Attendance/Truancy

Procedure for lining up for class Students are allowed to be on campus no earlier than 8:00 a.m. in order to be supervised. As students arrive they stand in the front of the school and should not cross the yellow line that begins just past the main office. Kindergarten students will remain behind the yellow line. Please ensure your child is on time daily. Start the year off right by establishing good habits!

Procedure for Reporting your child’s absence: Please call the school office at 797-5940 and follow the prompts to report your child’s absence before 8:30 a.m. Clearly state your child’s first and last name, his teacher or room number and the reason for the absence— illness, out of town, doctor’s appointment, etc.—and your name and relationship to the student. Our answering machine accepts calls 24 hours a day. If we don’t receive your call, then we must contact you to ensure your child is accounted for and safe!

Students AR 5113 Page 1 of 6

 

Absences and Excuses

 

A student's absence shall be excused for the following reasons:

  1. Personal illness or injury. (Education Code 48205)
  2. Flu, toothache, measles, migraine, head lice, etc.
  3. Mental and emotional illness verified by psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or

MFCC licensee.

  1. Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer. (Education Code 48205)
  2. Medical, dental, optometrist, or chiropractic appointments. (Education Code 48205)
  3. Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family. (Education Code

48205)

  1. Excused absence in this instance shall be limited to one day if the service is

conducted in California or three days if the service is conducted out-of-state.

  1. "Immediate family" shall be defined as mother, father, grandmother, grandfather,

spouse, son/son-in-law, daughter-daughter-in-law, brother, sister, or any relative

living in the immediate household of the student. (Education Code 45194)

  1. Jury duty in the manner provided by law. (Education Code 48205)
  2. The student is the custodial parent of a child who is ill or has a medical appointment during

school hours. (Education Code 48205)

  1. Exclusion, for up to five school days, for failure to present evidence of immunization.

(Education Code 48216)

(cf. 5141.31--Immunizations)

  1. Exclusion from school because student is either the carrier of a contagious disease or not

immunized for a contagious disease.

  1. Pupils in grades 7-12 who leave school (with prior approval of the Principal or his/her

designee) to obtain confidential medical services. The pupil is to return a copy of the

medical professionals appointment verification form. Education Code 46010.1)

  1. Absences for Religious Purposes Receiving ADA (Education Code 46014, 46141).

Pupils, with the written consent of their parents or guardians, may be excused from school

in order to participate in religious instruction or exercises in accordance with district

policy. Attendance at religious instruction or exercises meets the ADA requirements if the

written consent and the following conditions are complied with:

  1. The student shall attend at least the minimum school day.
  2. The student shall be excused for this purpose on no more than four school days per

month.

 

Students AR 5113

Page 2 of 6 Absences and Excuses

 

  1. A students absence shall be excused for Justifiable Personal Reasons (Education Code

40805) as listed below with stated limitations and upon written request of the parent or

guardian and prior approval of the Principal or his/her designee.

When contemplating an absence for Justifiable Personal Reasons, the parents/guardians

should write the principal to ask that the expected absence be excused. The principal or

designee shall approve or disapprove the request pursuant to uniform district standards.

The principal or designee may deny the request if he/she believes that the absence would be

educationally harmful to the student or set a poor example in matters of school attendance

for the student or other students. If the request is denied, reasons will be given.

Justifiable Personal Reasons include:

  1. Appearance in court.
  2. Appearance at SARB or SARP
  3. Observance of a holiday or ceremony of his/her religion.
  4. Attendance at religious retreats for no more than four hours during a semester.
  5. Employment interview or conference.
  6. Take your son/daughter to work on day approved once each year.
  7. Job shadowing.
  8. Funeral services or bereavement for students who are incapacitated due to loss of friend,

friend of family, or other person not a member of the immediate family.

  1. The principal or his/her designee has the discretion to excuse up to 5 days a

year for family emergencies after considering the circumstances.

Parents can request an Independent Study Contract when they know that their child will be

absent from school for 5 or more consecutive school days. (BP/AR 6158)

Make-up Work for Legally Excused Absences and Justifiable Personal Excused Absences

  1. When a student is absent for a legally excused or a justifiable personal excused absence, that

student shall be allowed to complete all assignments and tests missed during the absence that

can be reasonably provided. Upon satisfactory completion within a reasonable period of

time, the student shall be given full credit for assignments and tests completed. The teacher

shall determine what tests and assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not

necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the pupil missed during the absence.

(Education Code 48205)

 

Excessive Excused Absences:

An administrator or his/her designee shall call a parent conference for each student when the

student has accumulated ten (10) days of scattered absences during any school year.

Depending upon the situation, and as appropriate, the conference should involve site staff,

the school nurse, the student study team, etc. The principal or designee may require doctor

verification to excuse additional absences.

 

 

Students AR 5113

Page 3 of 6 Absences and Excuses

 

Method of Verification

When students who have been absent return to school, they must present a satisfactory

explanation verifying the reason for the absence. The following methods may be used to verify

student absences:

  1. Written note from parent/guardian or parent representative. Students who are 18 or older

shall provide their own excuses for absences. (Education Code 46012)

  1. Conversation, in person or by telephone, between the verifying employee and the student's

parent/guardian or parent representative. The employee shall subsequently record the

following:

  1. Name of student.
  2. Name of parent/guardian or parent representative.
  3. Name of verifying employee.
  4. Date or dates of absence.
  5. Reason for absence.
  6. Visit to the student's home by the verifying employee.
  7. Any other reasonable method which establishes the fact that the student was actually absent

for the reasons stated. A written recording shall be made, including information outlined

above.

