Attendance Guidelines

At Walled Lake Western, we believe in the value of having every student, everyday engaged and learning in school.  Consistent attendance provides students the opportunity to learn core academic skills and to develop the soft skills needed for future success.  Class attendance is necessary to be able to develop and hone skills in leadership, conflict management, teamwork, time management, communication, problem solving, and many other important career-impacting abilities.  Daily lesson plans in the classroom allow for student growth in important skills needed beyond high school as well as target specific academic areas.  Missed classroom activities can never fully be replicated for these important impacts.  The major responsibility for acceptable attendance lies with the individual student and his/her parent(s).  Teachers, administrators, and counselors have the responsibility to assist the parent and student in meeting the goal of acceptable attendance.

  • Acceptable Reasons for Excused Absences are as follows:
    • College visits (provide documentation)
    • Religious holiday/celebration
    • Medical/Dental/Mental Health Appointment (provide documentation)
    • Bereavement
    • Quarantine
    • Illness (documentation, if possible)

*Families are encouraged to plan vacations during scheduled school breaks.

  • Procedure for Reporting a Student Absence: It is important that student absences are due to one of the acceptable reasons above. 
    • Student should email their teacher(s) to inquire about missed instruction and makeup work opportunities.
    • Parent/Guardian call the Attendance Office directly at 248-956-4421 or the Hotline at (248) 956-4600 and follow the prompts.
    • Parent/Guardian only may excuse an absence (students who call themselves in to excuse an absence may be subject to disciplinary action)
    • Pre-arranged absences: should be communicated to the school the day prior or before 7:00 a.m. the morning of dismissal

Other Important Attendance Information

  • WLW seeks to preserve the academic environment. The attendance office will not call classrooms to excuse a student from class unless it is a true emergency.
  • WLW is a closed campus.  Students are not allowed to be called out of school by a parent/guardian to eat lunch off campus and then return to school, nor are they to order food to be delivered to the school.
    • If a student is returning to WLW the same day as the dismissal due to a healthcare appointment, it is expected that the student will provide a note on a health provider's letterhead verifying the date and time the student was seen by the provider.
  • Students who are late to first hour are marked tardy.  While we appreciate a phone call from a parent, the student is still tardy.
  • If a student is symptomatic (ill) at school, a parent or emergency contact is kindly expected to promptly come to school to pick up the student within 30 minutes of notification.
  • WLCSD Board of Education Policies can be viewed at https://wlcsd.org/board-of-education/district-board-policy-manual/. 
  • The Oakland Schools Truancy Department website is https://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/school-districts/administrative-support/pupil-accounting/truancy.

 

**Students that are absent are normally (it depends on the assignment type .. project, test, classwork, science labs, presentations) provided the same number of days they were out to complete the assignment.  Please feel free to reach out directly to the teacher if you have any specific questions.

 

ATTENDANCE OFFICE – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Mrs. Robinson in the Attendance Office is available from 6:45 am – 2:15 pm and can be reached at 248-956-4421. The Attendance Hotline is 248-956-4600.  ALL students must check-in and out of the Attendance Office if arriving late or leaving early.

Frequently Asked Questions: 

  • When my student is ill, whom do I call?  You must call either the “Attendance Hot-line” at 248-956-4600, or the Attendance Office directly at 248-956-4421.  It is possible that you will receive voicemail on the direct line.  Please leave a message as messages are retrieved all day long.  You may leave a message on the line 24 hours a days.  E-mails cannot be accepted.
     
  • How long do I have to call in my student’s absence?  According to district policy you have 48 hours from time of absence.  Calling in on the day of the absence is greatly appreciated.  Only a parent or legal guardian may excuse absences.
     
