• ATTENDANCE POLICY

     

    Parents, students and all school personnel NEED to be involved in pupil attendance. We take the responsibility to encourage your child to attend and participate in class by providing meaningful learning experiences and by beginning instruction PROMPTLY. 

     

    Parents must help students arrive at school ON TIME, EVERY DAY.  An occasional absence for illness is not surprising during the year.  TARDIES MUST BE AVOIDED.  If a child NEEDS to go to the dentist or doctor before or during school hours, we appreciate your returning him/her to school for the remainder of the day for instruction.  Students are not released after 2 P.M on the following days M/T/Thurs/F and 1:00 P.M on Wednesday, this avoids car congestion and classroom distruption. We ask that you try to schedule such appointments before or after the school day. Tardies are counted against Perfect Attendance and no more than one tardy per trimester will be acceptable for the Perfect Attendance Award.

     

    WE ARE REQUIRED BY LAW to have attendance procedures as well as consequences for non-attendance.  You will be contacted if your child has excessive absences, tardies or unverified absences. (Please refer to Discipline Policy).  Based on State Law the district will send a formal Notification of Truancy Letter at 3 unexcused absences and it comes with the possibility of a $100.00 fine.  After 6 unexcused absences you will receive a letter of Habitual Truancy from the District, with a possible $500.00 fine.  When these attendance problems exist, home calls will be made by the Santa Ana Unified School District Child Welfare and Attendance Worker, and/or a SARB (Santa Ana Student Attendance Review Board) referral will be made. If a child has 10 or more tardies during the school year, he/she will be recommeded for a fundamental transfer to return to his/her neighborhood school. These procedures are for your child’s benefit.  Excessive absences and/or tardies interfere with your child’s learning and with the instructional program in the classroom.  We hope you understand our concern and will assist us in implementing these procedures.

     

    New State Law

     

    As of July 1, 1998 the District implemented a new state law, SB 727, "Actual Attendance Accounting".  This legislation changed how districts were funded.  All school districts no longer received funding for any excused absence.  Districts receive funds only for actual attendance by a student.

     

    "Actual Attendance" requires that the student be present for at least a portion of the school day to receive funding.  Therefore, parents are encouraged to send their students to school for part of the school day if the student needs to be absent for doctor or dental appointment.  Students that are ill should remain at home and come to school only when well enough to do so.  Our rule of thumb is that if a child has a temperature of 100° or higher or is vomiting, he/she should stay home. Please contact the school nurse, Mary Lou Haxel, if you have any concerns which may require her assistance.  She will share her time between several schools.
     

    It is important for you to know that the district will still continue to require parent notes or phone calls to verify the reason for student's absence.  The school staff appreciates your efforts to contact the school as soon as possible and a 24 hr. absence line is available to you.  That phone number is 714-558-3410. 

     

     
Last Modified on October 18, 2021