  1. Absences for confidential medical appointments may be verified by the student's physician.

When excusing students for confidential medical services or verifying such appointments,

district staff shall not ask the purpose of such appointments. Staff may contact a doctor or

medical office only to verify the time of the appointment. When a student volunteers

confidential medical information to a district staff member, the staff member should

suggest that the student consult his/her parent/guardian or doctor, or seek medical advice

from the city or county department of health.

 

Truancy

Strategies for Addressing Truancy:

  1. Students absent without a valid excuse for three full days in one school year or tardy or

absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on

three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant and shall be

reported to the attendance supervisor or to the Director of Pupil Services. (Education Code

48260)

  1. Regardless of the parents knowledge of an absence, if the reason is not one listed in

Education Code 48205 or in these Administrative Regulations, AR 5113, the absence is

unexcused. If it is one of the first 3 unexcused absences, it is included in the total for the

truant classification, which happens on the third unexcused absence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students AR 5113

Page 4 of 6 Absences and Excuses

 

The students parent/guardian, upon the first report of a student-classified as a truant shall

be notified by first-class mail or other reasonable means, of the following: (Education

Code 48260.5)

  1. The student is truant.
  2. The parent/guardian is obligated to compel the student to attend school.
  3. The parent/guardian who fails to meet this obligation may be guilty of an infraction of

the law and subject to prosecution pursuant to Education Code 48290 et seq.

  1. The parent/guardian has the right to meet the appropriate school personnel to discuss

the solution to the student's truancy.

  1. That alternative educational programs are available in the district.
  2. That the pupil may be subject to prosecution under Section 48264.
  3. That the pupil may be subject to suspension, restriction, or delay of the pupils

driving privilege pursuant to Section 13202.7 of the Vehicle Code.

  1. That it is recommended that the parent or guardian accompany the pupil to school and

attend classes with the pupil for one day.

  1. Any student who has been reported as truant and who is absent from school without a valid

excuse for one or more days or tardy on one or more days shall again be reported to the

Director of Pupil Services. The parent/guardian will be notified again and advised that

further unexcused absences may result in a referral to SARB. (Education Code 48261)

  1. When a student is reported as truant for the first or second time, an appropriate district staff

member shall make every effort to hold at least one conference with the student and

parent/guardian.

Students reported as truant three or more times during the year shall be classified as

habitually truant only if such a conference was attempted. The school should make every

effort to hold a SARP hearing. If the SARP is not successful due to non-attendance or noncompliance,

the student may then be referred to SARB.

  1. Prior to the referral, the school shall consider making use of every available means for

achieving regular school attendance, including:

  1. Program changes.
  2. Referral of family to community agency.
  3. Referral to student study team.
  4. Conferences with parent/guardian, student and staff, including informing the student

about the provisions of Vehicle Code 13202.7, authorizing the suspension of delay of

driving privileges for habitual truants who are wards of the court.

  1. Modified day.
  2. Independent study.
  3. Special school projects, special programs.
  4. Work experience education.
  5. Alternative education.
  6. Referral for health checkup, medical examination.

 

 

Students AR 5113

 

Page 5 of 6 Absences and Excuses

 

  1. The district shall inform the appropriate probation or parole officer whenever a student

whom the county juvenile court has judged to be a habitual truant or habitually

insubordinate or disorderly during attendance at school is reported as truant from school

one or more days or tardy on one or more days without a valid excuse during the same or a

succeeding school year. (Education Code 48267)

  1. When notified by the juvenile court that a student must attend school as a condition of

probation, the Superintendent or designee shall so inform the principal or designee of the

school the student attends. The principal or designee shall disclose the information

received about the student to no other person except as required by law. If such a student is

truant or demonstrates habitual insubordination, the principal or designee shall so inform

the juvenile court and the student's probation officer within ten days. (Education Code

48267)

LEGAL REFERENCE

BOARD POLICIES:

6158 Independent Study

6159 Vista Alternative School

6200 Adult School

EDUCATION CODE:

1740 Employment of personnel to supervise attendance (county superintendent)

37223 Weekend classes

41601 Reports of average daily attendance

46000 Records (attendance)

46010-46014 Absences

46110-46119 Attendance in kindergarten and elementary schools

46140-46147 Attendance in junior high and high schools

48200-48208 Children ages 6-18 (compulsory full-time attendance)

48240-48246 Supervisors of attendance

48260-48273 Truants

48290-48296 Failure to comply; complaints against parents

48320-48324 School attendance review boards

48340-48341 Improvement of student attendance

49067 Unexcused absences as cause of failing grade

VEHICLE CODE:

13202.7 Driving privileges; minors, suspension or delay for habitual truancy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students AR 5113 Page 6 of 6

Absences and Excuses

 

LEGAL REFERENCE CONTINUED

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE:

601-601.4 Habitually truant minors

11253.5 Compulsory school attendance

CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5:

306 Explanation of absence

420-421 Record of verification of absence due to illness and other causes

Regulation Established:

Last Updated: April 12, 2024