Attendance

When reporting an absence, the school will accept excuses for illness, family emergency, religious holiday, sanctioned school activities, and individual needs as determined by the administration.

The parent/guardian must notify the school to report an absence each day their student is absent. Please include the following information:

• Name of person calling and relationship to the absent student
• Student’s name
• Date(s) of student's absence
• Brief reason(s) for absence

There are several ways to notify the school of an absence. Please use only one of the following methods:

• Primary Method: Synergy ParentVUE
• Email: WBLAHS-attendance@isd624.org
• Attendance message line: (651)444-6700
• For emergencies only, call the main line: (651)444-6700

IMPORTANT: Parent/Guardian notifications are expected before or on the same day as the absence.  After 24-Hrs teacher-marked absences (TA) are automatically converted to TRUANT (TRU).  To correct a TRUANT mark, a parent/guardian must contact the Attendance Clerk within 5 school days. After 5 school days, TRUANT marks cannot be changed.

If your student needs to leave early or will be arriving late, please use only one of the following methods so that passes can be distributed as soon as possible.

• Synergy ParentVUE
• Email: WBLAHS-attendance@isd624.org
• Attendance message line: 651-444-6700
• Note signed by parent/guardian

Leaving School Early

All students leaving campus during the school day for any reason must sign out.

• Go to an Attendance Kiosk located near the main entrances.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to sign out.
• This will mark your attendance as SSO (Self-Sign Out). If your parent/guardian doesn't excuse this partial-day absence (using one of the methods above), it will become TRUANT after 24 hours.

Arriving Late or Returning to School

All students arriving late or returning to campus during the school day for any reason must sign in.

• Go to an Attendance Kiosk located near the main entrances.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to sign in.
• This will mark your attendance as SSI (Self-Sign in). If your parent/guardian doesn't excuse this partial-day absence (using one of the methods above), it will become TRUANT after 24 hours.

Students leaving school for physical or mental health reasons must be excused through the Health Office. If your student contacts you directly during the school day, please remind them to first check in with the Health Office. The Health Aide or School Nurse will then contact families as needed. This process ensures all students remain healthy, safe, and accounted for. Students who leave without going through the Health Office will be marked unexcused.

If a student is suspended from any class, he or she may not participate in any activity or school-sponsored program that day.

When students participate in any co-curricular and/or sports activity, they are required to be in attendance at school the entire day of the event, unless they are absent for:

• School-related activity
• Medical or Dental appointment
• One period (or less) in the school Health Office
• Funeral or family medical/legal emergency
• Student safety issues (as determined by a school administrator).

If the absence is due to any other reason, the student will be declared ineligible for that day’s event. The administration retains the right to request verification of any absences presented by a student or parent/guardian.

Students must not incur any unexcused absence the day after an event if the day is the next consecutive school day of the same week. If an unexcused absence is incurred for this next consecutive school day of the same week, the student will not participate in the next scheduled co-curricular event.

Students 18 or older may sign their own notes for absences excused under the school policy if the school administration has received written permission from their parent/guardian and the administration has approved the student’s application.

Students may pick up an application form in the 3rd Floor Student Support Office to request permission to sign their own notes. The school administration reserves the right to revoke this privilege if grades and/or attendance are negatively affected by this privilege.

A student will be considered truant when they are reported absent from one or more classes and are unable to verify their whereabouts in accordance with District guidelines.

WBLAHS participates with several counties in the Truancy Intervention Program (TIP). This program is designed to address the problem of truancy with children ages 12-17. Truancy is a problem that has long-term effects on children, families and communities. TIP is a three-step process involving progressively intrusive interventions to improve a student’s attendance. The final step of the process is a petition to juvenile court. White Bear Lake Area High School remains committed to the belief that interventions by influential adults into students’ lives make a positive impact on behavior and school attendance. The TIP process is designed to improve school attendance while preventing many children from becoming entangled in the juvenile justice system.