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School Attendance-Keys to Success


School Attendance: An Important Key to Success

The Mukilteo School District recognizes that the educational process requires a continuity of instruction, active classroom participation and meaningful life experiences, all of which, require regular attendance to school. Making school attendance a priority may be the biggest factor influencing a student’s academic success.

Benefits to daily attendance

Regular attendance to school, allows a student to keep up with daily classroom activities, lessons, assignments, tests and quizzes and to complete them on time. Other benefits also include:

  • Academic Achievement – students who attend school regularly are more likely to pass their classes and to meet standard on local and state assessments.
  • Opportunities – students who attend school regularly have opportunities such as access to counselors, access to important information such as SAT and ACT test dates or scholarship information, the ability to participate in field trips, quest speakers, clubs, activities, athletics and more.
  • Being a member of the school – students who participate regularly in school feel a sense of belonging and being a member of something bigger than themselves. They learn team work, communication skills, meet others from diverse cultures and other valuable social skills.

When your student misses school

Failure to attend school causes an interruption of instructional activities, some of which cannot be substituted. Failure to attend school regularly may result in the following:

  • Loss of credit – beginning with the class of 2019, students must earn 24 out of 24 credits to graduate on time from high school, so every credit counts.
  • Grade reduction – missing school may mean not completing assignments or completing assignments on time, and/or lower test scores, which may result in lower grades.
  • Removal from class or school – students who do not attend school regularly are at risk of being removed from a class(s) or from school entirely.
  • Attendance to school is mandatory – mandatory school attendance is a policy that schools must take seriously. Unexcused absences may cause a school to file a Becca Petition with the courts.

What can parents do?

Students and their parents have the responsibility for ensuring that the student attends school regularly as prescribed by the Compulsory Attendance Law of the State of Washington. Strategies to help your student attend school may include:

  • Contact the school immediately – if your student is going to be absent from school, contact the school immediately, excuse the absence and ask for any missing work/assignments. Make sure to follow the school guidelines and attendance policies that are outlined in each of the school’s student/parent handbook.
  • Help your student get to school on time every day – the Mukilteo School District has a robust transportation system. If your student is riding the bus, know your pick up and drop off times and locations. Coming to school late may make it difficult for you student to stay caught up with the first lessons of the day.
  • Stay informed and involved – ask your student about their day, how school went, what they have for homework, what activities are coming up and more. Check each night that your child is completing homework assignments, attend parent/teacher conferences, read information that comes home from school, check their grades on-line, attend school events, and know who they have as friends.
  • Promote good health – make sure your student is eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise and enough quality sleep.
  • Resources – know what resources are available to you if you are having trouble getting your student to school.
    • School Personnel – talk with your school; teacher, counselor, administrator, school nurse, school resource officer, school secretary, coach, club advisor and more.
    • On-line Resources

OSPI – Truancy (Becca Bill) and Compulsory Attendance – www.k12/wa.us/GATE/Truancy