Attendance

Parents are strongly encouraged to call before 8:30 a.m. to request the release of their students during seminar. It is almost certain that messages received AFTER 8:30 a.m. will result in delayed delivery.

Olathe School District has a closed campus policy. Students are not allowed in the parking lot or outside the building between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. without permission from the office. Students are not allowed to check out for lunch. Whenever possible, appointments should be scheduled outside the school day. However, when it is necessary for a student to leave campus during the school day, parents should call the attendance office which will deliver a “permit to leave” pass to the student. Parents should allow 30 minutes to process and deliver passes to students. Students must come to the attendance office to sign out and receive a “permit to leave” pass. Students returning to school must sign in and may be asked to provide verification of the appointment to the attendance office. Any student who leaves the building without permission will be considered unexcused.

Students arriving 10 minutes or more after the tardy bell are considered absent from class. Students arriving 10 minutes after the first class of the day’s tardy bell must sign in at the attendance office window and receive an “Admit to Class” slip.

The state of Kansas delegates to the Board of Education the responsibility of determining reasons for excusable absences. As Board of Education designees, building administrators will determine if an absence is excused or unexcused. According to the Board of Education policy, the following are recognized as excusable reasons for absences and must be reported to the attendance office by 3:30 p.m. of the day following the absence:

• Personal illness (A physician’s note may be required for chronic or excessive absenteeism.)
• Serious illness or death of a member of the family or close friend
• Obligatory religious observances of the student’s own faith
• Participation in a school-approved student activity
• Verified physician or dentist appointments
• Court appearance
• Emergency situations requiring immediate action
• An absence which has been requested in writing and approved in advance by the building administration

NOTE: Students who plan to be absent for such things as vacation, college visit, family emergencies, etc. or who will be absent during final exams should pick up a form from the main office one week in advance if possible.

A student who is absent from class or school is considered unexcused if the parent or guardian has not reported the absence according to the procedures outlined above. Some examples of unexcused reasons may include: oversleeping, missing a ride to school, shopping, paying fines, running errands, studying at home, and leaving campus without permission.

NOTE: There are no school-approved "skip" days.

Parents, if your student has been absent for 48 hours or more during one week, please request make up work by emailing the teachers directly. For extended absences longer than one week, please notify your child’s counselor so they can work with the teacher to develop a reasonable plan for work completion. Homework assignments can be picked up at the receptionist’s desk in the main office.