Attendance

Lyons Township High School is committed to forming a partnership with parents to maintain regular student attendance and to prepare students for work/career expectations. Lyons Township High School is committed to the philosophy that every student should attend all of their classes every day. This does not include students that are medically unable to attend.

Regular attendance and promptness in all classes are expected as essential for good performance. Excessive absences result in a loss of instructional time, making it more difficult to show mastery of material, thus potentially affecting the class grade or in a loss of class credit.

It is the parents'/guardians’ responsibility to contact the Lyons Township High School Assistant Principals' Office either by calling or by completing the Absence Request Form through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

To report an absence, you must call the school before 9am on the day of the absence. Only calls from parents or legal guardians will be recognized. Emancipated students are allowed to report their own.Turning 18 does not grant that authority. It is important to note that a student who has been sick with a fever or vomiting must be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

North Campus: (708)354-4700

South Campus: (708)579-6528

Please be prepared to provide the following information:

Student's name
Student's ID number
Date of absence
Reason for absence
Your relationship to student

The Absence Request Form

The Absence Request Form should be completed by the parent/guardian through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal prior to 7:45am on the day of the student’s absence. Do not divulge your parent login and password to students.

Directions for Reporting an Absence in Infinite Campus

1. Mark the student for whom you are submitting the absence request.

2. Select the reason the student will be absent from the Excuse dropdown list.

3. Select the Absence Type.

4. Enter the date(s) for the absence.

5. Upload any optional/required documents. Only one document is allowed per request and it will be attached to every student in the request.

6. Enter Comments about the absence reason.

7. Click Submit when finished.

Instructions for completing the absence request via Infinite Campus

student attendance

attendance Handbook - english

attendance handbook - spanish

Lyons Township High School must enforce the State of Illinois law regarding compulsory attendance. The law specifies that parents/guardians have the obligation to see that their children are in regular attendance. In order to comply with State of Illinois law, the school reserves the right to determine if an absence is unexcused and/or constitutes truancy, in the school’s sole discretion.

Student Expectations

Guidelines

Guidelines

On time arrival: In order to maximize instructional time, students are expected to arrive at school each and every day on time. All students who arrive tardy will be scanned into the building between 7:45-7:55 AM. Students will be given a red time stamped pass and are instructed to head directly to class.
Activity/Athletics participants are expected to attend school for six class periods of the student’s class schedule on the day of the activity or have prior approval from the athletics/activities director or assistant principal. “Activity” includes practices, competitions, and events related to the extracurricular activity.
Partial Day Absence- when leaving the building during the school day, a parent must call to inform the attendance office of the time the student is to leave or complete the Absence Request Form through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal PRIOR to that time, preferably prior to 7:45am. The student then must check out in the Assistant Principals’ Office before leaving the building or it will not be considered an excused absence. When returning from appointments, the student must check back in at the Assistant Principals’ Office. Failure to follow described check in/check out procedures will result in disciplinary consequences. The school reserves the right to contact doctors’ offices to confirm appointments and/or to review documentation from court appearances.
Illness During the School Day -If a student should become ill during the school day, they must obtain a pass from a classroom teacher to the Nurse's Office. Students should see the school nurse for medical attention, rather than contacting parents directly. The nurse will assess the student and contact the parent if it is determined that the student needs to go home. Students who violate these provisions will be considered unexcused for all class periods missed.

attendance matters

Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success.
Regular attendance is crucial for academic success and personal development, and we want to ensure that every student has the support they need to attend school consistently.

Family Attendance Roadmap

Regular school attendance improves students’ academic, social, and emotional development. When students prioritize attendance, they are engaging in meaningful experiences that cannot be replicated outside of the classroom. As a school, we strive to create an affirming environment that fosters a sense of safety, belonging, and respect for all students, ensuring that every student feels valued and supported.

Reporting an Absence

To report day of or future absences (partial or full day) call:

South Campus: (708) 579-6528
North Campus: (708) 354-4700

Absences can also be communicated through the Infinite Campus Absence Request Form within the Parent Portal prior to 7:45am on the day of the absence.

Please be prepared to provide the following information:

Student's name
Student's ID number
Date of absence
Reason for absence
Your relationship to student

We would like to offer the following resources to help your student.

Academic Support

Stay on Track!

When absent, we encourage students to take the following steps:

Email their teacher; ask what they missed and how they can make it up. Don’t let yourself fall behind.
Be willing to come to school early or stay later to get some extra help upon your return.
Schedule a time to meet with your teacher if you are not understanding the content.
Check your grades and for any missing assignments on Infinite Campus.
Access Canvas. Many teachers have lessons posted for your review.
Use the content-specific Drop-In Centers during study hall.
Utilize the Testing Center to make up any assessments that they may have missed

We know that there are additional reasons for students who may be experiencing Social Emotional Support.

