Attendance Information

• Contact the attendance office by email to sc.attendance@ssd412.org, phone call/voicemail, or ParentSquare message sent within 5 school-days since the absence occurred. Any absence outside of the 5 days will not be excused.
  • If you are calling in to excuse an absence, please directly call the attendance office, NOT the main office. The number for the attendance line is 206-393-4294. 
  • Voicemails can be left at any time and are checked regularly.
• Message to excuse an absence must include:
  • The full name of the student (first AND LAST) as found on file. (No nicknames/alternative names unless already changed in Skyward).
  • Reason for absence. This is necessary for auditing and coding purposes - we will not excuse without a reason. (See list of reasons below).
  • Date(s) to excuse and period(s) to excuse.
  • Example: “Hi, my name is Jane. I am John Smith's mother and would like to excuse him for today. He is sick.” 
• Students who are 18 years or older can excuse their own absences ONLY if they pick up a form from the attendance office and return it with a parent/guardian signature.
• NOTE: TARDIES ARE NOT EXCUSABLE UNLESS student has a medical note (from an appointment). We do not excuse tardies for anything outside of this.

According to district policy #3122, the following are valid excuses for absences:

1. Physical health or mental health symptoms, illness, health condition or medical appointment (including, but not limited to, medical, counseling, mental health wellness, dental, optometry, pregnancy, and behavioral health treatment (which can include in-patient or out-patient treatment for chemical dependency or mental health) for the student or person for whom the student is legally responsible;
2. Family emergency including, but not limited to, a death or illness in the family; 

3. Religious or cultural purposes including observance of a religious or cultural holiday or participation in religious or cultural instruction; 

4. Court, judicial proceeding, court-ordered activity, or jury service; 

5. Post-secondary, technical school or apprenticeship program visitation, or scholarship interview; 

6. State-recognized search and rescue activities consistent with RCW28A.225.055; 

7. Absence directly related to the student's homeless or foster care/dependency status; 

8. Absences related to deployment activities of a parent or legal guardian who is an active duty member consistent with RCW 28A.705.010; 

9. Absences due to suspensions, expulsions or emergency expulsions imposed pursuant to chapter 392-400 WAC if the student is not receiving educational services and is not enrolled in qualifying "course of study" activities as defined in WAC 392-121-107; 

10. Absences due to student safety concerns, including absences related to threats, assaults, or bullying; 

11. Absences due to a student's migrant status; and 

12. An approved activity that is consistent with district policy and is mutually agreed upon by the principal or designee and a parent, guardian, or emancipated youth. 
13. Absences due to the student’s lack of necessary instruction tools, including internet access or connectivity.

The school principal (or designee) has the authority to determine if an absence meets the above criteria for an excused absence. A parent/guardian not satisfied with the principal determination may appeal to the superintendent/designee for further consideration.

• Contact the attendance office by email to sc.attendance@ssd412.org, phone call/voicemail, or ParentSquare message at least 2 hours before your student needs to be dismissed. 
  • This is to ensure we have enough time to get a pass to your student so they can leave when they need to with minimal disruption to that classroom.
• Message to request an early dismissal must include:
  • The full name of the student (first AND LAST) as found on file. (No nicknames/alternative names unless already changed in Skyward).
  • Time you would like them to be dismissed.
  • Reason for the early dismissal - for auditing and coding purposes.
  • Inform us if your student will be returning that day, and what time they plan on doing so.
    • This way, we can excuse periods they will not attend, and be counted present in the ones they will attend. For athletes, this is important for them to be eligible to participate in their sport for the day. 
  • Example: “Hi, my name is Jane. I am John Smith's mother. He is needing an early dismissal at 12pm, and will not return for the rest of the day due to a doctor's appointment.” 
• If your student misses more than 50% of class, it is counted as an absence. 
• Campus is closed during all classes and passing periods, with the exception of lunch. Students will not be permitted to leave campus without contact from a parent/guardian during closed campus time.

Early dismissal: Once you have sent a message to the attendance secretary at sc.attendance@ssd412.org, or called in to (206) 393-4294 with all the information needed, your student should pick up their dismissal pass from the Attendance Office prior to the period that they are leaving.

