Attendance

School board policy and state law allow a student's absence from school to be excused: for participation in a school-sponsored or school-approved activity, when the student is physically or mentally unable to attend school, and for family emergencies.

A student's parent/guardian may request a preplanned absence for their student to participate in activities, which enhance the student’s health, education and/or family relationships. The parent/guardian must complete a district “Preplanned Absence” form, or provide the information requested on the form prior to the absence. The student then must arrange with his/her teachers to obtain assignments that will be missed during the absence and/or obtain make up work.

The school principal has the authority to approve or not approve each parent-requested preplanned absence, and may deny allowing the absence if granting the absence would have a serious adverse effect upon the student's educational progress.

A principal-approved preplanned absence from school will be an excused absence. 

A parent/guardian may provide the school with written notice of the need for an early dismissal. The notice must state the time of dismissal requested and the reason the dismissal is needed. This notice must be received in the attendance office before school on the day the dismissal is desired. 

If an emergency should arise, a student may report to the office to request permission to leave school. All students must sign out at the attendance office and have parent/guardian permission before they depart, and sign in at the attendance office when they return.

To be excused, each absence must be verified in writing, or by phone, by the student's parent/guardian. The written note, or phone message, must be delivered to the Attendance Secretary no later than the second day after the student's return to school.

The student will be permitted to make up all missed assignments, having the same number of days as the student was absent to complete make-up work. The teacher will have available alternative assignments of equal academic worth if the missed in-class assignment cannot be duplicated. The teacher will develop a correlation formula or other activity that allows students to maintain their grade if the teacher uses participation points in grading student performance. 

Missed Class Work:
If an excused absence has lasted or is expected to last several days, parents/guardians may request their student’s assignments through Family Access on Skyward.  

Requesting assignments on Family Access:
Enter Family Access with your username and password. 
Go to your student’s schedule and click on the name of each teacher and request homework through his or her email address. 
Teachers will either email the homework back to you or leave it in the attendance office.  
Please allow the teacher a full school day to gather the homework for your student.  (Emails made by 10:00 AM will allow school staff to have the assignment ready for pick-up in the school office by 3:00 PM the following day.  

An absence that does not qualify under Section 5.2.1 or for which no written or telephone notice from the student's parent/guardian is received is unexcused and the student is considered truant from school. In addition, student “skip days” are considered unexcused absences.

A student whose absence is not excused will experience the consequences of his or her absence, including the following:

The student's grade may be adversely affected if a graded activity or assignment occurs during the period of time the student is absent. 
The school will notify the student's parent or guardian in writing electronically or by telephone of the first and subsequent unexcused absence(s) in a school year.

A conference with the student’s parent or guardian will be held as soon as possible after two unexcused absences within a one-month period. This conference may take place via telephone.
Other forms of discipline may occur with truancies.

The school will schedule a conference with the parent/guardian and school personnel regarding any student who demonstrates habitual unexcused absences to determine what corrective measures should be taken to eliminate the cause for the student's absences. Steps taken may include, where appropriate, adjusting the student's school program or school/course assignment, providing more individualized or remedial instruction, preparing the student for employment with specific vocational courses or work experience, or both, and assisting the parent or student to obtain supplementary services that might eliminate or ameliorate the cause or causes for the absences from school.

If the parent/guardian fails to attend a scheduled conference, or to carry out the steps agreed to at a conference to eliminate unexcused absences, or if unexcused absences persist, the attendance office will notify the parent/guardian in writing of the district's intent to institute legal proceedings under Washington State’s “Becca Bill.” If the attendance office does not receive a satisfactory response to the notification of intent, legal proceedings will be initiated to petition Island County Juvenile Court to assume jurisdiction for the purpose of alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010 by the parent.

A petition alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010 by a student may be filed with Island County Juvenile Court by the parent/guardian of the student, or by the school district.

All required forms pertaining to absences may be obtained at the attendance office of the school.