Attendance Policy Summary

View Policy 3122

Bellevue High School – Attendance

Absences · Early Dismissal · Late Arrival · Attendance Corrections · COVID-19 Travel & Face Mask Guidelines

Bellevue High School – Attendance

Absences · Early Dismissal · Late Arrival · Attendance Corrections · Sickness · Travel

Report an absence, late arrival, or early dismissal:

• Parent emails bhsattendance@bsd405.org
• Include student name, ID#, date(s) of absence, period(s) missed, and reason for absence.
• If excusing a late arrival or early dismissal, include arrival or departure time.
• Send from an email address the school has on file. Other email addresses will not be accepted.
• Excusals must be received no later than 2 school days after the date of absence.

For absences to be excused:

• A doctor note is required for:
  • Absences that are longer than 5 consecutive days
  • All medical appointments
• Excusals must be received no later than 2 school days after the date of absence.

Reason for missing class must meet the guidelines in procedure 3122P. See the table below for some examples:

Pre-arranged absences:

For parent-approved activities that are known in advance (i.e., vacation, non-BHS sports, college visits, etc.), a student:

• Picks up a pre-arranged absence form from the attendance office.
• Completes the form, including signatures from parent/guardian and teachers.
• Returns the form to the attendance office a minimum of 2 days prior to the intended absence(s).
• Up to 5 days of pre-arranged absences will be excused per student in a school year. Any additional pre-arranged absence requests will result in unexcused absences.

Early dismissal:

• Student signs out at the attendance office before leaving school, including during passing periods.
• If a student needs to leave during class, the student picks up a yellow release slip from the attendance office before the departure period and gives yellow slip to teacher, authorizing the student’s early dismissal.
• If a student becomes ill while at school, the student reports to the health room and waits for staff to receive parent approval for early dismissal.
• Parents are discouraged from walking into school for an immediate pick-up unless it is an emergency. Students will not be released for an immediate pick-up during the last 15 minutes of the school day.

Late arrival:

Student signs in at the attendance office before going to class, including during passing periods.

Absence corrections

To correct an attendance error, student should email their teacher(s) within 5 days of the marked absence. If a correction is authorized the teacher will email attendance specialist to correct.

Email Notifications

You can subscribe to receive an email when your student is marked absent in a class. Go to www.BSD405.org, Grades, ParentVue, I am a parent, My Account, answer questions under Auto Notify section, Click Submit.

Too Sick for School?

Bellevue School District follows the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Symptom Decision Tree for Schools to determine when students and employees are able to attend school. These guidelines override our typical guidelines for keeping students home from school due to illness.

Travel

The Bellevue School District recommends limiting non-essential travel to reduce the spread of COVID-19 if unvaccinated.

Testing for travel

• Testing is not required before or after U.S. travel if fully vaccinated. Limit travel if you are not fully vaccinated or if traveling with unvaccinated children.
• Travel requirements vary by state. Check local guidance before you go.
• If you need a test for travel, it is not guaranteed that you will receive a result within 72 hours of departure at any of King County’s free testing sites. It’s also not guaranteed that the results will meet the specific requirements for all countries.
• If you need a test for travel, look for rapid testing options that specialize in travel testing.
• For full guidance on domestic (travel within U.S) and international travel, see the CDC websites on Domestic Travel and International Travel during COVID-19.

Everyone should monitor for symptoms for 14 days and wear a mask, regardless of your vaccination status or where you’re traveling.