Attendance

Teachers are taking attendance hourly. Guest teachers take attendance and turn it into the office where it is entered as soon as possible. Teachers will be contacting home after five unexcused tardies.

Multiple times a year, we use advisory time to speak to students about the importance of being on time and showing up. The message we consistently hear from the community and local employers is the importance of this skill. We provide time for students to develop measurable goals for their school year and encourage all students to view their attendance record including both absences and tardies. We will also review school expectations around attendance:

• Mindful: Plan accordingly - need to make a stop on the way to school? Leave earlier. Have an appointment during school hours? Let the teachers of the classes you will miss know so you can make arrangements for makeup work.
• Responsible: Be in class every day, on time. Only miss school if it is necessary.
• Safe: The safest place for you to be is where you are supposed to be. If you must leave class make sure you have a pass. If you have to miss class, make sure your parent/guardian excuses your absence.

Parents will receive automated notifications twice a day when a student is marked absent.

The school sends notifications via email, text message, and phone call.

• First Notification: This is sent at 10:00 AM to alert families of absences they may not be aware of. Parents may still receive this even if they have already reported the absence, as staff may not have processed all reported absences yet.
• Second Notification: This is sent only if the student's absence remains marked as unexcused, and will be sent at 3:00 PM. 

When unexcused absences accumulate, the school is required by state law to send more formal written notifications:

• 3+ Days/Periods: Once a student has unexcused absences for three or more class periods on three different days, the school sends a notification via mail. This letter informs parents of their legal obligation to ensure attendance and their right to meet with school staff.
• 5+ Day and 7+ Day Letters: At North, additional letters are sent home once a student reaches at least five and seven unexcused absences. The seven day letter informs families that a referral is being made to Dakota County for truancy.

WIN Time (What I Need): parents will receive an automated email if their child is marked absent from their assigned session. Students are expected to attend the WIN session that they chose or were assigned to by a teacher.

This team of administrators, counselors, school social worker, and health office staff reviews data from an attendance report that is run weekly. Students who are frequently absent, both excused and unexcused, may receive notification from the school for excessive absences. 

• After 3 Days/periods of unexcused absences: A school counselor will meet with a student who has had at least three unexcused absences across three days. At this time, the counselor and student will discuss barriers to attendance and work to address these barriers if they can be addressed by the school. 
• After 5 Days/periods of unexcused absences: An administrator will meet with a student who has had at least five unexcused absences across five days. At this time, the administrator and student will discuss the previously identified barriers to attendance, and will develop an attendance contract. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will be notified and may be asked to come into the school for a meeting.
• Truancy prevention referral: Lakeville North has partnered with Dakota County and The Katallasso Group Truancy Prevention Services to support students and families who may be struggling with school attendance, with the hope of avoiding filing for truancy.
  • Students may qualify for this attendance intervention by meeting the following criteria: 
    • Excessive (10+) unexcused absences from first class period of the day, while being present the rest of the day.
    • Excessive unexcused absences, partial day (absent from 2-3 consecutive class periods for 10+ days).
    • Excessive unexcused absence from class(es) (10) when present in the building. 
    • Excessive unexcused absences due to late arrival to school (10+ minutes).
• Filing for truancy: After 7 Days/periods of unexcused absences: A referral may be made to the Dakota County Truancy Reduction Program. This is a Dakota County Social Services program meant to address the needs of students who have more than seven unexcused absences and school interventions have not improved school attendance. A Truancy Social Worker will be contacting you within 10 days. The Social Worker will set up a meeting with you and your child to discuss your child’s attendance and any concerns you may have. The goal is to support you and your child to improve school attendance and identify any barriers that are preventing this from happening.

The LNHS security team is in the hallways every passing period. In addition, the administration team - including the principal and assistant principals, is performing hallway supervision during passing time as well. Many teachers stand outside their classroom doors at this time to welcome incoming students. Our passing periods are five minutes long. During the first four minutes of passing time there is music playing. The one minute prior to the start of class there is no music playing to help students know that they should be moving to class.

The district encourages parents to frequently check Infinite Campus for real-time attendance updates. This allows parents to see if a student was marked tardy or absent in a specific class period without waiting for an automated notification. ISD 194 School Board Policy states that students who arrive to school or class 10+ minutes late will be marked absent. All students are still expected to attend class, even in the event that they arrive more than 10 minutes after the bell.

A: Many of the consequences for frequent absences are natural consequences, please also see "Potential consequences for excessive absences or tardies" section.

A: On rare occasions a students’ attendance can be marked incorrectly though this is rare. For example, if a student is not in class when the bell rings they may be marked absent for a time before being switched to tardy. Typically you should regard these notifications as correct. You can also reach out to individual teachers to ask questions about your child’s attendance in their class.

A: Many of our guest teachers are retired LNHS teachers, others are community members, or newly licensed teachers. In addition, our teaching staff prepares plans or lessons for scheduled absences. In an emergency, a teacher may not have thorough lesson plans but will have something posted in Schoology or a team member will provide the guest teacher with directions for the class. Students are expected to attend every class, every day that it is in session even if there is a guest teacher.

A: This is not a practice at Lakeville North High School.

A: No, Lakeville North High School does not have an open campus. Which means students cannot be excused for their lunch period.

A: Start by referring to the section "How parents can partner with North to improve student attendance". If you believe that your child’s attendance issues may stem from mental health, please reach out to our Counseling Office to schedule a call with your child’s School Counselor or our School Social Worker at 952-232-3685. A variety of resources are available. 

A: Please refer to the section "What the school is doing to address attendance". While we would like to personally ensure that all students get to class and get to class on time, we are a building of nearly 2,000 students. We have observed that a partnership with parents/guardians, and the conversations and expectations that you set outside of school with your child seem to be the most effective. 

A: Passing time is five minutes, and students who have classes on opposite sides of the building are able to make it while being on time. Open House and conferences are great opportunities to walk your child’s schedule and make sure that they know the fastest route. 

A: Please reach out to your child’s Assistant Principal, School Counselor, or our School Social Worker.