  • If my student is going to be late to school, what is the procedure?  Late students should report to the Attendance Office to use the Tardy Kiosk to receive a tardy pass.  If your student had a doctor/dental appointment and a note from the physician is provided, the Doctor code will be installed with the student’s tardy to document the appointment in Skyward.  This is pertinent for athletic competitions or practice on a given day
    .
  • What to do if I receive an automated attendance message stating my child has been marked absent?  When your student is marked absent by any teacher you will receive an automated message on that particular day.  If you are questioning the absence call, please log on to Skyward with your login password and ID to the Attendance section of your student’s profile to determine what hour they were marked absent.  Your child can assist with this.  Simply click on the day on the attendance calendar, and the hours of the day will be displayed showing which hour is marked unexcused.  Please e-mail the teacher to question the absence and request a correction to the attendance office.  If you need your Skyward ID and password, please e-mail familyaccess@wlcsd.org from the e-mail you have provided in Skyward.  They must match.  Your Skyward password will then be e-mailed back to you.
     
  • What to do if I know ahead of time my student will not be in school?  If your student is not going to be in attendance for either one day or an extended period due to vacation, college visits, surgery, etc., you may call either of the attendance numbers in advance and we will be happy to enter it in your student’s attendance ahead-of-time showing their pre-arranged absence.  Teachers are expected to maintain and update their Google Classrooms for assignments and activities.   If homework is not posted, you can e-mail the teacher through Google Classroom and/or using this directory - https://wlcsd.org/our-district/staff-directory/
     
  • What is the procedure for students who are leaving/checking out during the school day?  If you are picking up your student, come to the Attendance Office, and we will call the student out of class to leave. You may also call in advance, and the student will receive a pass to meet you in the office.  You will need to sign them out.  Identification is necessary.  If the student is driving him or herself, you MUST CALL PRIOR  to the time they are scheduled to leave, so they can get a pass from the Attendance Office and they MUST SIGN OUT.  This ensures their absence is excused.  Students who leave before the time of the pass or do not sign out, will not be excused.  Any student who leaves the building must sign out through the Attendance Office before leaving school grounds.  A student who leaves and has a parent call after the fact is considered unexcused and consequences may follow.
     
  • What is the procedure for a student riding the bus home with another student?  Communication from the Transportation Dept. has asked we not write bus passes.  If you have an emergency need for your student to ride a different bus, please call them directly at 248-956-3090 for their approval, and call the Counseling Office to obtain the pass.  If your student will be bussing to another student’s home, that parent will need to call and approve the pass also.
     
  • If my student needs to leave school but cannot reach me, what is the process?  Whenever a student needs to leave school and a parent/guardian cannot be reached, the Attendance Office pulls the student’s emergency card, and the student may contact a person designated by the parent/guardian to act on their behalf.  If a contact cannot be made using all the numbers listed on the emergency sheet, the student must remain at school.  You are welcome to call and add someone to your contacts if necessary in order for the student to leave school.  It truly helps when information is up-to-date.
     
  • How do I make changes on the student’s Emergency Card?  All changes to the emergency card must be communicated by the parent/guardian.  You can update your emergency contacts with Skyward Family Access, or if you call on the phone to update contact numbers, please call from a number we can identify as you.  Otherwise, feel free to stop into the Counseling or Attendance Office to make changes.
     
  • If my student needs to reach me during the day, how can he/she contact me?  A student phone is located in the Attendance Office.  Students have use of the phone prior to the start of school, between class periods, during lunchtime, and after school is dismissed.  Their teacher may also send them with a pass to the office to contact you.  We are unable to call students to the phone during the school day.  However, a message can be delivered for them to call you or for a specific message delivered.  Students may use their personal cell phone in the hallways, at their lockers, and in the lunchroom.
     
  • How are work permits handled?  We have work permits for both 14-15 and 16-17 year old students.  Permits must be taken from school to the employer.  Once the employer has completed their section of the form, the student then fills in their section.  The last step in the process is for the student to bring the permit back to the Attendance Office where an issuing officer will sign, authorize, and copy for filing.

 

ASSEMBLIES:  No students are allowed to check out of school during assemblies.  Any absence must be pre-arranged with the Attendance Office 24 hours prior to the event.

ATHLETIC ATTENDANCE:  Athletes are required to attend school all day in order to play or practice with their respective team.  In cases of medical appointments, please provide a Doctor’s note to the office or coach.

PLEASE NOTE:  Students who are excused for the school day should not be on school grounds during the hours of 7:00 am to 2:10 pm.  Students may not interrupt class to speak with a teacher or obtain homework during school hours.