Eastlake Student Handbook

During the school year, it may become necessary to change or make additions to this student handbook. When this takes place, you will be notified by an announcement.  If situations occur that are not covered in the student handbook, the school administration will make decisions based upon the merits of the individual case. The primary purpose of these rules and regulations is to foster an atmosphere conducive to learning and increased student responsibility.

2024-2025 Students Rights & Responsibilities

LWSD Policy 3122

Importance of Regular Attendance

Regular school attendance is important for all students. Chronic or excessive absenteeism, whether excused or unexcused, has been correlated with lower assessment scores and lower graduation rates.

Students may be excused from school, with the consent of their parents/guardians, for medical and dental appointments and to accompany their parents/guardians on out-of-town trips. Additional absences consistent with WAC 392-400-325 will also be considered excused.

Parents or guardians should notify the school in person, by phone, or in writing/email within 48 hours of an absence if they wish to have the principal consider it as an excused absence.

Students who demonstrate chronic absenteeism or tardiness may be required to meet with school staff or the building principal to develop a plan to support the student's educational progress.

All students are expected to remain on campus for the entire school day. There are exceptions for high school students whose parents request that they be excused during lunch and students whose parents request attendance at another school or school-related activity during the school day.

Attendance Records:
LWSD File 3122P

School office staff will keep a record of excuse statements submitted by a parent/guardian or, in certain cases, students to document a student’s excused absences.

Excused Absences:
The following are valid excuses for absences and tardiness.

1. Participation in school-approved activity or instructional program. To be excused this absence must be authorized by a staff member and the affected teacher(s) should be notified prior to the absence.
2. Absence due to: illness; health condition; medical appointment; family emergency; religious or cultural purposes; court, judicial proceeding or serving on a jury; post-secondary, technical school or apprenticeship program visitation, or scholarship interview; State recognized search and rescue activities consistent with RCW 28A.225.055; and directly related to the student’s homeless status.When students are of age to make medical decisions, such absences may be excused without parent consent.A parent/guardian may request that a student be excused from attending school in observance of a religious holiday.
3. Absence for parental-approved activities. This category of absence will be counted as excused for purposes agreed to by the principal and the parent/guardian. An absence may not be approved if it causes a serious adverse effect on the student's educational progress.
4. Absence resulting from disciplinary actions — or short-term suspension. As required by law, students who are removed from a class or classes as a disciplinary measure or students who have been placed on short-term suspension will have the right to make up assignments or exams missed during the time they were denied entry to the classroom if the effect of the missed assignments will be a substantial lowering of the course grade.
5. Extended illness or health condition. If a student is confined to home or hospital for an extended period, the school will arrange for the accomplishment of assignments at the place of confinement whenever practical. If the student is unable to do his/her schoolwork, or if there are major requirements of a particular course that cannot be accomplished outside of class the student may be required to take an incomplete or withdraw from the class without penalty.
6. Excused absence for chronic health condition. Students with a chronic health condition that interrupts regular attendance may qualify for placement in a limited attendance and participation program. The student and his/her parent will apply to the principal or counselor and a limited program will be written following the advice and recommendations of the student's medical advisor. The recommended limited program will be approved by the principal.

Missed Assignments

Students shall be allowed a reasonable opportunity to complete or turn-in assignments or tests missed during an excused absence. Assignments not completed because of an excused absence or tardiness shall be made up in the manner provided by the teacher. A student will be allowed at least one makeup day for each day of absence. If a missed assignment or test cannot be replicated outside of the class period it was initially offered in, the teacher shall either excuse that assignment or provide the student with an alternative assignment.

Notification of Absence

When possible, the parent/guardian, adult (those over eighteen) or emancipated (those over sixteen who have been emancipated by court action) student should notify the school office on the morning of the absence by phone, e-mail or written note and to provide the excuse for the absence.

If no excuse is provided with the notification, or no notification is provided, the parent/guardian, adult or emancipated student will submit an excuse via phone, email or written note within 48 hours of the student’s return to school. Failure to provide a valid excuse within 48 hours will result in the absence being marked as unexcused.

