• ATTENDANCE

     

    Students who are successful miss class no more than FIVE times per semester.

    This includes excused and unexcused absences.  Strong attendance promotes learning and a sense of personal responsibility in the student and is imperative for academic achievement.

     

    Closed Campus

    No student is allowed to leave school before the official end of the school day without proper approval.  Violations will be considered truancies.

     

    Excessive Absences

    Any student who is absent from class 5 or more times in a semester has excessive absences.

     

    Chronic Absences

    Any student who is absent over 10% of the time has chronic absences.

     

    Unexcused Absences and Grades

    ·   Teachers are not obliged to provide schoolwork or tests on unexcused absences.

    ·   Unexcused absences may lower a student’s progress grade. 

    ·   Excessive unexcused absences may result in an “F” for the semester grade.

     

    Reasons for Absence

    All students are required to be in school every day unless:  Personal illness (school may require doctor’s note and will require doctor’s verification excuse when school deems absences are excessive.); Quarantine under medical orders;  Doctor’s note for medical appointment (usually not an all-day absence);  Exclusion for medical reasons (not to exceed 5 days);  Funeral services [of parent, sibling, grandparent, or member of the immediate household (limit is one day in state and three days out of state)]; Justifiable reasons (Court appearance; Religious observance limited to 4 hours per semester, etc.); Custodial parent (of a child who is ill or has a medical appointment during school hours).  The District does not give permission for a student to be absent that are for reasons not listed above. All absences for reasons other than those identified above will be deemed unexcused. 

     

    Timely Explanation of Absences   (Absence Notes)

    All unverified absences automatically change to “unexcused” after 48-hours from the absence.  The unverified absence will be recorded as unexcused for the remainder of the school year.  

     

    Parents shall notify the Attendance Office on the day of the absence to report the student’s absence and are required to verify all absences no later than 48-hours after the absence either in person, by telephone at the 24-Hour-Hotline (714) 241-6412,or by making sure the student brings in the parent note and/or official documentation to the attendance office no later than 48-hours after the absence.  Also, students must turn in their Excuse Slip for School Field Trip or School Activity to the Attendance Office no later than 48-hours after the event.  The office staff updates the attendance record based on the timely explanation.

     

    WIN/Saturday School

    Attending one Saturday School allows the student the opportunity to clean up one full-day absence. The responsible student voluntarily signs up for Saturday School in the Attendance Office.  In addition, Saturday School is assigned by the WIN coordinator  to students with excessive, chronic or unexcused absences on their record.

     

    Tardies

    Students are expected to be in their assigned seats ready to work when the tardy bell rings.  Habitual tardiness will lead to disciplinary action.  If a student is detained by a staff member, the student must obtain a written pass from that staff member.  If a student is tardy to class, the student will be subject to the consequence provided by the school. 

     

     

    COMPULSORY EDUCATION

     

    Mandatory Attendance   

    Students are expected to attend school every day.  Education Code 48290 sets out the basic authorization for the County District Attorney to hold parents accountable when they do not compel their school-age children to attend school.  

     

    Truancy 

    Any student who is absent from school without a valid excuse for more than three days or is tardy in excess of 30 minutes more than three days in one school year is considered a truant.  Parents will be notified by letter upon their student’s classification as a truant or habitual truant.  Recent legislation permits the court to have the Driver’s License of a student who has been declared as a habitual truant suspended, restricted or delayed.

     

    Due Process

    Parents of school-age children who receive a Notification of Truancy or a Habitual Truant Letter are required to attend a general meeting at the school with the Principal Designee.   Parents who receive a Habitual Truant Letter will automatically be mailed a District Attorney Letter.  These parents will be required to attend a general meeting with the District Attorney at a designated site. Students who continue to accumulate unexcused absences after the District Attorney holds her meeting will be referred to the School Attendance Review Board for further action.  The student and his or her parent may be cited to go to Court.  The court process may result in monetary penalties.

     

    School Attendance Review Board (SARB): 

    Any student who violates any of the above will be considered for recommendation to attend a SARB hearing.  A SARB hearing is an official hearing attended by the family of the student and officials of the city and the SAUSD, to include the District Attorney’s Office, SAPD & SAUSD Administration.