Attendance

Regular attendance is one of the most important indicators for success in school. Even missing two days a month can put a student at increased risk for poor or failing grades. While teachers do their best to help students make up missed class work, there is no substitute for the classroom experience.
When students are absent from school, their absences will be categorized as either EXCUSED, UNEXCUSED or TRUANT.

Excused Absences
There are four ways to notify the school of your student's absence. You only need to do one of these four: 1. In person at the Attendance Office 2. Call 509-340-4254 3. Email [email protected] 4. Send your student with a signed note from a parent/guardian or medical professional when they return to school.

Only absences for the reasons listed below will be excused, unless prior arrangements have been made with administration.
A. Personal Illness
B. Health appointments that cannot be made outside the regular school day
C. Recognized religious holidays
D. Emergency family situations
E. Planned absences which have been approved in advance
F. Scheduled court appearances
G. School related activities that have been cleared by an advisor
For an absence to be excused, a note must be given to the office within 24 hours of the student’s return.

Unexcused Absences
Absences for the reasons listed below will be unexcused, unless prior arrangements have been made with administration.
A. Absences that do not meet the excused absence criteria required by school policy
B. Absences other than for medical reasons or illness
C. Absences that do not meet the criteria for pre-arranged absences
D. Arriving to class after the first 10 minutes without a pass from a staff member which excuses the absence
E. Any absence that qualifies as a TRUANCY
Teachers are not obligated to grade makeup work for unexcused absences.

Truancy
A student who is absent without the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian, or who leaves school without the knowledge and consent of the school, is considered truant.
A. Failure to verify absence within 24 hours of returns
B. Leaves school without signing out of the office
C. Leaves school at lunch without authorization from administration
D. Absent from school without permission from parents or guardians
E. Absent from class without permission from parents, guardians, or staff
F. Obtains a pass but does not directly report to requested area, such as office or counselor
G. Falsification of parental notification

Closed Campus
Lakeside High School operates a closed campus policy. Students must stay on school grounds from the time they arrive until dismissal. They will not be allowed to return to the student parking area without permission during their school day. Students are not to be in their cars during free time.
Students must bring a written parental request to the office to leave the campus for any reason. If it is necessary to leave school for any reason, a signed note from a parent must be presented to the office, and a signed note from a medical professional must be present upon return. Failure to follow these procedures will result in an unexcused absence or truancy and corrective action may result.

Attendance Procedure
1. It is expected that students will attend class on every school day. All teachers will take roll and keep a record of absences and tardiness.
2. Makeup work will be allowed for excused absences only. Teachers are not obligated to allow makeup work for other absences.
3. It is the responsibility of an absent student to provide notification to the school from parent/guardian for absence verification within 1 school day of the absence. Notification must contain date(s) of absence, reason for absence, and parent signature.
4. In order for a student to arrange to leave school prior to the end of the day, he/she is to get an early dismissal form the main office. The student should provide a note stating the reason and signed by the parent or guardian. The student will then present the early dismissal form to their teacher when it is time to be dismissed and will check out of school at the attendance office.
5. If the student does not have a note, personnel in the office will attempt to contact parents or guardian before the student will be released from school. If contact is impossible, the school administration may release the student if it is in the best interest of the student to allow him/her to return home. Every precaution will be taken to see that he/she arrives home safely.
6. Students who arrive to school late must report to the attendance office for an admission slip.
7. Students who are absent from any of their scheduled classes on the day of an extra-curricular activity in which they are scheduled to take part will not be allowed to participate in that extra-curricular activity, practice or game.
8. Exceptions will be made for verified doctor or dental appointments (doctor note upon return to school) and for other absences where prior approval is obtained through the administration.

Makeup Work
In keeping with our belief that the classroom experience and interaction with the teacher are important aspects of the educational setting, the school reserves the right to require students to makeup work and school time lost through extended absence. The teacher or administrator, working in conjunction with the student, will determine the time, place and duration of makeup. The makeup policy will follow district policy.
1. Makeup work will be required for all excused absences.
2. Absences will either result in extra time put forth by the student to makeup the work missed or a loss of credit.
3. It is the student's responsibility to check with the teacher and to complete the required makeup work within the allowable makeup period following the student's return to school: (1 day absence = 2 days' makeup period; 2 days absence = 4 days' makeup period, etc.) Makeup work is normally done outside of class time.
4. When a student is suspended for 3 or more days, it is expected that all work missed will be obtained and completed during the suspension period and submitted immediately upon return.
5. Makeup tests will be taken either before or after school or by prior arrangement with the teacher.
Field Trips/School Related Absences
If a field trip/school related absence requires that students miss additional class time, student must obtain and complete a Pre-arranged Absence Form from their teacher/coach one week in advance. Teacher and administrator discretion regarding attendance and academic progress will determine if a student will attend a field trip. All field trips will follow School Board Policy 2320.

