Attendance Policy

Dear Parents & Guardians,

This letter is to inform you of Lanakila Elementary’s attendance policy and procedures. According to the Hawaii Revised Statues, §302A-1132, “All school age children must attend either a public or private school unless exempted” and goes on to state that it is the parent or guardian having the responsibility for the care of the child that is obligated to send the child to school.

Students need to attend school daily and be in class on time so that optimum benefits of education can be achieved. Unexcused absences and excessive tardiness are unacceptable and prevent maximum learning from taking place. The school has a responsibility to take appropriate action for non attendance and tardies.

Absent is defined as when a student is not physically present in school for more than half of the school day. The school will only excuse absences when written documentation is submitted and for one of the following reasons: illness or injury, death in the family, court appearances or special cases approved by the principal. Unexcused absences include: vacations and travel, babysitting, caring for a family member, personal business, parent request without explanation, etc. If your child is absent, notify the school by calling 307-9200, before 8:30am. Provide the reason for absence, student full name and a phone number where you can be reached. Written documentation is still required in order for an absence to be marked excused.

School begins promptly at 8:00 am. A tardy is when a student arrives to school anytime after 8:00 am. If your child is tardy s/he needs to report to the office where a late slip will be written before going to class in order for it to be taken to the teacher. Excused tardies require written notification and will be accepted for the following reasons: medical or dental appointment with note, delayed school bus, and all excused absence reasons.

Please use intercessions, holidays and breaks for your vacations and personal business. We want to ensure that our children maximize the opportunity for learning! Thank you for your support and understanding.