Parents and students are encouraged to view student attendance often on Family Access and to contact the Attendance Office at 425-837-6012 or email hollingsworthl@issaquah.wednet.edu if there are any questions or concerns.

To find out how absences statisitically impact your student's performance and likelihood of graduation, to find some automated tools to help your student get to school on time, and find out about the law related to school absences visit the Issaquah High School Attendance page.

Below you will find information on Issaquah attendance procedures.  Full attendance procedures and policies can be found beginning on page 11 of the Student Handbook.

Absences:

1. Excused absences must be verified by a telephone call of explanation by a parent, guardian, emancipated student or adult student the day following the absence or by a signed note of explanation upon the student’s arrival on campus. If the student does not clear an absence in that time frame, it becomes an unexcused absence. Further, a detention notice for failing to clear an absence will be sent. If the student has an 18-year-old agreement, verification must be made by the student prior to 9 a.m. on the day of the absence. Otherwise, a parent will need to verify the absence.
   1. Excused Absences:  The following are valid excuses for absences and tardiness:
      1. Participation in a school-approved activity with appropriate documentation and notification to teachers.
      2. Absence due to requests made by the parent/guardian such as illness, health conditions, family reason, religious purposes, or educational opportunities.
      3. Absence resulting from sessions with counselors or disciplinary actions or short-term suspension.
   2. Unexcused Absences (truancies):  All absences that are not authorized by the principal, not excused from among the above reasons, or results with leaving school without checking out are unexcused absences. Failing to provide a note/phone call from parent/guardian to verify an absence on the day of the student’s return to school is also truancy. Students may not receive credit for a graded activity or assignment assigned or due during the time of truancy nor will they be allowed to make up missed work
2. Upon returning to school from an absence, students must obtain an admit slip at the main office and present it to each teacher that day.
3. Prearranged absences may be secured through a form from the main office signed by the parent/guardian. The form must be returned to the attendance office one week prior to the absence. If the absence causes a serious adverse effect on the student’s educational progress, the absence will be reviewed by an administrator.
4. Students who become ill at school must check out with the attendance office even if the health attendant speaks with a parent/guardian. Failure to do so could result in an unexcused absence and disciplinary action.
5. Students are encouraged to contact their teachers via email and class websites to get make up work. Arrangements can be made with teachers to pick up work through the attendance office. Homework/make up work will not be gathered for students missing school because of personal choice or truancy.  Students are expected to take care of attendance business during their own time such as before school, during break, at lunch or after school.

Checking in or Early Release:

Upon arriving late to school students should sign in at the Attendance Office. The student will be given an admit slip so he or she can head to class.

If a student has to leave class early, parents must pre-arrange an early release via one of the methods:

1. 1. Have your student bring a note to the attendance office the morning of the early release – an early release slip will be given to the student so he or she can leave class.
   2. Email the attendance secretary, Lisa Hollingsworth, at hollingsworthl@issaquah.wednet.edu with details of the early release and have your student pick up their early release slip prior to the time he or she needs to leave.
   3. Call and leave a voicemail the night before the early release and have your student pick up the early release slip the day of his or her departure.

Please always have your student pick up their early release slip – not wait for it to be delivered to class! We do our best to have a positive, uninterrupted learning environment and appreciate your help in the endeavor.

Tardiness:

Students arriving late for school or class for any reason not described as an excused absence will be counted as an unexcused tardy and subject to disciplinary action. Students arriving later than 15 minutes shall be counted as absent for the class and not tardy.

Forms:

• 18 Year Old Waiver Form
• Attendance Correction Form
• Pre-Arranged Absence Form

Absence Notifications:

As daily attendance has shown to positively impact student learning Issaquah High School has set forward the following attendance notifications for absences:

Auto dialer phone calls for unexcused absences – this is an important intervention and is considered communication with home. Parents will be notified each day that their students have any unexcused absences via an automated call dispatched through the district office.

Attendance Letters – If students have accumulated multiple days of excused and unexcused absences throughout the school year, a letter will be sent home to their parents indicating the number of days missed and what days those are in detail. Letters are sent out at intervals of 5 days, 7 days and 11 days.

BECCA  – Becca is a legal process that the state of Washington has put into place to help students not attending school return to school successfully. If a student misses 7 days unexcused in a month or 10 days unexcused in the course of the whole school year a legal petition will be filed. Letter notifications will be sent home at 2 days, 5 days, 7 days and 10 days when your student has accumulated unexcused absences on their record. If you would like more information on the Becca process, please visit: http://www.k12.wa.us/safetycenter/truancy/default.aspx