CHS ATTENDANCE POLICY 

 

Please call the Attendance Office at 425-844-4806 or email chsattendance@rsd407.org to report student absences, late arrivals, early dismissals or to request a bus pass. 

  

Attendance Matters!

 

Did you know?  

• Students should miss no more than nine (9) days of school each year to stay engaged, stay successful and on track to graduation.

• By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.

• Missing 10% of school (i.e., two days per month!) over the course of the year can affect a student’s academic success.

What can you do?  

• Prioritize on-time attendance EVERY day.

• Help your teen maintain daily routines.

• Help your teen stay engaged by having open and regular conversations with them about school and how it’s going.

• Communicate with the school - let us know when your student will be absent.  Check Synergy for attendance tracking for your student. 

Talk to your CHS student about following the REDD Way.  Following the REDD Way requires being in the classroom ready to learn when the bell sounds.  Being on time for scheduled events is a life skill that is the basis for an authentic and engaging learning experience. 

 

When to Keep Your Student Home

Please keep your student home if the student is experiencing symptoms such as:

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·     100˚ or higher fever

·     Cold

·     Chronic cough

·     Vomiting or diarrhea

·     Pink eye (or what appears to be pink eye), with or without drainage, until treated

·     Body rash, especially with a fever

·     Lice, lice eggs, or scabies until treated

·     An injury that needs a medical opinion

 

IT IS SIMPLE TO REPORT ABSENCES, LATE ARRIVALS, OR EARLY DISMISSALS: 

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1.    USE THE SYNERGY PARENT PORTAL

 

OR

 

2.    CALL THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE at 425-844-4806.

Please leave a message if there is no answer; request a return call if you’d like one.

 

OR

 

3.    EMAIL:  chsattendance@rsd407.org 

 

State law requires verification of all absences.  Verification can be in written form (parent/guardian notes, email, or Doctor’s notes regarding appointments) or by telephone/voicemail. 

 

Parents & Guardians, it’s very helpful when you provide the symptom(s) your student is experiencing such as cough, fever, runny nose, headache, sore throat, body aches, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, positive Covid test, mental health, family emergency or death in the family, or medical or dental appointment when you report your student’s absence.  

 

NEW FOR THE 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR: Parents and Guardians may excuse their student’s absence(s) up to five (5) school days from the date(s) of absence.  In June 2026, the last day to convert an absence from unexcused to excused will be June 26, 2026.

 

Washington State law allows for 15 absences per year.

 

CHS uses ParentSquare to send daily alerts to Parents and Guardians who have signed up for the service.  Parents/Guardians will receive a ParentSquare notification only if the student has an unexcused absence in one or more periods.  The ParentSquare notification is simply a daily snapshot of student attendance.

 

Parents or Guardians will be notified immediately if a student becomes ill or receives an injury while at school that requires parent or guardian or further medical attention.

 

CHS Parents/Guardians are not required to come into the building to sign their student(s) in or out *in person* if their student is late or their student leaves prior to the end of the school day although Parents/Guardians may sign their student(s) in or out in person if they wish.  For example, Parents/Guardians often sign out their student in person when picking up the student from the Health Room.  Students are required to sign in when arriving late or sign out when leaving campus early.

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Make-Up Work for Excused Absences

• Make-up work is allowed for excused absences.  The student will be responsible for all make-up arrangements.  Assignments for long-term, excused absences can be arranged with the student’s teachers.

• Absence resulting from disciplinary actions or short-term suspension will be noted and are excused.

• No make-up work will be allowed for unexcused absences.  Parents and Guardians can check student attendance in Synergy or by contacting the CHS Attendance Office.  Individual student attendance reports are available upon request.

 

Late Arrivals: Students Who Arrive Late 

• Students are required to sign in at the Attendance Office when arriving late to school.  Failure to sign in will result in the student having an unexcused absence for that period.

• Additionally, late arrivals will be considered unexcused unless or until a parent or guardian contacts the Attendance Office.

 

Early Dismissals: Students Who Need to Leave Early 

• Students are required to sign out at the Attendance Office when leaving school prior to the end of the school day.  Failure to sign out will result in the student having an unexcused absence for that period.

• Parents & Guardians must contact the Attendance Office to provide permission and information regarding their student’s early dismissal(s).  Parents & Guardians are welcome to come to the Attendance Office to sign out their student(s) in person although in-person parental sign out is not required at CHS and parental/guardian in-person sign out isn’t necessary if the parent or guardian calls or sends email prior to the student’s dismissal.