Prearranged & Extended Absences

If families have prior knowledge that their student will be absent, they may prearrange for the absence to be excused by completing the prearranged absence form that shall be made available online and through the schools. If the prearranged absence will result in the student being considered chronically absent, completion of the prearranged absence form is required. Teachers are not required to provide classwork or assignments in advance of an absence.

Chronic Absenteeism & Attendance Plans

If any secondary (6-12 grades) student is chronically absent, defined as having missed ten (10) percent or more of the school year, then the school principal shall have reason to consider that further absences may have an adverse impact on the student’s educational progress and therefore that further absences may not be considered excused. A conference may be held once a student has ten (10) or more absences in a semester to develop a plan to support the student and the student will need to remain in compliance with such a plan in order for a school to consider further absences excused. A conference may not be required if prior notice of the excused absences was provided to the school or if a doctor’s note has been provided and an attendance plan is in place to ensure the student will not fall behind in their coursework.

Eastlake High School students are responsible for attending all scheduled classes each day. To request that an absence be considered as excused, parents/legal guardians must contact the school attendance line (425-936-1539) by phone within two school work days (48 hours).  Students, not school personnel, are responsible for providing timely information in regard to absences for which an excused status is requested.

The following parent notifications are made for all students with regard to absences:

• The attendance robot will call between 5-9 pm on any day that an unexcused absence occurs.  Parents may still be able to excuse this absence (less than 48 hours).  
• Parents will be notified in writing or by phone when there is one unexcused absence (after 48 hours).  
•  At 3 full-day unexcused absences in a month, parents will receive an email requesting a conference via phone or in person to address barriers to attending school.
•  At 5 absences in one class, with at least 2 or more unexcused, the student will be assigned to a Wednesday after-school Attendance Support Session. Families will be notified through email prior to the Attendance Support Session and the student will receive a reminder slip the day of the Attendance Support Session.  Subsequent unexcused absences may result in disciplinary action.
• At 5 full-day unexcused absences in a month, parents will be notified via email that a conference is required to develop an attendance contract.  At this point, the student is referred to our BECCA coordinator or to the Community Truancy Board.
•  At 7 full-day unexcused absences in a month, or 10 in a year, the BECCA coordinator files a truancy petition.
•  After a petition is filed, the student is required to appear in court and will then be under the court’s jurisdiction.

Teachers may mark a student absent if the student misses more than half of an instruction period.  A student may also be marked absent if the student leaves without permission after a class has started.  

Absences should be pre-arranged by written request when parents have advance knowledge of impending absences.

Examples of an unexcused absence include, but are not limited to, missing class because a student did not complete homework or study for a test, oversleeping, traffic, missed bus, and avoidable events, those that can be scheduled outside school time.  No teacher is obligated to provide make-up work for a student who misses class due to an unexcused absence.  

Absences for school-sponsored activities will not count towards the total number of absences.

A student who is suspended from part or all of a school day may not participate in school events that day. (Including practices, rehearsals, games, performances, dances etc.).

If a student needs to be excused during the day for an appointment, he/she must bring a note from a parent to the attendance secretary before school. The attendance secretary will give the student a pass to leave school at the requested time. If a parent needs to get an important message to a student during the school day, it will be delivered to the classroom.

Students may be denied a grade on an assignment or an activity when they have an unexcused absence for a period in which there was a graded event that required student participation.  Credit may be denied if absences correspond to periods in which there were graded events that required student participation as specified in that particular course’s outline.  Students who are denied credit for a course have a right to appeal the decision to a building administrator. Building administrators should ensure that students’ unique circumstances are taken into consideration in instances where grades or credit may be adversely affected due to absences.

The student is responsible for checking in with teachers or Skyward in order to make up outstanding assignments. After three consecutive days of absences, a student or parent is encouraged to email the teacher to request homework.

Students are expected to be in their classrooms on time and prepared to begin working. Teachers will maintain records of student tardiness. A late student is considered to be tardy if less than 10 minutes of class are missed.

