Dear Parents/Guardians:

Regular school attendance and participation is essential for your student’s mastery of the educational program.  There are also state laws that require that all children under the age of 18 attend school every day.

Tardy Policy (As it appears in the Student Handbook/Planner)

• If a student arrives less than ten minutes late to class, they will go directly to class and will be marked tardy.
• If a student arrives ten minutes after the bell has rung, they will be marked as absent, until they check in at the attendance office before going to class.
• Repeated tardiness will be subject to disciplinary action.
• Students with continuous tardies or absences, excused or unexcused, may be required to attend a conference with their parents and an administrator.
• Absences not covered by a telephone call or parental note within 2 school days of the absences will be deemed unexcused.

It is important in any educational program that students be punctual and regular in their attendance. State law also mandates attendance through the BECCA process. The education process requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation which is lost with excessive absences. Regular attendance also establishes habits of punctuality and dependability, qualities that will be valuable to students throughout their adult lives.

Home instruction is available for students with a medically prescribed confinement that will be of one month duration or longer which is verified by a physician (P & R 5113, RCW 28A.27.010). 

Attendance FAQs for TJ Families

Q: My student is/will be late to class and I want to excuse him/her.
A: Just send a note with your student when they come to school or email TJHSAttendance@fwps.org. He/she simply drops the note off at the attendance office and gets a pass to class as applicable. We no longer accept phone calls for late arrivals or early dismissals. 

Q:My student has an appointment and needs to leave or be picked up early.
A: Again, just send a note with your student when they come to school or email TJHSAttendance@fwps.org. He/she drops the note off at the attendance office and the secretary will prepare an off-campus pass that will be ready in time for them to leave campus.  We no longer accept phone calls for late students or early dismissals. 

Q: My student is sick and needs to go home.
A: Sick students needs to go to the health room to see the nurse! If your student calls or texts you from class saying they need to go home sick, please re-direct them to the nurse. The nurse will call you if they need to go home, and will even write up their off-campus pass to leave or be picked up.  We do not accept phone calls to the main office to dismiss a student.  Please email TJHSAttendance@fwps.org, or communicate with the school nurse. 

Q: I received a phone call saying my student was tardy or absent, but my student says he/she was present.
A: Have your student go to the attendance office, where they will receive a print-out of that absence. The student will then take the print-out to their teacher for correction, if it was in error. Return the corrected print-out to the attendance office for update in the system.  Please know that if your student arrives after 8:00 am, you will most likely be receiving an automated call alerting you to the situation.  All attendance information must be in the system by 8:15 and due to the high number of tardies each day, we will be working hard to meet this timeline. 

When sending a note with your student, be sure to include the following information: Student name, Student ID number (if known), Parent/Guardian Name & Signature, and contact number in case the attendance office has questions.