Attendance
Overall Attendance Philosophy
Being at school matters ... a lot. You only have 540 days to be a Lake Stevens Viking. Showing up every day helps build good habits that carry over into college and career. Students who get up (and show up) every day are more likely to repeat this pattern once they land a job or enroll in college. According to the latest research by Ginsburg, Jordan, and Chang (2014), "A student who misses 10 days or more during a school year is 20 percent less likely to graduate from high school and 25 percent less likely to ever enroll in college." This section is devoted to helping students and parents/guardians understand Lake Stevens High School's attendance policies and procedures.
Parents with questions or concerns about their student’s attendance should log onto Skyward Family Access or call 425 335-1570 for a current status report. As another resource, parents can also sign up in Family Access (under parent notifications) to receive daily email notifications of their student’s attendance.
It's all about showing up...
Excused Absences:
When you miss all or part of a school day (or 10 or more minutes of a class period) AND you have a parent/guardian contact the school within three days (72 hours) with a legitimate reason for the absence.
Unexcused Absences:
When you miss all or part of a school day (or 10 or more minutes of a period) BUT no parent/guardian contacts the school within three days (72 hours) with a legitimate reason for the absence.
And then there are "Excessive Absences"
We run attendance reports frequently, and look for patterns in student attendance. When we notice a student has excessive absences, it is flagged for review, and we verify their absences are valid. If a student has more than seven days of unexcused absences or ten excused absences in a month, they will be asked to complete a WARNS assessment and be put on a contract. Our goal is to help identify barriers and put supports in place.
If, after review, the pattern of absences - excused or unexcused - is determined to be unnecessary in nature, they fall under the category of "excessive absences." Students can be assigned lunch detentions or tardies for excessive absences and can be recommended/ assigned for after school tutoring.
In this way, even excused absences can stack up.
What about family vacations?
We strongly encourage families to take trips during designated non-school days. Students only have 180 days to receive instruction, and every day counts. Missing more than the normal identified days off (school vacation such as winter or spring break) places an undue burden on both the student and school staff for catching up.
If parents/guardians must schedule family trips during school days, a Prior Permission form is required to be completed and submitted to avoid adverse academic impact. Please follow this process:
Visit the Attendance office to obtain the prior permission form.
At least one day before the absence, coordinate teacher acknowledgment of the absence (s) and collect any homework at teacher discretion.
A parent or guardian must sign the form.
Absent with Prior Permission Form - LSHS_Please return prearranged absence form to the attendance office after having it signed by all teachers, parents, and an administrator.
You will be responsible for all missed assignments and should discuss the assignments with your teacher before leaving.
Extenuating Circumstances?
What if I have a legitimate reason for missing school? Am I done?
Absolutely not! Remember, the process of putting students on an attendance contract is only done after a thorough review of the individual student's circumstances. We realize things happen. We also realize some of our students miss more school than they should for - quite honestly - some pretty silly reasons (oversleeping, coming to school but missing class, etc.). Again, we're hoping to help students build positive habits which will carry over into the workforce and college. Our purpose is to help both students and parents understand the importance of attendance and being present. Because, let's face it, attendance matters!
General Definitions for Attendance
Absence: missing all or part of a school day - or - missing more than ten minutes of a class period.
Absence Excused: include illness, family emergencies, and medically related appointments, juvenile court appearances, absence due to religious purposes, absences resulting from disciplinary actions or short term suspensions, recognized community service activities, and approved pre-arranged family activities with parent permission. Previous attendance patterns will be considered. If absences are considered unexcused, students will not be allowed to make up missing work.
Absence Unexcused: includes absences without an excuse (truancy/skipping/not administrator approved pre-arranged absences), oversleeping, when a student fails to submit a note or parent phone call within the time limit for reporting an absence which is 72 hours, and any other reason not listed as excused under “Excused Absences”.
Attendance Contract: When a student's absence pattern(s) indicates they would benefit from being on an attendance contract, LSHS Administration will work with families and the student to determine the next best step. Generally, as part of the contract, students will enter into an agreement reflecting on steps they will take to improve their attendance.
Attendance Forgery: Having someone other than a your legal guardian write or sign a note, or call in with the intent of excusing your absence. A forgery automatically creates an unexcused absence and will have discipline consequences in addition to attendance consequences.
Attendance Interventions: Measures taken by LSHS staff to assist students with reducing the number of accumulated absences.
Excessive Absences: After review, a pattern of absences determined to be unnecessary in nature (excused or unexcused). Appropriate attendance interventions and consequences will be administered.
Prior Permission to be Absent: All pre-arranged absences must include a Prior Permission form, which is available in the attendance office. The student is responsible for completing the form and returning it to the attendance office before departing for the absence. Part of this process is to obtain a School Administrator's approval. Lack of administrator approval will result in unexcused absences being entered on student attendance records.
School-related absences: these include in-school appointments and meetings, field trips, athletic trips, and suspensions. Students must obtain a field trip form from their teachers for planned and extended school-related absences, and they must have their forms signed by their teachers and their parents prior to departure.
State Mandatory Attendance Law--Becca Bill: Requires all children between 8 and 18 to attend school regularly. This law requires parents and guardians to make sure their children are in school regularly. It requires them to be in school, full time, every day unless there is a valid reason for non-attendance.
Truancy/Skipping: Any absence from class (for more than ten minutes) without parental/teacher knowledge and/or school approval. Skipping classes will result in progressive discipline. Unauthorized/misuse of hall passes may result in a “skip” being added to the student’s attendance total for that period.
Tardies: Any student arriving to class without a legitimate note excusing the late entry after the bell and prior to 10 minutes into the class is considered tardy. Tardies are a disruption to the learning environment and will be handled as a disciplinary matter.