Social Emotional Support

If health concerns are a factor, our school nurse and health services team can offer support and guidance.

Health Services

LTHS Mental Health Resources provide families with a list of community agencies ranging from hospitals to intensive outpatient programs, school avoidance resources, and the names of local therapists and psychiatrists.

LTHS Mental Health Resources

Arrive On Time

Support During the Day

Extracurriculars

Sign in/Sign Out Procedures

School Refusal

School Refusal
- School refusal, as defined by the National Association of School Psychologists, is a pattern of behavior where a student refuses to go to school or has difficulty attending school, sometimes due to emotional distress.
- Not a deliberate attempt to skip school but can be a manifestation of underlying emotional or mental health issues.
If Your Student is Struggling With School Refusal
- Talk to your student to try and identify the root cause of their not wanting to go to school.
- Work with your student’s school counselor/school social worker to identify potential barriers to attending school and to create a plan to support their school attendance.
- Set firm expectations about school attendance with clear consequences for missing school.
- Consider outside counseling resources if the problem persists. School counselors/school social workers can provide a list of counseling resources.

Ways to Support Your Student’s Attendance

Establish Routines and Structure
- Encourage your student to establish a consistent sleep schedule. 8-10 hours of sleep is the optimal sleep amount for teenagers.
- Encourage your student to establish a morning routine that includes ample time to get ready for school, including breakfast.
Make it Clear that Attendance at School is Non-negotiable
- Hold firm boundaries around attendance, only allowing your child to stay home if they are truly sick.
- If your student contacts you from school asking to get picked up, direct your student to the health office or counseling office.
Plan Ahead
- As much as possible, schedule doctor visits and vacations outside of school hours.
Communicate With the School
- Monitor your student’s attendance and address any unexpected absences right away.
- Contact your student’s counselor and social worker with any concerns about your student’s attendance.

LTHS Counseling Department

Access this webpage to learn more about the followings services provided within the Student Service Department including:

Academic Support: To find information about academic counseling services, course planning, and scheduling.
Mental Health Resources: To seek resources and support for mental health issues, including counseling services.
College and Career Planning: To get assistance with college applications, scholarships, and career planning.
Personal and Social Development: To access resources for personal and social development, conflict resolution, and peer relationships.
Parent Resources: To find information and resources for parents to support their children’s academic and emotional well-being.
Contact Information: To obtain contact details for the counseling staff.
Workshops and Events: To learn about upcoming workshops, events, and informational sessions provided by the counseling department.
Forms and Documents: To download necessary forms and documents related to counseling services.

LTHS Counseling Department

resources

West40 Community Resources

West 40 is an educational service region (ESR) in Illinois that provides various services to schools and educators in the western suburbs of Chicago. West 40 serves a number of school districts and works closely with schools, administrators, and teachers to improve educational outcomes. It often offers programs in areas like special education, school safety, professional development, and truancy intervention, among others.

West40

Here you will find links to community resources in the West40 area. These links include topics related to: SEL, Food, Housing, Truancy, Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Immigration Support, LGBTQ+ and much more.

West40 Community Resources Page

School Refusal

This video documents one family's journey in understanding and addressing school refusal with their child. It shows how they collaborated with the school to discuss the issue and develop effective interventions tailored to their needs. By watching this video, you will gain the ability to:

Define "school refusal" and understand how it differs from truancy.
Recognize the various ways school refusal can manifest.
Learn about practical strategies for addressing school refusal in collaboration with schools and families.

School Refusal Video

Podcast - Parenting Teens with School Refusal

This episode focuses on teen school refusal, also known as school avoidance, a trend that has doubled since the pandemic. Dr. Jennifer Bienstock offers insights on how parents can effectively support their teens struggling with school avoidance. She addresses concerns related to academic performance, social development, and mental well-being, all of which can be impacted by increasing absences.

Podcast - Parenting Teens with School Refusal

School Avoidance Alliance

Attendance Works

Attendance Works is a national initiative dedicated to improving the policy, practice, and research around attendance to ensure that every student is present and engaged in school. The organization focuses on reducing chronic absenteeism and promoting a culture of attendance to improve student outcomes.Attendance Works also creates tailored interventions that focuses on the underlying causes of absenteeism, such as health issues, transportation barriers, and family challenges.

Attendance Works