Highlands Elementary School

Students attendance is very important for their academic growth. Students are expected to be in school all day unless they are ill. The state law recognizes no other valid reason for absence except that of illness, religious holidays, medical or legal appointments, and family emergencies. Parents have the right to present justifiable reasons to the school for consideration in advance, if absence, other than the above, is anticipated.

Effort should be made to schedule medical and dental appointments outside of school time. All absences require a written note or phone call within two days from a parent or guardian stating the reason for absence. A note or call without a reason is unexcused. The school will be required to petition the Juvenile Court System to mandate compulsory attendance if and when a student has seven (7) unexcused absences in one month or ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year.

Objectives of the Highlands Elementary School Attendance Policy are to:

Develop students' personal responsibility.

Adhere to state and district regulations.

Build a sense of trust between the student, the school and home,
yet be firm so that students do not develop careless attendance habits.

EXCUSED ABSENCES:

An excused absence may be granted after the parent/guardian writes a note which states the dates and reason for the missed days. Acceptable reasons (stated above) other than illness which may seem justifiable must be presented to the school in advance. Should a parent/guardian wish to remove their son/daughter from school for extended medical problems, emergencies, family vacations, etc., a parent contact is necessary prior to the student's absence from school in order to have the absence marked excused. We strongly discourage absences for non-medical and non-emergency reasons. Please plan vacations during school holidays. A physician's note is required for illness resulting in absence for more than five (5) consecutive days.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

An unexcused absence means that a student has failed to attend the majority of classes in an average school day and that the parent has not informed the school of a valid basis for the absence within two school days after the absence. The school may refuse to acknowledge a parental excuse if the absenteeism was unnecessarily prolonged and potentially harmful to the child's academic achievement. An unexcused absence is defined as any unauthorized absence from school. Examples include, but are not limited to:

1. Hair appointments
2. Shopping
3. Oversleeping
4. Missing the bus
5. Babysitting other siblings
6. Failure to obtain private transportation to school
7. Vehicle mechanical problems
8. Failure to obtain pre-release for absences other than illness or emergency
9. Staying with friends or family without prior notice to the school, or a note/phone call to school within 2 days of absence.

TRUANCY:

A truancy is defined as any unauthorized or willful absence from school, class, or scheduled activity during any part of the school day. In brief, a truancy occurs when:

1. The student is absent without the permission of the parent/guardian and/or the school.
2. When the parent has not requested prior approval from school when time permitted such approval.

ABSENCE PROCEDURES:

When a student is absent from school, a parent/guardian should call the Attendance Line at 425-204-4611 and give the following information:

1. Child's full name
2. Date(s) of absence
3. Reason for absence

If the Attendance Line has not been called, a written note upon the student's return is required within 2 days of absence. The note must include:

1. Child's full name
2. Date(s) of absence
3. Reason for absence
4. Parent/guardian signature

The student should give their note to the teacher; the teacher will forward the note to the office. Students without a phone call or note and/or excusable reasons will be given an unexcused absence.

LATE ARRIVALS/TARDY:

A student who arrives at school after 8:55 must report to the office for an ADMIT TO CLASS slip. Tardies are excused or unexcused for the same reasons as absences, and students must either be accompanied to the office by their parent/guardian OR have a note from their parent/guardian. A warning bell rings five minutes before school starts, giving ample opportunity to be in class on time. Three unexcused late arrivals (tardies) within 30 days will result in contact from the school. Parents will be notified of excessive tardiness.

EARLY DISMISSAL:
Leaving school early is called an EARLY DISMISSAL. Acceptable reasons for taking a student out of class during the day are the same as they would be for an excused absence. A written request, signed by a parent or guardian, should be given to the teacher BEFORE the start of school on the day the early dismissal is required. The student will be called from class when the parent/guardian arrives at the office to check them out. As always, we encourage parents/guardians to make appointments outside of the school day whenever possible. Also, we request that you do not ask to have students dismissed between 2:45 and 3:05 p.m. unless absolutely necessary (i.e. emergency, appointment, etc.). PLEASE REMEMBER: students should never leave school for any reason during the day without checking out through the office!

BECCA BILL INFORMATION:
This information provides a brief overview of the provisions of a law enacted by the Washington State Legislature. State Bill E2SSB 5439 Runaway/Truancy, commonly known as the Becca Bill, is in effect. The purpose of this bill is to provide support to parents of children who may have run away and/or are out of control and are therefore absent without excuse from school.

In the Renton School District, an unexcused absence means the student was absent more than half the day and the parent did not provide an acceptable reason for the absence. Acceptable reasons include: illness, emergency, religious holidays or observances, medical/dental appointments, school sponsored activities, the result of discipline, pre-authorized absences, or other special cases as determined by a school administrator.

After the first unexcused absence, you will be notified by school personnel. If, for some reason, an absence should actually have been excused, you will need to provide the reason for the absence, and the record will be corrected.

After the second unexcused absence within a month, (and a third and a fourth), you will be contacted by school personnel who will arrange a conference with you. At that conference, plans will be developed to eliminate any further unexcused absences, you will also receive a letter.

After a seventh (7th) unexcused absence within a month (or after the tenth (10th) cumulative unexcused absence within a school year) the school district is required to file a petition in Juvenile Court alleging violation of this law. A variety of consequences may be imposed including a possible fine of $25 a day levied against the parent/guardian for noncompliance.

As you can see, it is extremely important that you communicate in a timely manner with your student's school about any absences. As a team working together, we can help assure maximum attendance, and thus maximum educational opportunities for our students.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important matter.

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