:
1. Select Forms from the left side of the screen in the Parent Portal.
2. Select Attendance Document Upload on the General Forms tab.
3. Select Sign In button (Follow on screen instructions).
4. Select the Add Document button.
5. Select Browse to choose your document and then select Upload.
6. Select Submit to complete the process.
We encourage all families to take advantage of this feature to ensure timely and accurate attendance records. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Melanie Smith @ Melanie.Smith1@hsv-k12.org or call 256-964-9302
Thank you for your continued support in keeping our students on track for success!
Bo Coln
Principal
Challenger Middle School
