Attendance

Attendance

REPORTING AN ABSENCE:

Call 619-585-2002 or e-mail Ana.Valerdi@sweetwaterschools.org

Please include the following:

  • Student Name
  • Student ID
  • Reason for absence

GENERAL ATTENDANCE INFORMATION

Guidelines:

  • Students are required by state law to attend every class, every day.
  • All absences are initially recorded as unresolved until a phone call, blue slip, or a note from the parent/guardian is received by the attendance office.
  • An automatic phone message will be made home after each un-cleared absence.
  • All absences, including those related to sports, extra-curricular activities, and/or testing can take up to 48 hours to clear. Allow (5) five days when in distance learning.
  • Any student submitting a forged or altered note or blue slip will face disciplinary action.

Absences:

All absences must be cleared by parent within (30) calendar days according to the SUHSD policy Regulation code AR 5113 (D). If absences are not cleared within (30) calendar days, the student must clear absences through Saturday school. All parents/ guardians and students are encouraged to download the Infinite Campus App to their phone/ tablet to receive instant attendance notifications for when a student is marked absent or tardy in a class.

-Please click here for instructions.

-For a list of excusable reasons per Ed Code, please click here and read under Excused Absences (vacations are only excusable when on independent studies)

Perfect Attendance:

To earn perfect attendance, the student must physically be present every day and on time to class. School sponsored events are considered present. Excused absences prevent a student from earning perfect attendance.

Excessive Excused Absences:

According to the SUHSD policy Regulation code AR 5113 (D, E), it has been established that it is reasonable to be absent 1 day a month (equivalent to 7 days per semester or 14 days in a school year). Having more than 14 days of excused absences may place your child under an “excessive excused absence contract”.

-When in person, students can clear excused, as well as unexcused, absences in Saturday School; (1) one 4-hour Saturday School session will clear (1) one full day absence.

–Whenever an absence occurs for medical reasons, please make sure to provide a doctor’s note within (30) days, as these absences are coded differently. Board Policy can be found here.

If a student is absent 14 or more excused days a semester or more than seven days in one semester, the following measure will/may apply:

  1. Contact by Attendance Coordinator
  2. Excessive Excused Absence Contract (lasts 365 days from issuance)
  3. If contract is not followed: PRE-SARB Contract
  4. SARB (Student Attendance Review Board)
    • A student with (9) full unexcused days absent will be subject to a hearing at the district office, which results in a parent and students signing an attendance contract with a truancy probation officer. If SARB contract is violated, student will be referred to the Juvenile Justice System and/or be placed on probation.
  5. Alternative school placement

Unexcused Absences:

The State of California believes that the first priority is that the child attends school on a daily basis. For example, Welfare & AFDC benefits may end or be reduced drastically, if a student misses more than (3) full days of school. Education Code Section 48260-48263 provides definitions and referral procedures for:

  • Any student subject to compulsory attendance who is absent without a valid excuse more than three (3) days in one school year is considered a habitual truant. The district will automatically send truancy notifications when a student is marking unexcused (30) minutes or more on three separate days per California’s truancy laws.
  • Any student defined as habitual truant who continues an unacceptable pattern of unexcused absences or tardiness may be referred to the district’s SARB.
  • Students with (6) six or more unexcused absences past (30) days may be placed on a Pre-SARB attendance agreement. Absences may only be excused with a doctor’s note.
  • Any student showing low academic performance may also have their permit revoked.
  • Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 601 describes the consequences for habitual truancy if a minor pleads or is found guilty by trial to include but not limited to:
    • Being made a ward of the court (placed on probation).
    • Having a driver’s license revoked or denied until age eighteen.
    • Being placed in juvenile hall for violation of court order.

Chronic Illness Verification:

Students who have excessive tardies and/or absences due to their medical condition will need to have a doctor’s note on file for the current school year. Once the form is completed and signed, please turn it in to the school nurse.

Independent Study:

If a student needs to be absent from school for 5-15 days, an Independent Study Contract must be completed:

-Parent(s)/guardians must notify the attendance coordinator to submit an independent study Master Contract Agreement request 72 hours before the absence is scheduled to begin. This request must include the student’s full legal names, the dates the students will be out of school, parent/guardian signature, and the reason for the absence. Agreements are not granted the week of finals, unless approved by an assistant principal.