LWSD Policy

Under Washington state’s truancy law RCW 28A.225.030, the school/district are required to take specific actions when students are truant.

Unexcused Absences (Truancy)
Absences are marked unexcused when:

1. The parent/guardian or adult/emancipated student submits an excuse that does not meet the definition of an excused absence as defined above; or
2. The parent/guardian or adult/emancipated student fails to submit any type of excuse statement within 48 hours of the student’s return to school following an absence.

If a student has unexcused absences, the school shall progressively notify and engage the student and family in an effort to avoid further absences.

• The school shall notify a student’s parent or guardian in writing or by telephone whenever the student has failed to attend school after any unexcused absence within. The notification shall include the potential consequences of additional unexcused absences.
• A conference with the parent or guardian shall be held after three unexcused absences within any month. If a regularly scheduled parent-teacher conference is scheduled to take place within thirty (30) days of the second unexcused absence, the school may schedule the attendance conference on the same day. If the parent or guardian does not attend the conference, the conference may be conducted with the student and school official and the parent or guardian shall be notified of the steps the school has decided to take to reduce the student’s absences.
• Not later than the student’s fifth unexcused absence in a month, the school shall enter into an agreement with the student and parents that establishes school attendance requirements, refer the student to a community truancy board, or file a petition and affidavit with the juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010.
• If such action is not successful, the school will file a petition and affidavit with the juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010 by the parent, student or parent and student no later than the seventh unexcused absence within any month or upon the tenth unexcused absence during the current school year.
• Prior to a secondary student’s fifth unexcused absence in a month, an authorized staff member may administer a needs assessment subject to consent and, where appropriate, provide the student with best practice or research-based interventions.
• The District established community truancy shall be composed of members of the local community in which the student attends school. The District shall file a stay of truancy petition for those students who appear before the community truancy board.

Tardies

Students are expected to be in class each assigned class period on time. Corrective action may be taken when a student’s tardiness becomes frequent or disruptive resulting in school service or lunch detention.  If students arrive late to school, they are expected to check in at the main office and take a tardy pass to their teacher. 

A tardy may also be counted as an absence if the student more than half of an instructional period.
 

Early Dismissal & Closed Campus

Students who must leave the school during the school day must sign out of the school’s attendance office prior to leaving the school. Leaving school without prior approval and without properly signing out may result in corrective action. Students are expected to remain on campus for the entire school day, except for high school students whose parents request that they be excused during lunch and students whose parents request attendance at another school or school-related activity during the school day.

Conformance with State Law

All actions imposed for failure to comply with the attendance policies and procedures shall be implemented in conformance with state and District regulations regarding corrective action.

Students are not to use cell phones or other personal electronic devices while class is in session, unless given permission by the teacher.

LWSD Acceptable Use Policy for Electronics.

Students must have a valid ticket and photo ID to attend Eastlake dances. A student may bring a date from another school as long as they complete a EHS Guest Pass for their guest, that the pass is signed by the administrator at the guest’s school as well as an administrator from EHS (and appropriate business card/ID is attached). Guests must be at least in 9th grade and under 21 years old. Once a student enters the dance, there is no exit-reentry. Students and their guests must follow all LWSD and EHS rules at the dance.

Students are reminded that their appearance significantly affects the way others respond to them. Matters of dress remain the primary concern of students in consultation with their parents. Student dress shall not be regulated except when there is a reasonable expectation that;

1. A health or safety hazard shall be presented by the student's dress or appearance,
2. Damage to school property shall result from the student's dress, or
3. The student's dress or appearance shall create material and substantial disruption of the educational process at the school.

In terms of this policy, disruption includes, but is not necessarily limited to:

• Student riotings, destruction of property, or
• Widespread shouting, or boisterous conduct, or
• Substantial student participation in a school boycott, sit-in, stand-in, walk-out, or
• Other related forms of activity.

Material and substantial disruptions may be found to exist when a student’s dress conflicts with established codes of student conduct (JFC-R) prohibiting the use of lewd, sexual, drug, tobacco, or alcohol-related messages, or gang apparel. Additionally, student dress or apparel may not conflict with prohibitions on harassment (JFD and JFDA)

The superintendent shall establish procedures for the monitoring of student dress in school or while engaging in extracurricular activities which shall be included in rules and regulations pertaining to student responsibilities.

