Attendance
Call the Attendance Line at 651-748-7000 to report your child's absence. It is important that you state the reason for the absence, or it will be recorded as unexcused.
Examples of Excused Absences Include:
- Parent/doctor verified illness
- Family emergencies - a result of a serious illness or death of an immediate family member
- Scheduled appointments that can not be arranged before or after school or on days when school is not in session
- Religious holidays
- Medical / Dental appointments that can not be arranged before or after school or on days when school is not in session
- Prearranged family vacations - an exceptional circumstance, which requires families to take a vacation during the school year. Family vacations should be scheduled to correspond with days when school is not in session. Prior approval by the building principal must be obtained if this absence is to be recorded as approved
- Athletic tournaments - on a limited basis and with pre-approval by the building principal
- Exceptional circumstances - any other circumstances where permission may or may not be granted at the discretion of the building principal where the pre-approval is requested for any circumstances other than those identified above
Examples of Unexcused Absences Include:
- Parent has car trouble and cannot transport the child to school
- Overslept - alarm did not work
- Shopping
- Student is needed at home
- Family vacation that is not prearranged
- Babysitting
- Missed the bus
- No call or note from parent/guardian regarding the reason for the absences or no reason was given
Attendance and Absences
Attendance and Absences
The school board believes that regular school attendance is imperative, and it is the parent or guardian's responsibility to ensure that children attend school regularly. In addition, the Washington and Ramsey County Community Services Department, in conjunction with representatives from the county attorney's office and court services, has initiated procedures for handling elementary school absences.
The procedures our school follows are outlined as:
- Elementary school students are defined as continuing truants if they are absent from school without a valid excuse for three days in a single school year. After three or more unexcused absences, the school will write a letter to the parent/guardian stating our concern.
- Students who are absent from school without a valid excuse for seven days or more are referred to the Washington or Ramsey County Truancy Social Worker, who will determine whether to visit the family or to set up a diversion meeting at the school.
- All absences will be marked unexcused until the parent/guardian states the reason for the absence. Once the reason for absence is known, the building administrator has the discretion to change the absence from unexcused to excused.
- The school can challenge suspicious excuses offered by parents or guardians.
- Students who arrive late to school are to report to the school office.
- A student who arrives less than 60 minutes late in the morning will be counted as tardy. If the child arrives 60 or more minutes late, s/he will have a 1/2 day absence.
- If a child is excused less than 60 minutes early in the afternoon, s/he will be credited with an early release. If the student is excused 60 or more minutes early s/he will have a 1/2 day absence.
- The average student in the state of Minnesota misses a total of seven days in a school year. Those seven absences include illness, vacation, or family emergencies. If a student is absent excessively due to illness, school personnel can require the parents to obtain a doctor's excuse each time the child is absent due to illness.
Please remember to call the Attendance Line to report your child's absence. It is important that you state the reason for the absence, or it will be recorded as unexcused.