Attendance

Attendance Information

Regular school attendance is necessary for mastery of the educational program provided to students of the district. However, student absences are appropriate in some circumstances.

Reporting an Absence

Attendance Resources

Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow.

Students can suffer academically if they miss 10% (or just 18 days) of the school year: That's just one day every two weeks.

Research shows that missing 2-3 days a month can translate into third-graders unable to master reading, sixth-graders failing courses and, sometimes teens dropping out of high school.

Some absences are unavoidable. We understand that children will get sick and need to stay home occasionally. The important thing is to get students to school as often as possible and on time. Families should communicate with their school when students are absent.

Sporadic absences, not just those on consecutive days of school, matter. Before you know it – just one or two days a month can add up.

You can turn to your school for help. We offer services for the whole family, including those facing tough challenges related to access to health care, unstable housing, poor transportation or lack of food.

Why it Matters?

Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
An estimated 5 million to 7.5 million U.S. students miss nearly a month of school each year.
Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent. Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back.
By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.
The academic impact of missing that much school is the same whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Suspensions also add to lost time in the classroom.
Low-income students are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation and a lack of access to health care.
When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.
Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students.
Most school districts and states don’t look at all the right data to improve school attendance.They track how many students show up every day and how many are skipping school without an excuse, but not how many are missing so many days in excused and unexcused absence that they are headed off track academically.

What is Good Attendance?

Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the habit of good attendance early. School success goes hand in hand with good attendance!

Did you know?

Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

What you can do to set a regular bed time routine?

Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots.
Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help her transition.
Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

Additional attendance resources for students and families.

Attendance in Early Grades

Preteen and Teen Resources

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.

Did you Know?
Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.

By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days, of the school year can drastically affect a student’s academic success.
Students can be chronically absent even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks.
Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job.

What You Can Do?

Make school attendance a priority

Talk about the importance of showing up to school everyday, make that the expectation.
Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.
Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.

Help your teen stay engaged

Find out if your child feels engaged by his classes and feels safe from bullies and other threats. Make sure he/she is not missing class because of behavioral issues and school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, work with your school.
Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors if necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
Encourage meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.

Communicate with the school

Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties
Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school.
Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not piling up.
Ask for help from school officials, after-school programs, other parents or community agencies if you’re having trouble getting your child to school.

Additional attendance resources for students and families.

Family Attendance Pledge Letter

Renton School District is making a special effort to ensure that all students fully benefit from their education by attending school regularly. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Consistent attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

Please take a minute to read this letter to your child(ren) and make a pledge together to attend school every day. Then, print, sign and have your child return this pledge to your school. Let's make school count, every day for every child!

Call the attendance line to let us know of an absence, late arrival or early release. This line is available to take your messages 24 hours a day. Please give your student's name, the date(s) of the absence and the reason. You may also excuse the absence via e-mail. Please include your name, your child’s name, date, and reason for absence. Renton School District policy allows up to 48 hours after a student has returned from an absence to excuse the absence(s). An absence(s) cannot be excused after this 48 hour period and will remain on your child’s record as an unexcused absence. If we do not receive a morning call or e-mail, you will receive an automated call from School Messenger to verify your child’s whereabouts; this verification call is for your child’s protection. If a scholar is absent 50% of the day, they are absent the entire day.

Only contacts in our system under your student’s name can pick him/her up and call in absences and early release.
Please check in with the Attendance Office to ask who is on your student’s contact list, and update when necessary.
Current attendance information can be checked via Skyward Family Access.

Late Arrival:

For students’ safety and the school’s liability, all students must check in to the attendance office when arriving late. ID verification, from a parent/guardian is required before a student leaves campus during the day. If someone else will be picking up your child during the school day, please send a note with the name of that person and a phone number where you can be contacted. If you do not notify us that a party other than a guardian or emergency contact will pick up your child, we will not allow your child to be released to that party. Having your student check in with the Attendance Office ensures we can give accurate information on whether your student made it to school safely and on time.

Early Release:

For students’ safety and the school’s liability, all students must check out of the attendance office when being released early. ID verification, from a parent/guardian is required before a student leaves campus during the day. If someone else will be picking up your child during the school day, please send a note with the name of that person and a phone number where you can be contacted. If you do not notify us that a party other than a guardian or emergency contact will pick up your child, we will not allow your child to be released to that party. Having your student check out with the Attendance Office ensures we can give accurate information on your student.

Pre-arranged Absences:

A Pre-arranged absence permission form must be completed by the parent/guardian and signed by Administrator at least 48 hours prior to any student’s extended absence. If you know a student and family has an upcoming absence, please refer them to the attendance office.
Extended leave of absence requests are considered on a case by case basis and must be approved by the school principal. Please contact your school for an appointment with your principal to discuss extended student absences. The forms below can be used for family planning for extended absence (please double click to download).

