Attendance

Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early

Female student sitting in a classroom reading a book on reptiles.

DID YOU KNOW?

Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just one or two days every few weeks.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.
Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.
Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
Try to schedule non-urgent related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn’t in session.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
If you are concerned that your child may have a contagious illness, call your school or health care provider for advice.
If your child must stay home due to illness, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.

When Do Absences Become a Problem?

Roadmap for Attendance Notices

UNEXCUSED ABSENCE NOTICES

TRUANCY LETTER 1 - Generates after 3 unexcused absences (which classifies a child as truant).
TRUANCY LETTER 2 - Generates after 6 unexcused absences with conference invite and notification of School Attendance Review Board (SARB).
TRUANCY LETTER 3 - Generates after 9 unexcused absences (which classifies a child as habitually truant).

EXCUSED ABSENCE NOTICES

EXCESSIVE EXCUSED 1 - Medical Letter generated after 10% of missed school days.

SARB HEARING
Generates after a student has missed 10% of the school year and has at least 9 absences.

Attendance Roadmap - English
Attendance Roadmap - Spanish

Attendance Reporting and Procedures

To report an absence, call or email your site secretary.

Students are responsible for having their parent telephone or email the school on the day they are absent from school. Please include the following information when reporting a school absence:

The student’s name
Date(s) of absence
Reason for absence
Name of caller and relationship to student
Daytime phone number of caller

Absences not cleared within TWO (2) DAYS of the student’s absence will be considered an unexcused absence.

Independent Study

Students who miss 5-20 consecutive days of school may enroll in an Independent Study program in order to excuse their attendance. Parent/Guardian and student must contact the school no less than 10 days prior to their absence to sign their Independent Study Contract. At this time, students and parents will be informed of the necessary steps in which to gather and return their work for attendance approval. Please call the site secretary with any questions.

Glossary of Attendance Terms

TRUANT/TRUANCY
A child is classified as truant when they have missed thirty minutes or more of instruction on three separate days without a valid reason.
CHRONICALLY ABSENT
A child is chronically absent when they have missed 10% of the school year. This includes all absences (excused, unexcused, suspensions, physician notes, etc.).
EXCUSED ABSENCE
Absences that can be considered excused per Ed Code are: (1) personal illness or injury; (2) personal medical or dental appointment; (3) funeral of immediate family member; (4) quarantine under the direction of health officer; (5) religious observance. A doctor’s note is required after 10 excused absences. (Please refer to online handbooks available on school websites for most current policies.)
UNEXCUSED ABSENCE
Absences that do not meet the requirement of an excused absence are considered an unexcused absence.
PRE-SARB MEETING (SARB)
SARB is a School Site Team which brings together parent(s)/guardian(s), the student, the site principal, and any other administration and attendance support staff. The goal of this team is to identify possible solutions to improving the students' attendance.
DISTRICT ATTENDANCE REVIEW TEAM (SARB)
SARB is a District Team which brings together parent(s)/guardian(s), the student, a District Office staff member, the site principal, and any other administration and attendance support staff. The goal of this team is to provide additional support to identify possible solutions to improving the students' attendance.

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