Cleveland Attendance Reporting

24-Hour Attendance Voicemail: 206-252-7804
Attendance Office Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Email: clevelandhs.attendance@seattleschools.org

Attendance Information School Year 24-25

Attending class regularly and being on time has a direct impact on a student’s success in meeting course requirements for high school graduation. Frequent absences or tardies, which result in a student missing all or parts of instruction, demonstrations, discussions, or other classroom activities, are detrimental to the individual student and the class. Persistent student non-attendance and tardiness are therefore matters of serious concern.

How to Clear an Absence

Call, email, or send a note within 5 school days.
An Administrator’s Approval is required to clear an absence after 5 days.

When calling, emailing, or sending a note, please provide the following information:

• Student first and last name (especially if parent/guardian has a different last name)
• Student ID
• Dates and brief reason for the absence
• Relationship to student and a call back number  

Obtaining a Permit to Leave Campus

If your student needs to leave campus during school hours, they must either bring a note or have sent an email to the attendance office before school or at lunch with the following information:

• First and last name, ID, time of dismissal and reason.
• If the student will be returning, please indicate that on the note/email.
• Signature of parent or guardian and phone number.

 A permit to leave will be issued and the student may leave at the time indicated on the slip.

We understand that appointments sometimes are made suddenly but ask that you do your best to plan and communicate with the attendance office in a timely manner.

If a student leaves campus without obtaining the “Permit to Leave” pass from either the Attendance Office or Health Office their absences will be coded as an “Unexcused Absence”.

How to Correct an Attendance Error

• If an error has been made to a student’s attendance, the student may pick up a correction slip in the Attendance Office. Please note that tardies are not removed.
• If a teacher made an error and marked a student absent when they were present, the student first must contact the teacher and have them communicate with the attendance office to clear the error.

Missing More Than 3 Days of School

Pick up a Pre-Planned Absence Form in the Attendance Office

Seattle Public Schools provides a robo call to notify parents/guardians of their student’s attendance for each day if a student has an absence or tardy. Parents/guardians may track their student’s attendance via the parent portal on the Source.

Policies and Regulations

What absences/tardies/early dismissals can be excused?

Personal illness or injury, medical appointments, family emergencies, the illness, njury or death of a family member, religious holidays, or absences resulting from disciplinary actions.

What happens if my child is tardy to class, arrives late or has an unexcused absence?

• Your student should sign in at the attendance office upon arrival.
• The Attendance Office may require a note from your child’s doctor if your child is absent due to illness or injury for an excessive number of days before excusing those absences.
• If an absence is excused, students are permitted upon request to make up all missed assignments outside of the class and time limits established by the school and/or teacher.

What absences/tardies/early dismissals are unexcused?

• All other reasons are considered unexcused, including absences/tardies caused by the student or parent oversleeping/ “late starts”
• Frequent and consistent tardies because of traffic are unexcused
• At the teacher’s discretion, a student may or may not be permitted to make up missed assignments or exams because of an unexcused absence.
• An unexcused absence may disallow a student’s participation in extra-curricular activities.

How are absences/tardies/early dismissals excused?

Students will need:

• A note signed by the parent or guardian confirming his or her absence/tardy/early dismissal.
• An email from the parent or guardian confirming his or her absence/tardy/early dismissal.
• A phone call (made to the Attendance Office phone) from the parent or guardian confirming his or her absence/tardy/early dismissal.
• The Attendance Office requires the reason why your child is absent in your note, email, or call.
• A parent’s request to “excuse my child’s absence” without a stated reason or with a reason that does not meet the criteria for excused absences will result in the child’s absence remaining unexcused.

What is a “Truant Day”?

A student is considered truant if the student does not have a valid excuse from classes for more than half of a school day without parent/guardian authorization. The missed periods do not have to be consecutive. According to Washington State truancy laws, the District is required to file a truancy petition when a student has multiple truancies, excessive absences and does not comply with re-engagement plans. When parents/guardians fail to comply with the Compulsory Attendance law, the parents/guardians may also be subject to a truancy petition filed with Superior Court.