Absences must be cleared by telephone/Parent Connect and only by the student’s parent or legal guardian. Doctor’s notes are welcome and encouraged and must be submitted no later than 10 days from the excused day of absence. Parent’s notes are not accepted. Please keep in mind that our Automated Calling System calls for one or more uncleared periods.
Absences not cleared within 24 hours will prompt a call from our “Automated Calling System”. You may leave a message and clear the absence at this time, or call the next day and speak directly to an attendance specialist…327-3037.
It is extremely important your student’s absences are cleared within FIVE SCHOOL DAYS to avoid being considered TRUANT!
If your student informs you he/she was indeed in class, please have him/her report to the Attendance Office. He/she will be given a verification sheet to take to those teachers who marked him absent.
If the student does not follow this process, absence(s) will remain uncleared, and are at risk of receiving a * “Truancy Letter”
The following are “excused” absences, or “exempt” from truancy, as stated by the State of California Ed. Code
Illness or injury
Quarantine
Doctor’s appointments-
Jury Duty/Court Appearances
Immediate Family Member Funeral
To obtain Immunizations
Employment Conferences
Religious Holidays/Retreats (limited)
Care taking of own child
In addition to the above, the school may excuse the following absences:
1.) Extenuating family or personal needs.
2.) Other reasons deemed justifiable by school authority.
Note: Parents are encouraged to use Independent Study as an option, whenever a student is going to be absent for any reason other than suspensions. Please contact the Counseling Center to begin a contract. See I.S. directions.
Uncleared absences are considered unexcused and could lead to receiving a Truancy Letter in Accordance with Ed. Code section 48260.5.
Unexcused absences may lead to a student receiving a Truancy Letter in accordance to Ed. Code 48260.
UNAUTHORIZED ABSENCE – UNEXCUSED AND/OR TRUANCY:
Policy 2207 states, “A pupil, whose absence is not excused is not entitled to complete assignments, or other class work missed due to the absence”.
EXCESSIVE ABSENCES
If at any time a student's attendance problem prevents him/her from succeeding in school, he/she may be referred to CUSD Child Welfare and Attendance Office, and may be subject to a SARB hearing (Student Attendance Review Board)
At anytime, parents may also request an Attendance Review Meeting through their student's counselor.
TRUANCY LETTER: Education Code Section 48260— defines truancy as: Any pupil subject to compulsory education, who is absent from school without a valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any thirty-minute period during the school year, or any combination thereof.