Students who are on an Independent Study Contract are expected to have all assigned work completed and ready to submit upon return.

ATTENDANCE PROTOCOLS

Off Campus Passes:

  • Parent(s)/ Guardians must come in person to the attendance office to sign Off Campus slip and pick up the student. Proper identification is required and the legal name must match the guardian information listed in Infinite Campus. Students should not be waiting in the office for parent to pick up. Students must report to the attendance office to pick up the “Off-Campus Permit” and sign out and are to check back in the attendance office, if they return that day. Please bring back any medical note upon return.
  • In order to keep students in a supervised, safe and orderly environment, the Board of Trustees establishes a closed campus at all district schools. Students shall not leave the school grounds at any time during the school day without written permission of their parents/guardians and school authorities prior to leaving campus. A student who leaves campus for any reason without prior authorization will be unexcused which cannot be cleared by the parent. (Board Policy 5112.5)
  • Identification cards for “No Class” must be carried at all times and presented to EHS personnel when leaving campus. Designated exits will be announced.
  • Students must have an off-campus to leave, even if they have a 7th period class.

No student will be released to anyone that is NOT listed as the guardian in Infinite Campus: Students who are 18 years old or older and drive to school need to provide a note with the following information before being released off campus:

  • Student Name
  • Reason for leaving
  • Student ID#
  • Student Phone Number

** NOTE – We do not release students when there are less than 15 minutes left in the day

Emergency Authorization:

Please ensure that you have a valid phone number and current email on file in Infinite Campus.

Tardies:

A tardy is defined as the following:

  • Any student who arrives late to school 29 minutes or less (Block Schedule) will be marked Tardy. After 30 minutes it will be marked as Tardy Unexcused, which is considered truant.
  • Any student who arrives late to school 14 minutes or less (All Periods 1-6 Schedule) will be marked tardy. After 15 minutes it will be marked as Tardy Unexcused, which is considered truant.
  • Tardies must be cleared by a parent the same day by calling (619)585-2002 or sending a parent and/or Dr’s note with student to the Attendance Office.
  • If parents do not clear unexcused tardies, they can only be cleared by attending Saturday school or Lunch Detention (20 minutes will clear 1 tardy).

District policy 5112 states “classroom participation is an integral part of the learning experiences provided to students in the schools of the district. To the extent the failure to attend class results in a student attaining a certain prescribed minimum academic standards, this failure would properly be reflected in the grade the student receives.”

Citizenship grades may reflect unexcused tardies and absences; refer to teacher syllabus.

  • Students will be excused according to justifiable reasons per the CA Ed Code with a parent/guardian note, call or walk-in.
  • Tardies must be excused the same day – Tardies must be cleared with justifiable reasons per the CA Ed Code by the parent/guardian note, call or walk-in. Otherwise, unexcused tardies over 30 minutes on Block Days and unexcused tardies over 15 minutes on Collaboration, Minimum, or Full Menu Days are considered truants and marked TU30 in the system.
  • Unexcused tardies can only be cleared in lunch detention or Saturday school.
  • Unexcused TU30s can only be cleared in multiple lunch detentions or Saturday School. Students must put in the amount of time they were late to clear.

Students on attendance agreements such as Excessive Excused Absences, Pre-SARB, and/or SARB who are late can only be excused with a medical note or with nurse evaluation and approval

 Additional Attendance Information – See School Policies

SATURDAY SCHOOL

 Saturday School Guidelines:

  • Students must arrive at 7:45 am for an 8:00 am start time.
  • Arrival after 8am is late and students will be turned away
  • Classes available each Saturday will be posted at the main office.
  • Students must stay for all four hours, even if they don’t need all four hours to clear attendance.
  • Students that leave at the two-hour mark will receive no credit for attending Saturday School.
  • Students are not allowed to switch classes at break. This will result in NO credit for Saturday School.
  • Students must show an ID to check in to Saturday School

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