What do You Need to Know about School Attendance?

For every student in the Issaquah School District, one of the important aspects of a student’s ability to achieve academic success is to go to school every day.

In fact, research has shown that it usually takes students three days to catch up with schoolwork for every day they have missed. By making your child’s school attendance a priority, parents will be taking an important step in supporting your child’s school success and setting a good example. Every day counts. When talking about school absences, there are two types of absences: excused absences and unexcused absences.

Excused absences are absences that are scheduled in advance or unscheduled absences due to illness or unexpected emergencies. The Issaquah School District recognizes the following reasons for excused absences: Illness or health condition; medical/dental appointments; religious observance, when requested by a student’s parent(s); school-approved activities and field trips; family

emergencies; required court proceedings; family trips with prior administrator approval; and, as required by law, disciplinary actions or short-term suspension.

Parents need to contact the school’s attendance office if there will be any absence on a school day and need to report on every absent day. If it’s a parent-initiated pre-arranged absence of 3 or more days, the parent needs to fill out a prearranged absence request form and submit it to the school attendance office at least one week prior to the requested absence dates. This form will be reviewed and signed by the school Principal or Designee, who may only grant permission for a student’s absence, providing such absence does not adversely affect the student’s educational process.

If a family is going on an extended trip for more than 20+ days, and plans to be returning to the school before the end of the school year, they still need to complete the same pre-arranged absence form at least a week before the travel.

• The family needs to meet with an administrator to arrange for 20+ day absences. The administrator will excuse the pre-arranged absences if the form is completed at least 1 week prior to the absence, attendance is not a concern, and they have a conversation about the impact. If the family communicates with the school and shares what is happening (examples include: death in family, VISA issues, religious observations, etc.), the school will work together with the family to have the least impact.

• Students who are requesting to be excused for an absence for greater than 20 days must have a signed agreement between parent/guardian and school principal that the absence will not cause a serious adverse effect upon the student's educational progress.

• Your student's school will be contacting you to schedule a conference at a mutually agreeable, reasonable time with at least one District employee, to identify the barriers and supports available to you and your student related to this absence prior to your departure.

• It is the student’s responsibility to make up all assigned work according to his/her teachers’ classroom guidelines.

• Teachers are not expected to give students homework or classwork prior to their absences. Students are expected to check Canvas and make up any work missed unless the teacher does not expect the student to make up the work.

• If a student is traveling internationally and needs access to Office 365/Canvas , Principal/Designee must submit a work order to allow access for the students. Reminder: In high school, the absences may result in loss of credit.

Families are always encouraged to travel during our scheduled breaks. Pre-arranged absence request form can be found and downloaded/printed on each school’s website under Our School -> Attendance menu.

Unexcused absences (Truancy) are all absences that are not authorized by the principal, not excused from among the above reasons, or are the results of leaving school without checking out. Failing to provide a note/phone call from parent/caregiver to verify an absence on the day of the student’s return to school will result in an unexcused absence. The table below shows the different intervention will be performed based on the number of unexcused absences that a student has in a certain duration of time:

As a parent or caregiver, to help improve your student’s attendance, you might consider taking the below actions:

Plan ahead:

• Help your child get to school on time every day by planning ahead. Encourage your child to prepare for the next school day by laying out clothes the night before and helping to fix lunches. Daily attendance routines, created at home or in school, can reduce stress for students and families and create a sense of safety and security, especially after chaotic transitions.

• Create nighttime expectations about the use of technology and limit access to devices after a certain hour to help students focus on getting their sleep.

• Develop a back-up plan for what to do if they miss the bus. Arriving late is preferred over not attending school that day.

• Follow school guidelines and attendance policy, and report excused absences immediately. At the beginning of the school year, review school rules and make sure you understand who to call if your child will be absent.

Schedule family events with your child’s school schedule in mind:

• Try to plan holiday celebrations or family trips during weekends or school vacations. In the case of family emergencies or unexpected trips, let the school know as soon as possible and speak to your child’s teacher to set up a means for your child to work ahead or bring important assignments on the trip.

• Limit absence due to medical appointments or illness. If possible, avoid scheduling doctor’s appointments during the school hours. Keep your child at home only in case of contagious or severe illnesses.

Take an active role:

• Stay involved with your child’s daily experiences at school by asking how the school day went. Listen carefully to what your child shares with you about their successes and struggles. Make it a point to meet your child’s teacher and friends.

• Promote a restful environment. Limiting stimulants before bed has been shown to improve sleep performance. Instead of TV or video games before bed, relaxing activities like reading, stretching, or meditation can help a child get the advised 8-12 hours needed to properly function.

• Identify potential sources of anxiety. If your child frequently appears upset or reluctant to go to school and cannot tell you why, schedule an appointment with their teacher or school counselor to talk about possible sources of anxiety.

Promote engagement:

• Being in school helps students get to know peers, teachers, and school staff. It creates trusting relationships that motivate students to participate in learning.

• Schools help students and families gain access to basic resources such as meals, physical and mental health services, and fun enrichment activities, including sports, clubs, music, after-school and summer programs.