Pre-arranged Absences/Non-school Related Absences
Lakeside High School strongly discourages students taking vacations during the semester or leaving school prior to the normal closing date. Students missing classes lose essential instruction and place increased demands on classroom teachers in the areas of grading, administering makeup work, providing additional instruction outside of class, etc.
During the planning for an absence, parents and students should understand that teachers cannot possibly, in all cases, pre-teach the lessons, nor provide makeup assignments to cover all the material that will be missed. This is especially true in a performance class or a class that requires student participation. Since a student presumably needs to attend the full semester to earn full credit, it is reasonable to expect that extended absences will usually result in a lower grade. However, occasions arise where absences are necessary. When this is the case, the school will make every reasonable attempt to reduce the damage to the student's educational program. The intent is to help students maintain high academic standing.
In order that students and parents may not be misled and suffer possible disappointment, it must be clearly understood that:
1. A Parent Request Form to pre-arrange an absence must be submitted to the Principal’s office one week prior to the absence date. Find the form here.
2. A Student Homework/Pre-arranged Absence Form will be issued from the office to be presented by the student to his/her teachers. This form must be complete three day prior to the absence.
3. Teachers will state in writing on Pre-arranged Absence Form student expectations and possible consequences that could result from the extended absence and alternatives that would help minimize the potential harm to the student's final grade. An indication of willingness on the part of the teacher to assist the student is not to be construed as a promise that the student will receive full credit. The responsibility for completion of all makeup requirements rests with the student. Makeup assignments are due upon returning to class.
4. All pre-arranged absences occurring the final week of the semester must have administrator approval.

Tardiness
Lakeside High School promotes punctuality. It is expected that students will be to class on time. Habitual tardiness creates a disruption to the educational process in the classroom.
1. Any students who arrive at school after the beginning of the school day must clear themselves through the attendance office before going to class.
2. In the event a teacher holds a student after class, the teacher will issue a note to the student to go to his/her next class.
3. The teacher/attendance personnel will keep all student tardy records.
4. Tardies will be handled on a classroom to classroom basis. Excessive unexcused tardies (4 or more) may result in student intervention or other corrective action.
5. All students assigned to lunch or after school intervention must complete teacher assigned work and gain teacher approval for completed work. Failure to satisfactorily complete work assigned will result in additional intervention or corrective action.
6. After school intervention begins five minutes after school is dismissed and lasts one hour. Students who are not on time may be assigned further intervention until the time missed and incomplete work is complete.
Chronic Absenteeism Chronic absence, as defined by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), is when a student misses 10% or more of their school days, whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Ten percent equates to missing two days a month. Every absence, excused or unexcused, is a learning opportunity lost and can have significant impacts on a student’s success in school. OSPI reports that students who are reported as chronically absent during any two years between 8th and 12th grade have a greater than 50% chance of not finishing high school.
In order to address chronic absenteeism, and in accordance with Washington State Truancy Law, the following interventions have been established:
1. Parents/guardians will receive and automated phone call notifying them that their student is absent.
2. After the 3rd and 6th absences, parents/guardians will receive a letter reminding them of next steps and consequences of continued absences.
3. After the 9th absence, parents/guardians will be invited to the school to meet with administrators and counselors to determine appropriate interventions to support the student with regular attendance. Interventions may include but are not limited to:
▪ Assigning a student mentor
▪ Daily check-and-connect with a staff member
▪ Weekly attendance checks home to parents
▪ Lunch and after school intervention time to make up missed assignments
▪ Attendance contract
▪ Administering a student needs assessment
▪ Removal of barriers to regular school attendance, such as transportation issues
4. Students who continue to be absent after 9 absences may be referred to a Community Truancy Board (CTB) hearing where barriers to regular attendance will be addressed and a formal plan will be put in place. CTB is the final school intervention before students are referred to juvenile court. 5. After 7 unexcused absences in month or 15 unexcused absences in a year, and following a CTB hearing, the school will file a petition with juvenile court in keeping with RCW 28A.225.020 School’s Duties Upon Child’s Failure to Attend School.

Hall Passes
Students may not leave class the first or last ten (10) minutes of the class. When students leave class, they must turn their cell phone into their teacher. When they are out of class, all students must display a hall pass issued by a staff member. When students leave a class, they must also sign out on the classroom check-out sheet, stating a time and their destination. Students must also record the time of their return. This information is necessary for accountability reasons in time of an emergency or crisis.