Attendance Matters

Good attendance habits are strongly linked to student academic success. Regular attendance helps students build routines, increase engagement by building relationships with peers and teachers and provides access to enrichment activities and athletics. Regular attendance also supports student success by limiting disruptions to their learning.

We want to encourage good school attendance for all students. A few ways you can support good attendance is by talking to your child about why it is important to attend school everyday and helping your child maintain daily routines.

Here are some resources for families created by Attendance Works:

We want all of our students to keep connected and keep learning. If you need support or have questions about attendance, please contact your school.

Did you know?

  • Attending school on-time, all day, every day will give your child the best chance of graduating from high school.
  • Starting in kindergarten, missing on average just two days a month, whether excused or unexcused, makes it more likely that your child will not meet academic standards in math and reading by third grade.
  • By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
  • 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 9th grade, regular attendance is a better predictor of high school graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.

Attendance is Required by State Law

  • State law requires children from age 8 to 17 to attend school.
  • Children that are 6- or 7-years-old, who are enrolled in school, must also attend school.
  • Youth who are 16 or older may be excused from attending school if they meet certain requirements per state law (RCW 28A.225.010).
  • If your child is going to be absent, please contact the school office.

How to Submit an Excused Absence

When possible, parents/guardians are expected to notify the school office on the morning of the absence by phone, e-mail, or written note, and to provide the excuse for the absence.

When a student is marked absent in class, an automatic notification will be sent to the parent/guardian via ParentSquare. This notification may come as a phone call, and email or text message. Parents/guardians may respond directly through ParentSquare or they may call or email the school office.

School Offices

Irene Reither Elementary
360-398-2111

Meridian Middle School
360-398-2291

Meridian High School
360-398-8111

MP3
360-398-9324

 

Information

3122 Policy – Excused and Unexcused Absences

3122 Procedure – Excused and Unexcused Absences

RCW 28A.225 Compulsory School Attendance and Admission

Excused Absence

The following are valid excuses for absences and tardiness. Assignments and/or activities not completed because of an excused absence or tardiness may be made up in the manner provided by the teacher.

  • Physical health or mental health symptoms, illness, health condition or medical appointment for the student or person for whom the student is legally responsible;
  • Family emergency including, but not limited to, a death or illness in the family;
    Religious or cultural purpose including observance of a religious or cultural holiday or participation in religious or cultural instruction;
  • Court, judicial proceeding, court-ordered activity, or jury service;
  • Post-secondary, technical school or apprenticeship program visitation, or scholarship interview;
  • Absences due to suspensions, expulsions or emergency expulsions imposed
  • Absences due to student safety concerns, including absences related to threats, assaults, or bullying.

View Policy 3122 for a full list of excused absences.

Unexcused Absence

An “unexcused absence” means that a student has failed to attend the majority of hours or periods in an average school day, has failed to comply with a more restrictive school district policy on absences, or has failed to comply with alternative learning experience program attendance requirements.

Unexcused absences occur when:

  1. The parent, guardian, or adult student submits an excuse that does not meet the definition of an excused absence as defined above; or
  2. The parent, guardian, or adult student fails to submit any type of excuse statement, whether by phone, e-mail or in writing, for an absence.

Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% of school days…that’s only two days a month.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • ​Each unexcused absence within any month of the current school year will be followed by a letter or phone call to the parent informing them of the consequences of additional unexcused absences.
  • After three unexcused absences within any month of the current school year, the school will hold a conference with the principal, student, and parent to analyze the causes of the student’s absenteeism.
  • At some point after the second and before the seventh unexcused absence, the district will take data-informed steps to eliminate or reduce the student’s absences.
  • Not later than a student’s seventh 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 engagement board; or file a petition to juvenile court.

For the full process view Procedure 3122. 

Visit our Health Services webpage to determine if you should send your child to school.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% of the school year. Missing just two days of school a month adds up to 18 days over the school year.

Under state law, elementary schools are required to conference with parents/guardians when an elementary student has five absences for any reason in a month or ten absences over the course of the year. The purpose of the conference is to identify the barriers to the student’s regular attendance. The conference will also identify supports and resources that may be made available to the family so that the student is able to regularly attend school.

Truancy is defined as when students miss school without a valid excuse.

Under Washington state’s truancy law, the school/district are required to take specific actions when students are truant.

  • Parents will be notified in writing or by phone after one unexcused absence in a month.
  • A parent conference will be initiated after three unexcused absences in a month in order to improve the student’s attendance.
  • The parent and school must enter into a contract to improve the student’s attendance after five unexcused absences in a month, or the case may be referred to a Community Truancy Board.
  • The school district may file truancy petitions with the juvenile court after seven unexcused absences in a month, or ten unexcused absences in an academic year.

Families can view student attendance records in Skyward Family Access. If you need help accessing your Skyward Family Access account, please contact your school.