Attendance
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Yelm Community Schools places a high priority on school attendance. Studies prove
that daily attendance has a direct impact on student achievement. Our goal is to have
every student arrive on time and attend a full day of school.
School Hours and Supervision
Regular school hours are 9:15 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. The safety of students is of utmost
importance to us. Students should not arrive on campus before 8:55 a.m. We do not
have after school supervision available. To ensure student safety, all students must be
picked up by 3:45 p.m. Individual before or after school activities will be communicated
by supervising teacher/s.
Tardiness
Students are expected to be in class on time. If a student’s tardiness becomes frequent
(after 5 in a semester), the student shall be referred to our Assistant Principal for support. In addition, excessive tardiness may result in the school requiring
an Attendance Agreement.
Late Arrival/Early Pick-Up
Students arriving between 9:16 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. will be marked tardy.
Students arriving between 10:01 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. will be marked absent for the morning.
Students leaving between 12:31 p.m. – 2:59 p.m. will be marked absent for the afternoon.
Students leaving between 3:00 p.m. – 3:44 p,m. will be marked with an afternoon tardy.
Definition of “Excused Absences”
Students are expected to attend ALL assigned classes each day unless excused by the
parent/guardian for valid reasons below.
1. Participation in a school-approved activity: This absence must be
authorized by a staff member and prior notification must be provided to
parent/guardian for approval. (IE. field trips)
2. Illness, health condition, health care appointments, family
emergency, or religious/cultural purpose: We encourage
parents/guardians to schedule appointments during non-school hours whenever
possible. School officials may require a health professional’s written note when a
student has more than 3 consecutive absences. Parents/guardians are
encouraged to acquire a health professional’s written note whenever possible and
submit a copy to the Attendance Office. If a parent/guardian needs to pick up
their child for an appointment, they must sign them out at the office.
3. Parental/Family Pre-Arranged Absence: Parents/Guardians are to notify
the school if there will be a pre-arranged absence from school. The absence may
be classified as unexcused if the student is under an Attendance Agreement,
BECCA order, or has an adverse effect on the student’s education or student has
already reached 10 absences for the school year or 10% of the current year. The
Pre-Arranged Absence Form is available at each school office.
4. Court, judicial proceedings court-ordered activity or absences
related to homeless or foster care status.
5. Suspensions from school
Definition of “Unexcused Absences”
Unexcused absences are defined as “failure on the part of the parent/guardian to notify
the school in a timely manner.”
Reporting Absence Procedures
When your child will be absent from school, you can notify the school in two ways:
1. Send an email to: fs_attendance@ycs.wednet.edu and provide reason
2. Call attendance line at: 360.458.8198 and provide reason
3. Do NOT contact the teacher.
If your student has not arrived at school or the school hasn’t been notified of the absence
by 10:30 a.m., an automated phone call, email, and/or text will be sent to the
parent/guardian.
Chronic Absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism incorporates all absences: excused, unexcused and suspensions.
The focus is on the academic consequences due to the loss of instructional time and
preventing absences before students fall behind. Chronic absenteeism is defined as
missing more than 10% of the school year.
Process for Truancy
The following truancy procedures will be followed prior to filing a full petition.
Tier 1
● 1-2 Unexcused Absences: Parent/Guardian will be contacted via School
Messenger, E-mail, letter or phone call
● 3 Unexcused Absences: Schedule a meeting with school personnel to find
solutions
● IEP/504 Accruing Students: Case manager will convene an IEP meeting to
develop a plan
Tier 2
● 4 Unexcused Absences/Excessive Excused Absences or 10% of the school year:
Students will be placed on attendance contract
Tier 3
● 5 Unexcused Absences/Excessive Excused Absences or 10% of the school year:
The school will file a stay petition with Thurston county Juvenile court and
schedule a Community Truancy Board Meeting.
● Students not attending school as court ordered results in school filing a contempt
and progress report Thurston County Juvenile court.
● Monitor and review expiration date.
Attendance--Policy 3122