Student Absences and Excuses

File: JED

Importance of Regular Attendance
The Lake Washington School District recognizes the importance of regular school attendance as a necessity for mastery of the educational program provided to students of the District. As such, students are expected to attend all assigned classes each day.

Notice of Importance and Policies/Procedures
At the beginning of each school year and when students enroll, the District shall inform students and their parents/guardians of the expectation that students attend all assigned classes each day, the benefits of regular school attendance, the consequences of truancy, the role and responsibility of the District regarding truancy, and resources available to assist the student and their parents or guardians in correcting truancy. The District will also make this information available online and will take reasonable steps to ensure parents are provided such information in a language they can understand. Parents will be required to acknowledge receipt of this information online or in writing.

Attendance Records
Each day, student absences and tardiness will be recorded for each class period or session.

Excused Absences and Chronic Absenteeism
Students may be excused from attendance subject to approval by the student’s parent and the school principal or designee based on valid excuse criteria outlined in regulation JED R.

If a student is chronically absent, the school principal shall have reason to consider that further absences may have an adverse impact on the student’s educational progress and therefore that further absences shall not be considered excused until a conference is held to develop a plan to support the student and that the student is in compliance with such a plan.

If families have prior knowledge that their student will be absent, they may pre-arrange for the absence to be excused. If the pre-arranged absence will result in the student being considered chronically absent the pre-arrangement process must include a plan indicating how the student will maintain sufficient educational progress.

Unexcused Absences (Truancy)
Any absence from school is unexcused unless it meets one of the criteria in JED-R for an excused absence. The school shall notify a student’s parent or guardian in writing or by telephone whenever the student has failed to attend school after any unexcused absence.

Additional unexcused absences shall result in consequences consistent with state law and outlined in regulation JED-R.

Specific Procedures
Specific procedures governing attendance, chronic absenteeism, and truancy shall be outlined in regulation JED-R.


Adopted
08/07/67

Revised
01/06/86
05/07/90
10/07/96
08/01/06
08/07/17

LEGAL REFS.:
RCW 13.34.300
28A.225.050-060
28A.600.035
WAC 392-400-233
392-400-235
392-400-325

CROSS REFS.:
IGAC, Teaching about Religion (IGAC-R)
JED-R, Student Absences and Excuses
JEA, Compulsory Attendance Ages

A group of students sing at an assembly