Students violating the dress code will be asked to change and parents may be notified. Continuous violations will be subject to progressive discipline

Hazing will not be tolerated in any form and is never to be part of our program. Acts of hazing can escalate to the point that the students participating are at risk. It is also quite possible that many acts of hazing will result in legal action being taken against the coach, advisor, student group leader, administration or the school district.

Any student who participates willingly in a hazing ritual is subject to disciplinary action, including suspension from school or the team or both, and possible legal action dependent on the severity of the incident.

Any student-athlete who observes and does not attempt to stop or report such a violation can also be subject to disciplinary action by the school. Repeated acts of hazing can result in further school action and permanent suspension from athletics.

Initiation ceremonies and rituals are different from hazing rituals as they are positive, open, and public events. Initiation ceremonies welcome new members to a team or group, promote bonding and orientation to the purpose, culture, and expectations of the team or group. The coach, advisor and parents are informed of the ceremony and invited to participate.

Parents/guardians who wish to contest discipline may submit a grievance to the school principal for an informal conference.

As part of their four-year program of study, all students are expected to register for and take 7 credit bearing courses each semester. A Senior who is on track to satisfy all credit requirements for graduation may complete an application for Early Dismissal or Late Arrival.  Requests for a Senior’s class schedule with fewer than 7 credit bearing courses will be reviewed with extenuating considerations in mind, which may include but are not limited to the following:

• Employment
• Medical need with documentation
• Educational opportunities outside the school/district consistent with the student’s High School and Beyond Plan.

A class schedule with fewer than 7 credit bearing courses will only allow for a late arrival or early dismissal (no open periods in the middle of the school day).  It is necessary to gain approval from the student’s counselor and parents for late arrival or early dismissal and have a copy of the approval on file in the counseling office.

Eastlake High School will follow standard district schedules on designated late start days.  Classes will begin at 9:30 a.m. for a one-hour delay and at 10:30 a.m. for a two-hour delay. When students return to class after a school cancellation, they resume a regular scheduled day.

All students have an opportunity to have a locker, but each locker will be used by only one person.  Lockers are school district property and will be assigned randomly.  Only school-issued locks will be permitted on lockers; therefore, any unacceptable lock will be cut off the locker.  The school administration must have access to ALL lockers in case they need to search them for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of the school environment to protect the safety of other students. In other words, if drugs, alcohol, weapons or any other equally dangerous or violent item is suspected to be in a student’s locker, the locker can and will be legally searched.

Do not bring large sums of money and/or valuables to school. The school district is not responsible for loss or theft. If a student must bring cash or valuables to school, he/she should check the items into the main office where they can be secured in a vault for the remainder of the school day. Classrooms, storage rooms, and locker rooms are not secure areas.

A reasonable fee of $10.00 shall be charged for all dishonored checks returned to the LWSD per RCW 62A.3-104.

Parking Permit/Driving Eligibility

Juniors and seniors may request parking permits starting in late August.

All students must meet the eligibility requirements in order to obtain a parking permit at Eastlake High School:

• Have no outstanding fines.

Parking Citations of  $15.00 will be issued for the following:

1.  Parking without a valid and visible parking permit.
2. If a student uses another student’s permit, a fine may result for both parties involved.
3. Improper parking of vehicle. This includes not properly parking in stalls (i.e., taking more than one place or blocking accessibility) and parking in restricted areas (i.e., fire lanes, bus lanes, handicap only parking, staff and visitor parking, and along curbs).

Moving Citations of $30.00 will be issued for the following:

Moving violations (i.e., speeding, reckless endangerment) are subject to disciplinary sanctions which may result in the loss of parking privileges for both driver and rider.

This includes:

• Transporting any person or persons in the bed of a truck unless there is/are properly installed, State approved seat belt/s.  
• Transporting passengers in the trunk of, on top of, outside of, or underneath any vehicle.
• For not wearing seatbelts at all times on campus while in a moving vehicle.
• For not yielding to all school buses, pedestrians, and bicycle riders.

