Attendance

Families can support attendance by:

• Creating regular morning and bedtime routines
• Scheduling appointments outside school hours when possible
• Planning vacations during school breaks
• Checking attendance regularly
• Communicating with the school about challenges
• Encouraging students to arrive on time and ready to learn

Attendance Works Resources for Families

Compulsory education law requires that children ages 6-18 to attend school regularly. Parents or guardians are responsible for making sure their children regularly attend school unless they have a valid excuse. Schools are responsible for working with families to address attendance concerns and provide support when challenges arise. When students have at least 5 unexcused absences, the schools will send out compulsory education notices for grades 1-6 and truancy notices for grades 7-12.  These notices inform families about the absences and encourage the school and family to work together to identify attendance barriers, provide support, and develop solutions that help improve attendance.

Attendance is about more than being present at school.  When students come to school every day, they stay connected to their learning, teachers, friends, and school community. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to:

• Keep up with their schoolwork
• Build positive reslationships with teachers and classmates
• Feel confident and included at school
• Take part in class discussions, activities, and events
• Get help and support when they need it
• Build habits that prepare them for college, careers, and life.

Even students with good grades benefit from being at school every day. Learning is about more than completing assignments and earning credits. Students learn through class discussions, group projects, hands-on activities, and interactions with teachers and classmates.

There are 180 school days in a school year. Missing just two days each month adds up to about 18 days, or 10% of the school year. Even when students make up missed work, they may miss important learning experiences and connections with their peers.

Excused absences may include:

• physical or mental illness
• family death
• family event
• observance of a religious holiday
• participation in an approved school activity
• competition in a rodeo sanctioned by an international, non-profit organization dedicated to the development of sportsmanship, horsemanship, and character in youth through the sport of rodeo
• absences related to a student's IEP or Section 504 Plan
• any reason a parent provides to justify a student’s absence if the student maintains a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0, including an event related to participation in the following clubs:
  • mountain biking
  • shooting sports
  • a youth development program Utah State University administers, which provides educational experiences in areas including agriculture, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, civic engagement, leadership, and healthy living through hands-on learning, mentoring, and community-based clubs or activities

No. Parents do not need to provide a doctor's note to excuse an absence due to physical or mental illness.

Please let the school know as soon as possible if your child will be absent. Families should report absences within 24 hours and must excuse them within one week. Schools offer different ways to report absences and can provide translation or interpretation services when needed. 

We use EDIA AI for Attendance to send text messages when a student is marked absent. Families can simply reply directly to the text message to excuse the absence. Families may respond in their preferred language, helping schools update attendance records quickly and accurately. 

You may also call the school to report a planned absence. Translation services are available.

Parents or guardians should excuse absences within one week. If more than one week has passed, a school administrator may review the situation and decide whether the absence can still be excused.

No. Parents or guardians must excuse student absences, even if the student is 18 years old.

Families should let the school know before a planned absence. Family events may be excused when the school is notified. However, long absences can affect learning and participation, so families are encouraged to plan trips during school breaks whenever possible.

Students with excused absences will be given opportunities to make up missed work. Teachers may not lower grades for work missed during an excused absence. However, some activities such as discussions, labs, performances, and group work may be difficult to make up, which is why regular attendance is important.

Our goal is to work with families and provide support. 

If a student in grades 1–6 has at least five unexcused absences during the school year, Utah law requires we send the family Compulsory Education Notifications at the 5-, 10-, and 15-day thresholds for those absences. These notices invite families to meet with school staff and work together to improve attendance.

When a student has 5 or more unexcused absences, the school will:

• Contact the family
• Discuss attendance concerns
• Help identify challenges and solutions
• Connect the family to school and community resources

Under Utah law, a student is generally considered truant when they miss at least half of a school day without a valid excuse. Truancy notices are based on unexcused absences and are meant to encourage schools and families to work together to improve attendance.

Our goal is to work with students and their families to improve attendance and provide support when attendance concerns arise.

If students in grades 7-12 have at least 5 or more unexcused absences, Utah law requires schools send out Truancy Notifications. Notifications are sent at the 5-, 10-, and 15-day thresholds and are intended to to help schools, students and families collaborate to improve attendance. 

When a student has 5 or more unexcused absences, the school will:

• Contact the student and family 
• Discuss attendance concerns
• Work together with student and family to help identify challenges and possible solutions
• Provide attendance supports and interventions
• Connect the student and family to school and community resources

Yes. Families have the right to appeal a truancy notification or compulsory education notification.

To request an appeal, the parent/guardian or student must submit a written request to the school principal within 10 school days of receiving the notification. The school's Student Support Committee (SSC) will review the appeal and issue a decision.

Families are encouraged to connect with their school’s counselor or administrator for support. Families may also check out Salt Lake City School District - Family Resources for a list of community resources that may help with barriers to school attendance.

Mental health is just as important as physical health.  Families should communicate with the school so staff can help connect students with resources and support services.

Absences related to a student's IEP or Section 504 Plan may be excused, and schools will work with families to address attendance concerns based on the student's individual needs.

We use EDIA AI for Attendance to send daily text messages. Families can reply in their preferred language, allowing schools to update attendance records quickly. ParentSquare continues to be the district's main communication tool for all other school information.

In middle and high school, attendance is taken every class period. If a student misses class without permission but remains on school grounds, staff will first focus on communication, support, and helping the student return to class. If the student refuses to go back to class, they will be marked unexcused for the class period which can lead to truancy. If the problem continues, school staff will work with the student and family to find solutions.