• Once they have this pass, they are allowed to leave campus at the time written on the pass (students do not need to check in with attendance prior to leaving).
• Please coordinate with your student which parking lot you are picking them up in.
  • Please keep in mind that buses will be blocking the front entrance at the end of the day in preparation for departure.

NOTE: Students returning to school from an early dismissal while a period is already in session must check in with the attendance office. They will receive a late pass upon returning (this is excused). If you receive a message on ParentSquare about a tardy upon returning from an early dismissal, please note this is excused and does not negatively impact their attendance.

• Students should pick up an Advanced Notice of Absence Form from the attendance office. Once the form is completed and signed by the student's teachers and parent/guardian, the student returns the form to the attendance office BEFORE their extended absence. 

• Each time your student has an unexcused absence, we notify you via automated phone calls and emails on the day your student is absent.
  • We notify twice a day — a robo call and email go out at 11:15am. A robo email is sent out at 5:15pm.
  • Parents are expected to contact the Attendance Office with any questions, concerns, or excuses within 2 school days.
• Consequences for accumulating absences: 
  • If a student accumulates 2, 5, 7, or 10 days of unexcused absences in an academic school year, a Truancy letter will be sent home. See the Truancy section below for more details.

• Letters will be mailed home at intervals of 2, 5, 7, and 10 days of unexcused absences from school. These absences do not have to be consecutive and are counted throughout the school year. 
  • A day is counted if the student misses the majority of the school day.
• According to Washington State truancy laws (RCW 28A.225) after seven (7) unexcused absences in one month, or fifteen (15) in one year, school districts must file a “truancy petition” alleging a violation of the law by the student, by the parent, or by both. 
  • According to the State of Washington, an unexcused absence is student nonattendance for more than 50% of the student’s school day. This nonattendance has not been approved by a parent/guardian through the attendance office within 2 school days.
• We strongly encourage the parent/guardian to contact the attendance office to schedule a conference with an administrator to develop strategies to eliminate student absences when a student has reached two (2) unexcused absences in a one-month period.

As a school, we want students to know and learn the value of being on time, the expectation of being ready to engage, and of honoring the professional relationship between teacher and student. It is critical that students practice and learn the habits and life lessons of punctuality and commitment because they are essential as students move onto college, a career, and life as a part of a larger community. As a school dedicated to educating young people, students deserve a clear, consistent practice.

• When a student is tardy (less than 10 minutes late to class), they do not need to report to the attendance office. Their teacher will mark them as tardy. 
• If a student is more than 10 minutes late to class, they need to check in at the attendance office to get a pass to class.
• Once a student has missed more than 50% of class, they are considered absent.  When they check in at the attendance office, their arrival time is noted and they are given a pass to attend the remainder of the class period.

Absence notifications:

• If you suspect there is an error within your student’s attendance, please have your student contact their teacher. The attendance office can only rely on data reports. If you are looking to confirm a student’s attendance, please reach out to their teacher directly. Their teacher will then need to inform attendance if an error made needs to be adjusted.
  • Confirmation from a staff member who was present in the class during the attendance in question is necessary for any attendance adjustments.

Tardy notifications:

• Attendance is taken within the first 10 minutes of class. If a student is running more than 10 minutes late, they must check into the tardy kiosk to receive a late pass or they will continue to be marked absent. Checking into the kiosk will override the attendance taken by their teacher, as well as give us a time stamp of their arrival for staff and parent/guardian reference. We do not excuse tardies without a medical note.

ParentSquare notification adjustments:

• Post notifications can be turned off and are adjustable on the user’s end (immediate, digest, or off) through your profile settings. You will still receive emergency notifications. These are for safety reasons and are not able to be turned off.

Washington State law states that school districts cannot claim a student for funding if they have not attended at least one full day in the last 20 consecutive school days. At 20 consecutive days of absence, we are required to withdraw your student for non-attendance.

At this time, Shoreline School District only offers in-person learning. If your student is not able to regularly attend classes in-person at Shorecrest High School and is interested in an online/remote learning option, please see the list of OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Instruction) approved online school programs.

For additional support in enrolling in one of these options, please contact your student’s school counselor.

Last updated: August 2022