Dear Parents and Guardians,

The staff at Tyler Elementary is excited to have everyone back for a new school year filled with opportunities for learning, growth, and engagement! We care about your student’s success.

Did you know attendance is the number one predictor of both dropout and graduation rates. Establishing the habit of daily attendance is more important than ever and helps to reduce stress, strengthen connections with friends and teachers, and support academic success.

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) follows the provisions of Virginia law (Code of Virginia § 22.1-254) regarding compulsory attendance for all school-aged students.

PWCS uses an attendance management system that carefully tracks attendance and ensures that parents are notified in a timely and consistent manner when students are absent from school.

Attendance letters are mailed to notify parents of:

  • Truancy status when students accrue three unexcused absences
  • Excessive excused absences
  • Chronic absentee status when students are absent 10% of instructional days based on where we are in the school year.

Revisions have been made to Regulation 724-1- Attendance, Absences, Excuses, and Tardies.

We encourage families to note the following key updates:

  • Schools will require a doctor’s note when a student misses three consecutive days or a total of 10 days during the school year due to illness.
  • Family trips or absences related to travel are unexcused absences.
  • Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more school days in a school year. Both excused and unexcused absences count towards chronic absenteeism.
  • Students are expected to make up all missed assignments and assessments for both excused and unexcused absences.
  • Military-connected students may have up to five days of excused absences to visit a parent/guardian called to active duty or on leave from active duty.

Parents should notify the school before, or at the start of, the school day when their child will be absent. Parents must send written or electronic communication citing the reason(s) for the absence to the school no more than five school days following the date of the absence.

To report an absence at Tyler, please email [email protected] or call us at 703-754-7181. You may also report it on the ParentVUE App.

We understand that some absences are unavoidable, however we encourage parents and guardians to schedule appointments on scheduled days off for students throughout the school year. View the 2025-26 school calendar webpage to view days off for students.

We are committed to creating a safe, healthy, and supportive learning environment and understand there are times when your child may need to stay home due to illness or other unavoidable circumstances. If you need assistance or resources to have a successful school year, please contact us at 703-754-7181. We value your partnership and look forward to a successful school year together!

Virginia attendance laws:
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title22.1/chapter14/section22.1-254/

PWCS attendance regulations:
https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/pwcs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BLQQE568208B

School calendar link so you can plan appointments on days we do not have school
PWCS School Calendar

Sincerely,

Jennifer Perilla
Principal
Tyler Elementary School