Edmonds School District No. 15
Lynnwood, WA 98036-5789
8130-R1 - PROCEDURES REGARDING STUDENT ABSENCES, TARDINESS AND EXCUSES
Adopted
9/4/79
Revised
5/5/80
1/19/81
6/27/83
7/10/89
7/12/94
Students (in concert with their parents) have the responsibility for establishing and maintaining prompt and regular attendance as prescribed in the Compulsory Attendance Law of the State of Washington.
Students are expected to be in class on time unless they are excused. Teachers are responsible for taking an accurate attendance count and recording such data in a manner prescribed by the building principal.
A student's academic grade or credit in a particular subject or course may be adversely affected by reason of tardiness or absences only to the extent and upon the basis that:
- The student's attendance and/or participation is related to the instructional objectives or goals of the particular subject or course; and
- The student's attendance and/or participation has been identified by the teacher, pursuant to the regulations and procedures of the school district, as a basis for grading, in whole or in part, in the subject or course.
Each teacher shall annually by October 1 file with his/her building principal his/her grading criteria, including the relationship of grading to attendance/participation.
All absences/tardies will be assigned to one of the following categories:
EXCUSED ABSENCES/TARDIES
Absences/tardies will be excused for the following reasons:
- Personal illness or injury. (In cases of extended illness or injury, a doctor's confirmation may be required.)
- Doctor or dental appointments which cannot be scheduled before or after school hours.
- Absence resulting from participation in activities related to recognized religious holidays.
- Other absences or tardies for reasons deemed appropriate by the principal or designee.
In order to receive excused status for an absence, a request from the student's parent/guardian must be made with school personnel within two (2) school days following the student's return to school. Absences may also be prearranged by written request when parents have advance knowledge of a pending absence. Such requests will be judged against the criteria above to determine whether or not the absence/tardy will be excused. Students (not school personnel) are responsible for providing timely information in regard to absences for which an excused status is sought.
SCHOOL RELATED ABSENCES/TARDIES
School related absences/tardies are field trips, athletic events, ASB meetings, and other school-related activities which are recognized and approved by authorized building staff.
UNEXCUSED ABSENCES/TARDIES
Other absences/tardies such as those resulting from leaving school prior to dismissal without authorization, over sleeping, skipping or cutting class(es), and truancy are unexcused.
Unexcused absences/tardies can result in discipline, suspension and/or expulsion. Excessive accumulation of excused and/or unexcused absences may also result in loss of grades and loss of credit. (Exception: Kindergarten through grade four ___ No student in kindergarten through grade four shall be subject to loss of academic grades or credit by reason of the suspension of such a student.) Prior to any suspension, expulsion, and/or the loss of grades or credit to a student, the school authorities must ensure that reasonable steps are taken to attempt to ameliorate the cause(s) of the student's tardies/absences from school. Steps to reduce student tardies or absences shall include, but are not limited to one or more of the following intervention strategies:
a. warning
b. adjustment of a student's program or course assignments
c. counseling by a school counselor
d. counseling by a school administrator
e. referral to outside services
f. student-teacher conference
g. after school detention or study sessions
h. in-house detention/short term suspensions
i. Saturday school detention
j. attendance contract
k. intra-district transfer
l. referral to juvenile agencies
m. referral to Scriber Lake High School
n. referral to CLIP
o. referral to student placement officer
p. community or school service.
When such interventions are administered, the student and student's parent/guardian should be notified that future violations of the attendance policy and/or additional absences could result in further discipline, suspension or expulsion and/or loss of credit and grade(s) as appropriate. Such notification in writing, and when reasonably possible an oral communication, intended to resolve the student's attendance problem must be made with the student's parent/guardian prior to the implementation of any suspension, expulsion and/or the loss of credit and grade(s).
When reasonable intervention strategies attempting to modify the student's attendance behavior have failed and the principal or designee has determined that additional alternatives will also be unsuccessful, the student may be suspended for the remainder of the trimester/semester or expelled, and/or denied credit and grade(s), provided the school attendance requirements were communicated to all students at the beginning of the school year.
Any student who is absent for 12 (twelve) consecutive days without notifying the school of the cause of such absences may be withdrawn from school.
High school students who receive long-term suspensions for absences or tardinesses with loss of credit and grades in consecutive semesters, may be expelled.