Attendance Policies and Procedures
Excessive Illnesses: When a student has had 14 absences in the school year for illness or equivalent of period absences, any further absence for illness shall be verified by a physician.
Excused Absences: Excused absences may include: illness, medical or dental appointments, death or serious illness in immediate family, religious holidays. If your student visits the Dr. due to illness or an appointment it is recommended you bring in a note from the Dr.
Truants/Unexcused Absences: Students who are on campus but miss their assigned class without permission from school staff are considered truant. If a student is more than 30 minutes late, the student is truant. Also, those students who leave campus, stay home without permission from a parent/guardian, or have an absence that remains unexcused after 72 hours, will be recorded as truant. Discipline may be administered in each of these cases. When a student has had 14 absences in the school year for illness, any further absence for illness shall be verified by a physician with appropriate documentation.
Unexcused absences include all absences or truancies: Unexcused absences may include but are not limited to: traffic, vacations, shopping, staying home to visit with friends or family, transportation breakdown, working, missing the bus, negligence, truancy, too tired, etc. A total of three days of unexcused absences or truancies or 18 period absences can trigger the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process and may receive disciplinary actions at school for truancy. Parents will be sent a letter notifying them that their child is habitually absent/ truant. Additional unexcused absences/truancies will prompt a mandatory meeting with the District Attorney’s office and potential prosecution.
Tardy-Late to School: Any student who arrives late to school must check in to the attendance office to get a pass to enter class. Students who arrive between classes, during break or at lunch must also check in at the Attendance Office. Students who arrive to class late create a disruption, regardless of the reason, and will be marked tardy. California State law will excuse tardies for illness and medical appointments; unfortunately, we are unable to excuse tardies for traffic, rain, car difficulties, or any other circumstance not listed under “Excused.” If student is tardy for a medical appointment, it is suggested that they bring in a note from their Dr.
Tardy-Late to Class: A student is tardy when he/she is not in a seat in class when the first bell rings to begin class. The only way to excuse a tardy is for a student to have a note (with the student’s name, date, and time) signed by a staff member. Since classroom tardies disrupt the educational environment and affect the classroom teacher directly, parents cannot excuse classroom tardies. *An absence is recorded if a student is more than 30 minutes late to class.
Dismissal for Medical, Dental, or Personal Appointments: If your child must leave during the school day, you may send a note with him/her indicating the time and nature of the early dismissal. Your child will bring the note to the office before school and receive a “Special Excuse” slip. He/she will show this slip to the classroom teacher at the beginning of the appropriate class period. The teacher will send him/her to the attendance office at the designated time. A parent or guardian must come in to the office to sign the student out before he/she may leave campus and must show valid photo ID. Your child may not leave campus in the custody of anyone other than a parent or guardian or another person authorized as listed in the parent portal. This is for your child’s protection.
Illness at School: If your child becomes ill at school, he/she is to request permission from his or her teacher to report to the office. If the child is too ill to continue his/her day at school, the health office will call the parent or guardian to pick up the child. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES is a child to call his/her parents/guardians to pick him/her up and leave the premises without the school personnel being notified. If your child calls or texts you, please ask them to go to the Health Office.
A parent or guardian must come in to the office to sign the student out before he/she may leave campus and must show valid photo ID. Your child may not leave campus in the custody of anyone other than a parent or guardian or another person authorized as listed in the parent portal. This is for your child’s protection.