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INTERLAKE HIGH SCHOOL

ATTENDANCE POLICY AND GUIDELINES

Printable IHS Attendance Policy and Guidelines

Pre-Arranged Absences Form

ATTENDANCE POLICY AND GUIDELINES

The staff at Interlake High School considers regular attendance essential to learning. This includes timely and consistent attendance by all students. Late arrivals can disrupt the continuity of the instructional time and ultimately detract from the learning experiences of other students and the student who is late. Students need to be in class and ready to learn at the bell.

BOARD POLICY 3122 (EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES):

All student absences will be classified as excused or unexcused. Absences for the following reasons will be excused if there is timely verification (within 2 school days upon return) of such reasons provided to the school:

  1. Illness or medical emergency.
  2. Family emergencies.
  3. Observances of established special days of a religious calendar.
  4. Pre-arranged medical and dental appointments.
  5. Pre-arranged school-sponsored activities, such as field trips.
  6. Absences which, according to the discretion of the principal, or his/her designee, after consulting with the parent, guardian, or adult student, may be deemed appropriate but not covered in the above-stated instances.

A student who is absent from school without excuse shall be considered for discipline, suspension or expulsion, provided the actions required by WAC 180-40-235(I), 180-40-245(3), 180-40-260(3) and 180-40-275(3) have been taken.

The BECCA Bill: Washington State Truancy Law:

The Attendance office, administrators and counselors will ensure that Interlake High School complies with the state truancy law, RCW 28A 225. The law requires parents to cause their student(s) to attend school regularly and to provide valid justification to the school when their student(s) is absent. Interlake staff will notify parents/guardians of unexcused absences. Students may be subject to consequences such as conferences, detention, in-school suspension, or loss of credit due to continued unexcused absences. Accommodations such as a schedule change will also be considered.

INTERLAKE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND FAMILY EXPECTATIONS

    1. Communicating with the Attendance Office: We strongly encourage parents to contact the attendance office at (425) 456-7206 or by e-mail at [email protected] if a student is going to be out of school for the day.
    2. Returning to school after an absence: A student who misses an entire period (or periods) from school has 48 hours (2 days) to communicate an excuse for the absence by either present a note (including the reason for the absence) to the attendance office from their parent, or parent communication via e-mail mailto:[email protected] or phone (425-456-7206) excusing the absence (including the reason for the absence). Failure to follow this process will result in the absence being recorded as an unexcused absence.
    3. Parent Approved activities / Family Vacations during School Sessions: All absences related to non-school activities must be pre-arranged. This category of absence will be counted as excused for purposes agreed to by the principal and the parent/guardian for a maximum of five days. The pre-arranged absence form will be provided to students when a note from the parent requesting the pre-arranged absence is submitted. The form requires signatures from an administrator, teachers, and a parent/guardian and should be submitted at least 5 school days prior to the absence. Families should not schedule vacations to occur while school is still in session. If a family vacation must occur while school is in session it must be pre-arranged using the pre-arranged. Failure to follow procedure will result in an unexcused absence.
    4. Signing out of school: If you have an appointment and must leave during the school day, you need to bring a note from home to the Attendance Office before school. You will then receive a note excusing you from class for your appointment, which you will then present to your teacher in order to be let out of class. (see also ‘Leaving School due to Illness’)
    5. Make-up Work: Students have the right to make up work after an excused absence. Students will be allowed one day to make up work for each day absent. Teachers may determine if additional time will be given to complete that make-up work and may assign students to tutorial as needed to support the student in getting work completed. Teachers are not required to give students the opportunity to make up work for unexcused absences.
    6. Tardies to School: All students arriving late to school (1st period, or their first scheduled class of the day) are expected to check in at the attendance office to pick up an Admit to Class slip. If the tardy is to be marked as excused, a parent guardian note stating a legitimate reason for the tardy must be provided either at this time or within 24 hours of the tardy. After 24 hours, late arrivals will automatically be marked as unexcused. Students arriving to school on time, but to an individual class late do not need to report to the attendance office. Reporting to the attendance office is only required when your first arrival on campus is after the school day has already begun.
    7. Tardies to Class: Bellevue School District procedure 3122P states that individual schools will determine at what point a tardy to class becomes an absence. At Interlake, students who arrive late to class with at least 50% of the class remaining will be marked ‘present- tardy excused’ or ‘present-tardy unexcused’. Students who arrive late with less than 50% of the class remaining will be marked ‘absent-excused’ or ‘absent-unexcused’. Students are encouraged to take advantage of remaining time in class to make up what was missed due to absence.  In addition, students who leave class and are out of class for more than 50% of the class period will be marked ‘absent-excused’ or ‘absent-unexcused’.
    8. Students who are 18 years old or older: Adult students (those over eighteen) and emancipated students (those over sixteen who have been emancipated by court action) are expected to follow all guidelines outlined by Interlake High School in this document, i.e. notify Interlake of their absence (phone, e-mail or written note), and follow the same process for signing out of school and leaving school due to illness.
    9. Monitoring Attendance on Synergy: Students and families are encourage to monitor their attendance by reviewing their attendance record available in Aspen. Instructions are located on the BSD website. https://bsd405.org/departments/technology/grades-attendance

If a student feels that their attendance has been recorded incorrectly they are encouraged to pick up an Attendance Verification Form (AVF) in the attendance office. 

Support for Students Missing Class

Because regular attendance is an essential factor in a student’s academic success, Interlake High School will make every effort to be proactive in supporting each student’s regular and on time attendance at school. Beginning with the first unexcused absence, and the third unexcused tardy, an Afterschool Attendance Intervention will be scheduled to help students identify and use effective strategies for regular and on time attendance. If tardies and absences persist in spite of these initial afterschool interventions, additional interventions and consequences will be assigned in accordance with school board policy and state law.

Leaving School Due to Illness: When a student becomes ill at school, he/she needs to be evaluated by the school nurse or the person designated in charge of the clinic. Students must bring a note from their teacher excusing them from class. “No Note, No Nurse.” If the student is able to stay in school, they will be given time to rest. If the Nurse determines that a student is too ill to stay at school then the following procedures must be followed:

  1. The school will contact a parent or guardian to obtain permission to send the student home. (If the parent cannot be reached, the student is not allowed to leave the school without administrative consent).
  2. The parent will determine how the student will get home.
  3. The student will receive a Clinic/Attendance admit form
  4. The student will take the white copy of the form to the attendance office and sign out on the clipboard.
  5. If the student returns to school the next day, he/she will take the yellow copy of the form to the classes they missed as an admit slip to those classes.
  6. If the student does not return the next day, when they do return, they take a note to the attendance office from the parent for the days missed at which point they will be provided with an admit slip.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Failure to be evaluated by the Nurse and signed out through the clinic will result in an unexcused absence. 

ABSENCES AND STUDENT ATHLETES

Student athletes are expected to be in attendance on days of practices and competitions. Coaches are provided with a daily printout of attendance to ensure their athletes are eligible to practice or compete based on the following:

 

SCHEDULE TYPE MINIMUM ATTENDANCE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE
7 period day (5) classes must be attended (Mon, Tues, Fri)
6 period day (4) classes must be attended to participate
3 period day (2) classes must be attended (Wed)
4 period day (3) classes must be attended (Thu)

 

In rare, extreme and extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, eligibility to practice or compete may be granted in advance on a case-by-case basis.

The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.