Inaugural Holiday

Local schools are expecting lots of students to miss classes Jan. 20 for Obama's big day. To avoid getting marked absent, administrators have offered this guidance:

Schools are already getting questions about possible absences on inauguration day. As a result, Chief Academic Officer Linda Wise issued the following direction to principals last week.

For consistency across the county, Wise recommended that principals allow parents to use one of the three discretionary days of absence provided for each child if they wish to attend the inauguration. This applies to high school students as well, even though Policy 9010, Attendance, says that parents are not to request the use of discretionary days on an exam day without the authorization of the principal. If the discretionary day is arranged with the principal in advance, participation in inaugural activities will be an excused absence for students at all levels.

The schedule for ending the second quarter and for completing report cards prevents the HCPSS from making major changes to accommodate students and families wanting to participate in the activities of the inauguration. Additionally, the HCPSS cannot eliminate the high school mid-term exam scheduled for that day. High school students who miss a mid-year exam will be expected to make up the exam at the teacher's convenience by the end of the mid-term exam week.