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Attendance

ATTENDANCE OFFICE CONTACTS

Attendance Secretary: Rudy Castillo
MTSS Facilitator: Cala Truitt - Contact regarding attendance concerns and/or resources for helping your student with attendance issues.

Policies & Procedures

How Do I Excuse an Absence?

All absences from school or class must be cleared through the attendance office within 48 business hours or they will be considered truant. The attendance office is available Monday – Friday from 6:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

How Do I Excuse an Absence? Parents can excuse absences in multiple ways:

The school will contact the student’s home with an automated telephone recorder if the student has been marked absent in one or more periods during the school day. Please keep current contact information up to date in PowerSchool. Contact the main office at (509) 222-7000 to update your contact information.

Absences are classified according to the Kennewick School District policy #3122 as Excused, Unexcused or Truant.

Importance of AtteNDING SCHOOL

Regular attendance is vital and is the biggest predictor of a student’s ability to graduate from high school, Kamiakin asks that students commit to consistent attendance. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to:

  • Stay in school, graduate, and go on to post-secondary education.
  • Score high on standardized tests.
  • Be more engaged in school.
  • Feel better about themselves and be less likely to experience depression.
  • Build good habits for school, work, and life.
  • Break the cycle of poverty.

Kamiakin believes that every day matters for students and building relationships is a key component of regular attendance. Students play an integral part in committing to regular attendance. Student can:

  • Make an attendance pledge and commit to it with a friend, family member, or school staff member.
  • If you notice a friend or classmate is having trouble, ask if they need help.
  • Use the buddy system by meeting up at the start of each school day or inviting someone to join a club, sport, or other activity offered in school.
  • If you are struggling with school attendance, talk to a teacher or school counselor for help.
  • If someone is absent, let them know you noticed and you’re glad they are back.

Parents play an important role in attending school regularly. Kamiakin is here to support families and students who are struggling with regular attendance. As a starting point, parents can:

  • Set regular bedtimes and morning routines, even for high school-age students.
  • Don’t let your child stay home unless they are truly sick.
  • If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents. Also, access the attendance resources at the bottom of this page to learn more about helping your student through anxiousness.
  • Talk about the importance of showing up at school every day. Make that the expectation.
  • Stay in tune with your student’s social contacts and digital media accounts.
  • Encourage your child to find his/her passion, direction, inspiration, or connection through school. Visit the clubs and activities page for information on getting involved at Kamiakin.

Families are always welcome to reach out to our MTSS Facilitator Cala Truitt, who works with students who have regular absences. 

Importance of Punctuality

Punctuality is expected of all students. Students who are not in their assigned seats when the tardy bell rings will be considered tardy. Corrective action and progressive discipline will be taken when a student’s tardiness becomes frequent or disruptive. This could result in service to the school, lunch detention and/or loss of privileges. If students arrive late to school, they are expected to check in at the attendance office and take a tardy pass to their teacher.

Teachers create their tardy policies as a part of their classroom procedures. 

 

Attendance Resources

Kamiakin High School is committed to working with families to remove barriers that keep their students from attending school. Visit the links below for information and resources on navigating common attendance-related topics.

Attendance Works

Everyday Matters Video Resources 

Attendance, Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy

Managing Anxiety Related to School Attendance

The Importance of School Attendance – School Attendance: A building block of student achievement Video

Kamiakin High School Attendance Success Plan

At Kamiakin High School we are committed to catching multiple absences early and providing as much support as possible to our students and families. Students who accumulate 3 unexcused absences will complete a student attendance assessment as a part of this process.