If a student accumulates more than 3 Parking Citations or more than 2 Moving Citations, their parking privilege will be revoked for the remainder of the year.

*All vehicles that are in violation of these regulations are subject to tow at owner’s expense*

Lake Washington School District Parking/Driving Permit Policy:
“By issuance of the permit, Lake Washington School District does not assume liability for any property damage to any private automobile parked on its property. The owners-operators of all private vehicles accept responsibility for their own property and agree that they are parking at their own risk.”

Eastlake High School Parking/Driving Permit Policy:

All students who park their vehicle(s) on Eastlake High School’s Campus during normal school hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) must have a visible and valid 2024-25 Student Parking Permit (only available to 11th & 12th graders) displayed on their vehicles when parked on the Eastlake High School Campus. A parking permit is to be used only by and for the car and driver to whom it is issued. The Parking Permit is not transferable and may not be resold by student.

Cars are not to be entered or used in any way other than transportation to and from school without expressed permission from the principal or designee.

Official school personnel have the responsibility and right to cite students for unsafe driving on campus and for neglecting to have a valid and visible parking permit.  If you feel you have been cited unfairly, you have two weeks to make an appointment with the associate principal to dispute the ticket. No consideration will be made for students who neglect to make an appointment after two weeks.

Parent visitors are always welcome. Before visiting a classroom, however, a parent must first meet with the teacher to discuss purpose of the visit. Upon arrival on campus the parent must sign in at the main office. Student visitors must be a guest of a current EHS student and obtain permission from an administrator and all the student's teachers at least 24 hours prior to visiting Eastlake High School. All student visitors must also register in the main office upon arrival on campus. Students from schools in western Washington are not permitted to visit Eastlake during the school day.

A security camera system is in use at Eastlake High School. The security camera system helps maintain safety and security and also diminishes the potential for loss or destruction of property during non-school hours. Cameras are installed in public areas only and are not installed in areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.
 
The security camera system may or may not be monitored or in operation at any given time. If you have reason to suspect that a camera may have recorded a crime or a violation of school rules, please report your concerns to one of the school administrators. The administrator may review security camera footage as needed to investigate a potential crime or violation of school rules.

For more information on other district policies from security cameras to dogs on district property, follow the links:

https://www.lwsd.org/about-us/policy-and-regulations/security-camera-systems-kc
https://www.lwsd.org/about-us/policy-and-regulations/security-camera-systems-kc-r

The Mobile Access for Students program provides each student in grades six through 12 a laptop computer for their educational use both at home and at school. The use of this tool is designed to enrich the learning environment and to assist teachers as they support students in acquiring the skills, knowledge and attributes outlined in the district’s Student Profile.
The privilege of accessing the school network and computer resources is also an opportunity to learn the responsibility of informed, ethical and responsible computer use. This handbook outlines many of these responsibilities. It provides information and resources for families about these expectations.

LWSD Laptop Handbook

Tips to keep your laptop healthy - 

• Properly restart your laptop once a day by going to the Start icon and then Restart.
• Charge your laptop battery every night.
• Use your laptop for schoolwork only.

Remember to: 

• Always save your files and documents to your student OneDrive, not to the desktop of your laptop. You will lose your files should the laptop crash or require a hard drive replacement.
• Do not adhere stickers to your laptop.
• Never leave your laptop unattended.
• If your password is not working, please contact the EHS library.

What if my laptop is not working properly or is broken?
Follow these steps before turning it in for repair:

1. Do a proper restart from the Start icon.
2. Look for updates in the "software center"

If you continue to experience issues with your laptop or if it is damaged, take it to the library, complete the Computer Repair form, and turn in the form with your laptop. You will be issued a loaner laptop to use while yours is in repair. You will receive an email when your laptop is repaired and ready for pick-up. Bring the loaner laptop back to the library.  More information can also be found at the EHS Tech Website here: https://ehs.lwsd.org/academics/technology