Attendance

A student’s academic success is directly related to regular, daily attendance. Students who attend school every day receive opportunities for important contact with their teachers and establish a record of responsibility and dependability for themselves. 

Minnesota state law (MN 120A.22; 120A.34) states the parents of every child between the ages of seven and 17 are responsible for assuring their child receives instruction with the primary purpose of that instruction being that the child acquires the knowledge and skills essential for effective citizenship.

Students or parents are to contact the school prior to, or the day of, all planned absences and provide a reason for the student’s absence.  Absences which are not reported to the school with the required documentation when the student returns to school will be considered Unexcused.  Refer to DLHS Student Handbook for attendance details.  Please contact E-Laker Online at 218-844-4761, or charrier@detlakes.k12.mn.us to communicate absences. 

E-Laker Online High School attendance procedures are guided by a number of values. Flexibility paired with accountability is what makes E-Laker Online unique.  In some instances, these values may compete with each other. E-Laker Online attendance procedures attempt to balance these values in the best interests of our students.

 

Attendance Expectation for E-Laker Students

Even though you are taking courses online, your attendance will be monitored. Attendance is recorded each Monday based on your engagement and progress from the previous week. You must make adequate progress toward completing each course, which is based on Subject Online Learning Platform course progress.  

  • In order for your attendance to be in good standing, you are expected to log in and work a minimum of 5 hours per course per week. 
  • A full-time E-Laker student taking 6 classes is expected to log in and work for 25–30 hours per week to meet attendance requirements and to complete their work on time. 
  • You can avoid having absences by making adequate weekly progress in your assigned coursework or by working ahead in your coursework.  
  • Students do not need to log in at a certain time, as the learning at E-Laker is asynchronous.
  • E-Laker students should be within 5 percentage points of the course progress.
  • Subject Online Learning Platform tracks time logged in as well as idle time, both of which are factored into attendance.
  • Please note that under MN. Stat. § 120A.22, “a student who is absent from instruction for 15 consecutive school days must be considered unenrolled.” This includes not logging into your online courses.
Drop/Fail For Attendance Reasons 

Unexcused and Non-Exempt student absences could result in a student being "Drop/Failed" from a course.  Our highest priority is getting students to work on their courses so that they can stay on track, earn credits, and graduate.  Understand that courses at the High School level cannot simply be "made up" after lengthy periods of learning loss.  Particularly if a student shows a continued pattern of absences or no effort in their courses without any improvement after staff intervention.  Full-time E-Laker students should be spending 5 hours per day on coursework, which is approximately 25-30 hours per week.

  • Please note that under MN. Stat. § 120A.22, “a student who is absent from instruction for 15 consecutive school days must be considered unenrolled.” This includes not logging into your online courses.

  • Students who have been non-exempt in a class are eligible to be dropped from the classes they have been skipping. Drop/Failing a class will not happen for students under the age of 17 until they qualify for the 15-day Truancy Letter and will be built into their Attendance Contract.

Absence Reporting Procedures

  • Please notify Cali Harrier, E-Laker Online coordinator (218-844-4085), or the DLHS Attendance Line (218-847-4491 press 1) if you become ill for several days, if you are planning to be out of town for an extended period of time, or if there is a reason you are not logging in for an extended period of time.
  • The school district may require a signed note from a medical professional for absences due to illness or medical reasons, especially when those absences become excessive.
  • Students who are 18 years old and are independent, as defined by section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code, and who have provided documentation of independence may excuse their own absences, but are required to abide by all DLHS attendance rules and regulations. 18-year-old students who are claimed as dependents by their parents or guardians are, in accordance with Minnesota Statute 120A.20, governed by the same set of rules and regulations that are applied to all other students.