Pirate Newsletter - March 2026

Regular attendance and punctuality are essential to success in school. The responsibility to attend school regularly rests on the student and legal sponsor.

A. Classification of Absences

DoWEA considers the following conditions to constitute reasonable cause for absence from school for reasons other than school-related activities:

1. Personal illness
2. Medical, dental, or mental health appointment
3. Serious illness in the student’s immediate family
4. A death in the student’s immediate family or of a relative
5. Religious holiday
6. Emergency conditions such as fire, flood, or storm
7. Unique family circumstances warranting absence and coordinated with School administration.
8. College visits that cannot be scheduled on non-school days.
9. Pandemic event (i.e. connectivity, illness) Approval will be considered by Antilles High School administration with a written parent excuse.

NOTE - Family trips for extended periods of time (more than 2 school days) are strongly discouraged during the academic school year. These usually have a harmful effect on the students’ academic performance regardless of any efforts to make up work by the student or the teacher.

B. Return from Absence

1. On the day of return, the sponsor/guardian must send an email with a valid explanation of the absence to the registrar at alicia.ramos@dodea.edu .
2. A physician must certify absences for illness of more than three days. The school nurse may evaluate the student the morning of his/her return before releasing the student to the first class. Failure to submit the proper notes for absences will be considered truancy.
3. Students absent are responsible for all missed schoolwork and assignments.
4. All students have up to two days upon return to school after an absence to make up work from an excused absence.
5. Students with unexcused absences may receive zero credit for exams or worked missed.
6. In order to participate in an extracurricular activity (i.e., Sports and club activities), a student must be present at school from the beginning of the day on which the activity takes place, unless the principal grants a written waiver for just cause in specific cases.
7. It is exclusively the responsibility of the student to seek all make up work after an absence, not the teachers’ duty. Once the period to get make up work has expired teachers are not obligated to provide students the chance to make up work and can give them zero credit for the work missed.

Click HERE for more information on DoWEA’s Attendance Program.

C. Early Dismissal

Sponsor requests for early dismissal must be presented in writing. Early dismissals will NOT be granted over the phone.

1. Sponsor picking up student must come to the main office, present a photo ID and sign out the student.
2. No student will be released to someone other than the sponsor or parent/guardian or emergency contact person on file.

D. WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL

Students withdrawing from school should:

1. The sponsor of the student must request and complete withdrawal documents. This must be done three weeks ahead of the withdrawal date.
2. Steps students will take at withdrawal time:
   1. For clearance, take the clearance form to each teacher during the day. This includes library/media center, nurse, coaches, cafeteria, school pictures and JROTC.
   2. At the end of the day, the student will take the completed form to the school office. If requested in advance, the parents can receive interim grades to take with them.
   • NOTE: Sponsors must pay for lunch fees and any other debt before final clearance and records are given.
3. Parents can request an official copy of student records to hand deliver or mail to the receiving school. The receiving school or university can request official transcripts.