Student Leave of Absence Forms

Attendance Policy & Procedures

Excused Absences

The following are valid excuses for absences, to be verified through appropriate documentation:

Participation in a state, district or school approved activity or instructional program;
Illness, health condition or medical appointment (including medical, dental, or optometry);
Family emergency, including a death or illness in the family;
Religious purpose including observance of a religious holiday or participation in religious instruction;
Court, judicial proceeding or serving on a jury;
College visitation or scholarship interview;
Principal and parent, guardian, or emancipated youth mutually agreed upon approved activity; and
Absence resulting from a disciplinary action (e.g., short-term or long-term suspension, emergency expulsion).

Unexcused Absences

Any absence from school for an entire scheduled school day or a majority of a scheduled school day is unexcused unless it meets one of the criteria above for excused absences. Each unexcused absence will be followed by a notification call to the parent/guardian of the student. An official notification letter written in English or, to the extent practicable, in the primary language of the parents/guardians, will be sent to the parent/guardian of the student as follows:

After the first unexcused absence in a calendar month;
After the second unexcused absence in a calendar month;
After the fifth unexcused absence in a calendar month;
After the seventh unexcused absence in a calendar month; or
After the tenth cumulative unexcused absence during the school year.

After two unexcused absences within any month, a conference will be held with the parent/guardian, student, and principal or designee to eliminate to reduce the student's absences.

Not later than the student’s fifth unexcused absence in a month, the district will enter into an agreement with the student and parents/guardians that establishes school attendance requirements; refer the student to a community truancy board; If such action is not successful, the district will file a petition and affidavit with the juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010 by the parent, student or parent and student no later than the seventh unexcused absence within any month during the current school year or upon the tenth unexcused absence during the current school year.

Students with 20 consecutive full-day unexcused absences or non-attendance will be withdrawn.

Excessive Absences

Absences are considered excessive when they are deemed to be a major factor in a student’s lack of academic progress. Excessive absence from individual class(es): Students may be denied credit when their absence from a class exceeds building attendance limits as stipulated in individual school/student handbooks. The school will notify the student and parents/guardians in writing of the student’s pattern of excessive absence from class and the potential loss of credit. The notice will indicate that any further absence, or that a specified number of additional absences, will result in a loss of credit for that class.

In the event of additional absences and the resultant denial of credit, the student and/or parents/guardians may request, within three school days of their receipt of written notification of loss of credit, a hearing by the principal and/or the school’s attendance appeals board. The attendance appeals board will consider any mitigating evidence and/or explanations of the circumstances pertaining to the student’s inability to attend the class. Its decision will be provided in writing to the student and parents/guardians. Should the appeal at the building be denied, a formal appeal may be made as outlined in district policy related to the appeal process for disciplinary action.

Excessive absences related to illness: Where medically-related absences are considered to be excessive (five or more consecutive days), the building principal or designee may require a parent/guardian to provide a note from their health care provider stating that the student was too ill to attend school during the days in question. If this note is not received by the school within five days of the principal’s or designee’s request, then the absences may be recorded as “unexcused”.
Tardiness: Students are expected to be in class on time. When a student's tardiness is frequent and/or disruptive, the student will be referred to the principal or designee. If counseling, parent/guardian conferencing, and/or disciplinary action is ineffective in changing the student's attendance behavior, other disciplinary sanctions may be imposed, including suspension from class.

Policy & Procedure Links

BECCA/Truancy Law

In Washington State, it is the law that all children between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend school unless they attend a private school, are home schooled, have graduated, or acquired a GED. *

Truancy is defined as any unauthorized or willful absence from school, class, or scheduled activity during any part of the school day.

Washington’s Truancy Law, often termed “the BECCA Bill,” is intended to stop truancy before it becomes a problem. The law requires only one thing of scholars: Attend school. If a scholar does not attend school, the law requires the school district to take action.

Truancy is prohibited by Law: RCW 28A.225

One (1) or Two (2) Unexcused Absences- After a single unexcused absence the school must contact the parents. This is generally done by a phone call or letter. After the second absence the school is required to schedule a conference with the parent and scholar to discuss solutions to the truancy problem.
Five (5) Unexcused Absences- After five (5) unexcused absences in a month, the school may take stronger steps to end the truancy problem. The school may file a petition with the King County Superior Court, enter into a written truancy agreement (Stipulated Agreement) with the family, or take other reasonable action.
Seven (7) and Ten (10) unexcused absences- Court action is required when a scholar has seven (7) absences in a month or ten (10) in a year. The truancy law requires that the school district files a petition in Superior Court against the scholar, parent, or both. After a petition is filed several things may happen with a scholar’s case. Depending on the circumstances of each individual case, a scholar’s petition may not be immediately heard in Juvenile Court.

Parents may contact the district’s Attendance and Re-Engagement Coordinator, Harmony Kariel at 425-204-2359 for further information.

Main Menu

Explore More

Quicklinks

In This Section