Report an Absence – Cherry Crest Elementary School

Attendance Policy Summary

Regular and punctual attendance is vital to your child’s progress. Washington State law required that children attend school. We are required, by law, to track absences and identify them as excused and unexcused.

EXCUSED ABSENCES include illness, medical or dental appointments, religious observances and family emergencies.

FAMILY VACATIONS should be planned for non-school days. If there is a special reason for an absence on a school day (e.g. family trip), please complete a PreArranged Absence form listed above at least one week prior and return it to: [email protected].

Your child’s teacher will review your situation to determine whether the absence will adversely affect learning. Based on this information, the principal/assistant principal will determine whether the absence will be excused or unexcused. Students may be approved for five (5) prearranged absences per school year. Any additional pre-arranged absence requests will result in unexcused absences. Failure to follow procedure will result in an unexcused absence.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES: State law requires that we follow specific steps for unexcused student absences, including parent conferencing. Students who have ten unexcused absences fall under the BECCA law and must be referred to the courts.

MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENTS: When your child returns from an excused absence, the teacher will provide make-up assignments, as appropriate. Make-up assignments are not provided in advance.

Any other missed days moving forward for non-school reasons or those outside the VALID EXCUSE POLICY will be unexcused absences.

TARDIES: Students are expected to be in class on time. This means that students are expected to be in their classrooms, in their seats, and ready for class at the beginning of the class.

Late arrivals disrupt the continuity of the instructional time and ultimately detract from the learning experiences of other students and the student that is late. When a student’s tardiness becomes frequent or disruptive, the student may be referred to the Counselor or Dean of Students and may be subject to corrective action.

Link: 2023 – 2024 School Year Family Calendar

The early release Wednesdays (12:15pm dismissal) are a good time to schedule necessary appointments.

Thank you for doing all that is possible to have your child at school every day, on time.

The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.