Skip To Main Content

In This Section

Absence Reporting

Will your child be absent?

Please contact the school before 9am on the day of the absence, send a note if contact is not possible. If a guardian cannot verify the absence within 24 hours of the student's return, the absence will be considered unexcused.

To report an absence

Call 360-412-4742 and leave a detailed voicemail if necessary.

Email kmsattendance@ntps.org

Or use Skyward Family Access (see instructions on this page).

Attendance Glossary

Excused Absences

Absences are excused only in the case of illness, medical or dental appointments, bereavement, family emergency, court appearances, or if the student has received an approval by school administration for a planned absence.

These excuses become a part of the student’s Attendance Record. A pattern of absences or absences in excess of twenty days may result in school authorities requesting a doctor’s verification of illness. An attendance notification letter will be sent home outlining possible disciplinary actions if an excessive amount of excused absences are accumulated.

Unexcused Absences

Without guardian verification for excused reasons to miss school, the absence will be marked unexcused.

A student with unexcused absences may not be allowed to make up missed work for those days. All graded activities shall be treated as if the student had chosen not to participate in them.

Attendance status letters will be sent home when a student has accumulated unexcused absences. If you receive a letter, please follow the instructions it outlines to avoid disciplinary consequences for attendance issues.

Pre-Arranged Absences

Permission to be absent from school three days or more for reason(s) other than illness may be granted when requested by the parent(s) and/or guardian at least one week prior to the absence and agreed upon by school administration.

It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for all make-up work following an excused absence. After a student has been absent for three days due to illness, the school office will assist in obtaining assignments. If this service is necessary, a request should be made to the office. Please allow 24 hours for teachers to prepare materials.

Tardies

Absence Reporting in Family Access

Log in to Family Access. Contact your school office if you are unsure of your username and/or password.
If you have multiple students, click on the student you wish to report the absence for at the top of the screen (the drop-down at the top if you're using the mobile app).
Click on the Attendance tile.
Ensure you're on the Absence Requests tab (located on the left side of the screen). Click 'Add Absence Request' at the right, select the appropriate reason, add notes, and copy the request to multiple students if needed.
A message will be sent to your office with the information, and it will be pending until it has been processed.

Watch this video to see it in action!

Attendance Matters at NTPS

What is good attendance?

Why is good attendance important?

When attendance is good, students tend to perform well in school. Regular attendance ensures that:

Preschoolers build skills and develop good habits for showing up on time
Elementary students read well by the end of 3rd grade
Middle & high schoolers stay on track for graduation

When do absences become a problem?

Satisfactory: 9 or fewer absences means your student can keep up and keep learning!
Warning Signs: 10 to 17 absences in a school year mean your student will miss a lot and struggle to keep up!
Chronic Absence: 18 or more days in a year (2 days a month) is enough to warrant meeting with the student and your family to discuss any challenges that we may help overcome.

Three levels of absence issues, from satisfactory, warning, and chronic absence issues.

What happens if a student misses too much school?

Too many absences—excused or unexcused—can keep students from succeeding in school and in life. Students who miss more than 1 school day a month become at risk for longer-term challenges. For example:

Half of the students, who miss 2 to 4 days in September, go on to miss nearly one month of school;
Chronically absent (2 days a month) students are more likely to drop out of high school;
Chronically absent kindergartners score 20 percent lower in reading and math in later grades;
Student absences in 8th grade are 8 times more predictive of 9th grade course failure than test scores;
Chronic absenteeism is the strongest 6th grade predictor of not graduating from high school.

That’s why if your student has two unexcused absences in one month, state law (RCW 28A.225.020) requires that schools schedule a family conference with the student to identify barriers and supports available to ensure regular attendance.

What can the school district do?

What can families do?

How can I learn more about attendance?