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 (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.  Check Qmlativ for attendance tracking for your student.  Let us know when your student will be absent.   

 

Following the REDD Way requires being in the classroom ready for class 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 the 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 

 

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

 

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

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PHONE THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE:  425-844-4806 

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

 

EMAIL:  chsattendance@rsd407.org 

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• Please contact the Attendance Office on the day your student is absent from school.   

 

• Parents & Guardians, if your student is ill, please provide symptom(s) the 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.  “Sick” is too broad for verification purposes.   

 

• 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. 

 

• Per RSD Policies and Procedures P3005-5, CHS needs specific reasons to excuse a student’s absence and for state accountability auditing. 

 

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

 

• NEW IN 2024-25:  Parents and Guardians may excuse their student’s absence(s) up to 30 days from the date(s) of absence. This policy is in effect through May 31, 2025. Student absences occurring in June 2025 may be excused until June 20th, 2025.

 

• Washington State law allows for 15 absences per year. 

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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 via Family Access in Skyward or CHS Attendance Office can provide parents and guardians with an individual student attendance profile 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 an unexcused absence for that period. 

 

• 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 

• Parents & Guardians must contact the Attendance Office to provide permission and information regarding early dismissals.  Parents & Guardians are also welcome to come to the Attendance Office to sign out their student(s) in person. 

 

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

 

• The exception to permission for late arrival or early dismissal policies, and subsequent parent/guardian notices, are Running Start students and students who do not have morning or afternoon classes at CHS.  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 all policies and procedures regarding attendance and grades for CHS courses will be applicable and Running Start classes do not take precedence over CHS required and/or elective classes.  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. 

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Pre-Arranged Absences Are Excused Absences 

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

 

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

 

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

 

• Parents and Guardians, please consider coordinating family vacations with RSD posted vacation time periods to reduce your student’s overall absences.  

 

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

 

• The Pre-Arranged Absence Form – Individual/Personal Forms are available in the Attendance Office, Main Office, or by clicking 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.   

 

• However, student absences due to driving appointments are considered unexcused absences due to the number of class hours that are missed, even with parent/guardian notification for early dismissal.   

 

• Parents and Guardians, 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 principal for the purpose of analyzing the causes of the student’s absences. 

 

• Between the second and the fifth unexcused absences, the district will take data-informed steps to eliminate or reduce the student’s absences. 

 

• Before the fifth 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 truancy board, or file a petition and affidavit with the juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010. 

 

• Before the seventh unexcused absence in a month 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. 

 

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 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. 

 

• 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 or 12pm on early release 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 

• The bus route number your student needs to ride