• CHS is a closed campus.  Students who are absent from class(es) due to leaving the CHS campus without prior parental/guardian permission will be marked as unexcused.  Attendance for students who leave early and do not sign out at the Attendance Office will be marked as an unexcused absence.  Detention, In-School-Suspension and Out-of-School Suspension are possible consequences if/when students leave campus without permission. 

• Exceptions: Running Start students and students who do not have morning or afternoon classes at CHS do not need parent/guardian permission for late arrival or early dismissal due to their CHS class schedule.  However, these students should sign in at the Attendance Office when arriving late for their CHS class(es) or arriving for activities on campus when they are not expected.

 

Running Start Students 

• Students enrolled in Running Start and CHS classes understand that Running Start classes do not take precedence over CHS required and/or elective classes.  CHS policies and procedures regarding attendance and grades for CHS courses are applicable.  When developing a schedule for dual enrollment, students must consider and account for transportation time between both the Running Start institution and CHS.

• Students participating in Running Start who are on the CHS campus for any part of the day must purchase a parking permit to park on campus.

• Running Start students are not permitted to be on the CHS campus when they do not have a CHS class.  Exceptions to this rule include meetings with counselors, teachers, Admin or extracurricular activities such as PACK Time meetings.  When a Running Start student must be on campus outside of their CHS class, the student needs to sign in at the Attendance Office upon arrival and sign out when leaving.

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Absences for 18-year-old CHS students

Despite their status as adults, 18-year-old students still require Parent/Guardian verification of absences to be excused because they are in a state educational system. However, 18-year-old students can advocate for themselves by emailing absence information, as defined above, to chsattendance@rsd407.org and include their parent/guardian on the email.  The absence will be excused if the Parent/Guardian responds to their student’s email, including chsattendance@rsd407.org on the response, within the 5 school day conversion period noted in a previous bullet point.

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Pre-Arranged Absences Are Excused Absences 

• Absences that are pre-arranged are considered excused absences.

• Please consider coordinating family vacations with RSD posted vacation time periods to reduce your student’s overall absences. 

• Students should complete and return the Pre-arranged Absence Request Form – Individual/Personal when they expect to miss one or more future days for a family-related activity or religious activity, dental or medical surgery/recovery, non-CHS sport-related activity, or a school-related or school-approved activity that is not related to a CHS class or club field trip.  Examples include WAHSET or WANIC-related activity. 

• The completed Pre-arranged Absence Request Form – Individual/Personal should be returned to the Attendance Office PRIOR to the planned absence.

• The Pre-Arranged Absence Request – Individual/Personal Form is separate from a class Field Trip Form which is provided by the teacher organizing the field trip.

• Pre-printed Pre-Arranged Absence Form – Individual/Personal Form can be picked up in the Attendance office or found at this link: click here.​​​​

 

Driver’s Ed Drive Time During the School Day  

• Many students incorporate Driver’s Education into their high school experience which includes student drive time. Student absences due to driving appointments are considered unexcused absences due to the number of class hours that are missed.  Parent/Guardian notification is required for early dismissal for student drive time.

• Please encourage your student to schedule drive times outside school hours.

 

RSD Policies & Procedures P3005-5: Consequences of Unexcused Absences  

• After three unexcused absences in any month, a conference will be held consisting of the parent/guardian, student, and Admin for the purpose of analyzing the causes of the student’s absences.

• At or before the fifth unexcused absence, CHS students will take the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students (WARNS) assessment administered by a district-designated employee to determine a best practice or research-based intervention specifically for the student.

• At or before the seventh unexcused absence in a month, the district will enter into an agreement with the student and the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) that establishes school attendance requirements, refer the student to a Community Engagement Board (“CEB”).

• Not later than the seventh unexcused absence in a month during the current school year or 15th unexcused absence in the current school year, if the district’s attempts to substantially reduce a student’s absences have not been successful and if the student is under the age of 17, the district will file a petition and supporting affidavit for a civil action in juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010.

 

Bus Passes 

• Bus passes are required for students traveling in the district via RSD buses.  Students needing to travel to volunteer at one of the elementary schools, driving school, KCLS Libraries in Duvall or Carnation, etc., *must have* a parent/guardian-requested pass to board a bus.

• Students *must* have a parent/guardian-requested bus pass to board a bus with a friend.  Additionally, students must have a parent/guardian-requested bus pass if they are riding their regular bus but disembarking at a different stop on the route.

• Parents & Guardians: you may request a bus pass for your student(s) by calling or emailing the Attendance Office or the Main Office no later than 1:30pm Monday-Thursday or 12pm on Fridays.  Bus passes are not provided by student request.

•  Parents & Guardians, please provide the following information when requesting a bus pass:

  • Your student’s name.

  • Where your student is going or with whom they are traveling.

  • The bus route number your student needs to ride.