October 16th, 2026

Attendance & Reporting Guidelines

Regular attendance is a legal requirement and essential for high school success. A parent or guardian must approve absences for students under 18. Students 18 and older may self-validate.

The Ministry of Education has outlined specific requirements for parents, families, and caregivers when reporting an excused absence. Excused absences will not impact a Grade 9 to 12 student’s attendance mark.

How to Report an Excused Absence

Emailed absence notifications should be sent to jhs-attendance@wrdsb.ca. 

When reporting a student’s absence, parents and guardians are reminded to provide the following details via email to the address above or with a written note upon the student’s return to school.

  • Student’s full name (first and last)
  • Reason for absence (Illness and medical appointments, religious, cultural, or holy days, bereavement, inclement weather or unavoidable travel delays and non-school-related activities and sports)
  • Date(s) of absence and return date
  • Specific time or class period(s) missed (if attending a partial day)

Format Examples:

  • Full Day: “[Student Name] will be absent due to [Reason] on [Date] and will return on [Date].”
  • Partial Day: “[Student Name] will be absent due to [Reason] on [Date] for Period 3 and will return for Period 4.”

Telephone calls or voicemail messages do not meet the Ministry’s requirements for reporting an excused absence.

A student’s parent or guardian, or the student if they are an adult, must submit a written request to excuse the student for a specified time frame. This could include:

  • Illness
  • A medical appointment
  • Vacation or family obligation
  • Religious/Cultural/Holy day
  • Sporting engagement
  • Bereavement
  • Inclement weather
  • Unavoidable travel delays
  • Non-school related activities and sports

Students remain responsible for completing any missed learning or assessments.

5-Day Validation Window: Absences are expected to be validated upon return to school, and must be reported within 5 school days of your student’s return to school, or the absence will remain unexcused.

Late Arrivals & Appointments

  • Late for Class: Proceed directly to class. Your teacher will mark you late. Frequent lates are referred to a Vice-Principal.
  • Evening Calls: An automated phone system contacts families each evening regarding same-day lates or absences.

Extended Absences

If parent/guardian needs to withdraw their student for up to 15 days an FS-26-TW Temporary Student Withdrawal Form  is to be completed.  The form should be brought to the appropriate Vice Principal prior to departure.

The school is not responsible for providing alternative programming.

Absences due to illness may require medical verification.

Adult Students

Under the Age of Majority and Education Acts, adult status means any person who attains 18 years of age.

Students who are 18 years of age may pick up an Adult Student Status form at the Attendance Office. When the form is completed and returned to the school the student may provide their own information concerning absences.

 

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