Attendance

What to do if my student will be absent or late

For safety reasons, parents must report student absences by using the link above or calling the main office as soon as possible each day the student is absent. Parents should leave the name of the students, the name of the teacher and a reason for the absence.  If the school has not received a call by 9:45 a.m., the office will call parents at home or work to verify a student's absence. 

Your child may need to rest at home if they have:
-  fever
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- not feeling well enough to participate in the school day

Your child should remain at home for 24 hours after their symptoms have subsided.  This helps prevent the spread of communicable diseases and allows the student the opportunity to rest and recover fully from the illness.  When your child is feeling ill, please don't hesitate to call the school nurse with questions or concerns.

Please inform the school of any positive illness test results. 

The school district will follow the guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health for recommended exclusion and notificaiton for vaccine-preventable diseases including coronavirus, mumps, measles, rubella, pertussis, diphtheria, viral hepatitis, chickenpox and meningitis. Families will not be notified and students are not excluded for lice, pink eye, or strep throat. 

Consistent attendance ensures a child's success in school. In the state of Minnesota, it is the parent or guardian's legal responsibility that all elementary-age children attend school. Elementary-age students who miss 7 or more unexcused days of school, are considered at risk for educational neglect and their parents are in violation of the state law on compulsory education (See MN Statutes 260C.007, Subd. 19).  State guidelines require schools to record absences and tardies. 

Excessive absences and/or tardies will result in a letter of concern from the school.  Three unexcused tardies may be considered as one unexcused absence. In some cases, the school may require a doctor's note or a visit to the school nurse for the absence to be considered excused.  Tardies are defined as being late for school or leaving before the school day is over. 

We understand that family vacations can be valuable learning experiences for children. We ask that you plan these vacations around days that there is no school, so that less school is missed. Please notify the office in advance of planned family vacations. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. 

If you have questions regarding District 196's attendance guidelines, please contact:

Adriana Henderson, Principal - 651-683-6969, ext.38574

Christine Kroeze, Social Worker - 651-683-6969, ext.38573

Attendance Matters

Attendance Matters is an initiative in District 196 that takes a proactive approach to making sure students are in school every day. This initiative was launched in the 2018-19 school year and provides administrators and educators a renewed opportunity to dig deeper into the reasons for unexcused absences in an effort to keep kids in the classroom. The Attendance Matters initiative uses research and resources from the national Attendance Works program to highlight the seriousness of chronic absenteeism and the effects it has on learning, as well as strategies to improve attendance.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college and beyond.

Withdrawing Children from School

If you are planning to move out of the Glacier Hills attendance area, please call the office at 651-683-8570 and provide the last day of attendance for your child.  If you move within the school district, please provide your new address. Your child's school records will be sent to the receiving school.  If you are moving out of the school district, we need to know the name of the city and state to which you are moving. Records for students enrolling in a school outside of District 196 must be requested in writing by the new school.