Attendance FAQ's
What do I have to do if my child is going to be absent from school?
Please call the attendance hotline at (707) 522-8917 ext. 4. You must leave your child’s name, the reason for the absence, the date of the absence and your name to verify that it was a parent/guardian that is verifying the absence. Or, you may send a note upon your child’s return to school.
What does it mean to “verify” my child’s absence?
When a student is absent, parents are required to call the attendance hotline or send a note to the office in order to validate the reason for the child’s absence. We call this process Absence Verification.
What happens after I have called in my child’s absence?
The office manager will then proceed to mark your child’s attendance record with an Excused or Unexcused absence according to the Ed. Code and District policies.
What happens if I forget to call my child’s absence on the day of his/her absence?
You may call to verify your child’s absence up to 5 days after your child has been absent. Absences that are not verified within the time allowed will be considered unexcused absences. After our attendance month accounting cycle closes, unexcused absences due to no-verification cannot be overwritten or changed.
What is considered an Excused Absence?
By law [EC § 48205], excused absences are: illness -fever of 99.6° or more, your child must be fever free for twenty four hours before returning to school, persistent runny nose with yellow-green mucous discharge, rashes [unless there is a note from your physician stating that your child is not contagious], vomiting and/or diarrhea [if your child is sent home for vomiting and/diarrhea, he/she needs to be vomit/diarrhea free for twenty four hours before returning to school]; medical/dental appointments (doctor’s note required for verification); death in the family; specific religious reasons; required appearance in court; and exclusion from school for contagious disease.
How many Excused Absences can my child have in one school year?
While we know students do become ill and are unable to attend school, the average number of days missed due to illness is 3 (three) per school year.
What if my child’s absences do not fall under any of the Excused Absences categories?
State law [EC § 48260-48273] is very specific about these types of absences. A student who is absent from school without a valid excuse will be marked “unexcused” for the day. These types of absences are also called “Truancies”.
I thought “truancy” indicated that a child skipped/ditched school. Why would my child be considered “Truant” if I have called to verify the absence?
In accordance with Education Code of the State of California [EC §48260-48273], any pupil who is absent from school for 3 days or more without a valid excuse, or tardy in excess of 30 minutes or more (tardies are only excused with a parent note for illness, doctor/dental note for appointments), is “truant”.
What about coming in late (tardy) or leaving early for an appointment?
According to State Law [EC § 48260-48273] a student that is absent from school in excess of 30 minutes during a school day is considered “truant”. If a student leaves earlier than the state-required “minimum day”, they will are considered absent, whether it’s an excused reason or not. If you are taking your student out of school early and it is for an unexcused reason, know that this will count as truancy. Compulsory Education Law therefore requires a student to attend a full day every day!
What is the process for a child with more than 3 unexcused absences/tardies?
You will receive a letter from the school upon the 3rd (third) and then consequently upon the sixth absence/truancy. On the second letter (6th absence/truancy) you will be asked to attend a meeting with the Principal. Additional unexcused absences will result in a referral to the School Attendance Review Board and possible referral to the District Attorney for prosecution.
What can I do if my child needs to be out of school for a length of time?
If your child must go out of town, you may request that your child is signed up for an Independent Study Agreement. Please note that teachers need at least one week’s notice in order to prepare materials without interrupting their instructional time.
Why is attendance such a big issue?
Regular attendance is vital to student’s success in school. The student who is frequently absent misses social interaction and direct instruction from his/her teachers even though written work can be made up. Any day or hour absent is a missed learning opportunity. Attendance is a key predictor of dropouts. Also, the school loses funding for each absence, regardless of the reason including illness or other excused absences.
I thought schools got “paid” when kids are out ill or for other excused reasons?
Schools do NOT receive funding even if the absence is excused. This law went into effect in 1998. Any absence is a loss of revenue as well as instructional opportunities.
Please call the attendance hotline at (707) 522-8917 ext. 4. You must leave your child’s name, the reason for the absence, the date of the absence and your name to verify that it was a parent/guardian that is verifying the absence. Or, you may send a note upon your child’s return to school.
What does it mean to “verify” my child’s absence?
When a student is absent, parents are required to call the attendance hotline or send a note to the office in order to validate the reason for the child’s absence. We call this process Absence Verification.
What happens after I have called in my child’s absence?
The office manager will then proceed to mark your child’s attendance record with an Excused or Unexcused absence according to the Ed. Code and District policies.
What happens if I forget to call my child’s absence on the day of his/her absence?
You may call to verify your child’s absence up to 5 days after your child has been absent. Absences that are not verified within the time allowed will be considered unexcused absences. After our attendance month accounting cycle closes, unexcused absences due to no-verification cannot be overwritten or changed.
What is considered an Excused Absence?
By law [EC § 48205], excused absences are: illness -fever of 99.6° or more, your child must be fever free for twenty four hours before returning to school, persistent runny nose with yellow-green mucous discharge, rashes [unless there is a note from your physician stating that your child is not contagious], vomiting and/or diarrhea [if your child is sent home for vomiting and/diarrhea, he/she needs to be vomit/diarrhea free for twenty four hours before returning to school]; medical/dental appointments (doctor’s note required for verification); death in the family; specific religious reasons; required appearance in court; and exclusion from school for contagious disease.
How many Excused Absences can my child have in one school year?
While we know students do become ill and are unable to attend school, the average number of days missed due to illness is 3 (three) per school year.
What if my child’s absences do not fall under any of the Excused Absences categories?
State law [EC § 48260-48273] is very specific about these types of absences. A student who is absent from school without a valid excuse will be marked “unexcused” for the day. These types of absences are also called “Truancies”.
I thought “truancy” indicated that a child skipped/ditched school. Why would my child be considered “Truant” if I have called to verify the absence?
In accordance with Education Code of the State of California [EC §48260-48273], any pupil who is absent from school for 3 days or more without a valid excuse, or tardy in excess of 30 minutes or more (tardies are only excused with a parent note for illness, doctor/dental note for appointments), is “truant”.
What about coming in late (tardy) or leaving early for an appointment?
According to State Law [EC § 48260-48273] a student that is absent from school in excess of 30 minutes during a school day is considered “truant”. If a student leaves earlier than the state-required “minimum day”, they will are considered absent, whether it’s an excused reason or not. If you are taking your student out of school early and it is for an unexcused reason, know that this will count as truancy. Compulsory Education Law therefore requires a student to attend a full day every day!
What is the process for a child with more than 3 unexcused absences/tardies?
You will receive a letter from the school upon the 3rd (third) and then consequently upon the sixth absence/truancy. On the second letter (6th absence/truancy) you will be asked to attend a meeting with the Principal. Additional unexcused absences will result in a referral to the School Attendance Review Board and possible referral to the District Attorney for prosecution.
What can I do if my child needs to be out of school for a length of time?
If your child must go out of town, you may request that your child is signed up for an Independent Study Agreement. Please note that teachers need at least one week’s notice in order to prepare materials without interrupting their instructional time.
Why is attendance such a big issue?
Regular attendance is vital to student’s success in school. The student who is frequently absent misses social interaction and direct instruction from his/her teachers even though written work can be made up. Any day or hour absent is a missed learning opportunity. Attendance is a key predictor of dropouts. Also, the school loses funding for each absence, regardless of the reason including illness or other excused absences.
I thought schools got “paid” when kids are out ill or for other excused reasons?
Schools do NOT receive funding even if the absence is excused. This law went into effect in 1998. Any absence is a loss of revenue as well as instructional opportunities.
