Attendance Law and Policies

Attendance Law

California Law requires that all students ages 6-18 be enrolled and attend school regularly (CA. Ed. Code 48260-48296).

California law also requires that parents are responsible for ensuring that their minor children attend school regularly (CA. Ed. Code 48260-48296).

If a student is consistently truant (more than 10 truancies in a year), schools are required to refer the student and parent/guardian to a Student Attendance review Boar, which is an extension of the Juvenile Court system.

Policies

From the EUHSD Handbook:

EXCUSED ABSENCES:

These are reasons for being absent: illness, serious illness or death in the family, medical or dental appointments that cannot be scheduled after school, absences approved in advance by the principal, and religious holidays.

The following are details from the Education Code concerning absence from school (EC 48205)

•  Excused due to his or her own illness (not that of a sibling or parent),

• Due to quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer,

• For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometrist, or chiropractic services rendered (for the hour of the appointment only),

• For the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of his or her immediate family, so long as the absence is not more than one day if the service is conducted in California and not more than three days if the service is conducted outside California,

• Due to the illness or medical appointment during school hours of a child of whom the pupil is the custodial
  parent (for the hour of the appointment only),

• For justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, attendance at a funeral service, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his or her religion, attendance at religious retreats, or attendance at an employment conference, when the pupil's absence has been requested in writing by the parent or guardian and approved by the principal or a designated representative pursuant to uniform standards established by the governing board,

• A pupil absent from school under this section shall be allowed to complete all assignments and tests missed during the absence that can be reasonably provided and, upon satisfactory completion within a reasonable period of time, shall be given full credit. The teacher of any class from which a pupil is absent shall determine the tests and assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the pupil missed during the absence, or

• Attendance is an important factor in being successful in any school program. Parents/guardians are encouraged
  to phone the school when a student is absent. Upon returning to school, a student must have a note from a parent/guardian giving the reason for absence and the date.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

These include truancy, missing the bus, oversleeping, suspension from school, shopping, gainful employment, baby-sitting, and a trip or excursion without the prior approval of the principal. All students returning from an absence or needing to leave during the day must report to the attendance office. One of the most serious problems in education is student absenteeism, since an absent student is a student who does not have the opportunity to learn. Whenever a student is absent, he/she loses detailed instruction and class interaction that cannot be adequately recovered. A student may have excessive absences and still "get by", but getting by is not getting a good education. Excessive absence may result in a lower level of achievement that will be reflected in the student's grade. The key to improved test scores is improving school attendance.

TARDY and TRUANCY:

Any student who is absent from school, without valid excuse, more than three days or tardy in excess of thirty (30) minutes on each of more than three days in one school year is a truant (E.C. 48260). It is the parents'/guardians' responsibility to determine whether or not there is a compelling reason for a student to be absent from school. An absence from school without the parents'/guardians' or school's permission constitutes a truant. The student who is truant will be subject to one or more of the following disciplinary consequences: after school detention, Saturday School; parent conference; drop/removal from class; referral to the North County School Attendance Review

Board.

HABITUAL TRUANCY:

Students who fail to meet the EC 48260 requirements may be declared habitually truant from school. Parents who excuse absence from school for more than ten days in a school year may be warned in writing that no further excused absence will be accepted by the attendance office without an accompanying doctors note.

Education Code 48260 Article 5. Truants. Truancy

Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without valid excuse 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 superintendent of the school district.

Education Code 48260.5

Upon a pupil's initial classification as a truant, the school district shall notify the pupil's parent or guardian, by first-class mail or other reasonable means, of the following:

(a) That the pupil is truant

(b) That the parent or guardian is obligated to compel the attendance of the pupil at school

(c) That parents or guardians who fail to meet this obligation may be guilty of an infraction and subject to prosecution pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 48290) of Chapter 2 of Part 2

(d) That alternative educational programs are available in the district

(e) That the parent or guardian has the right to meet with appropriate school personnel to discuss solutions to the

pupil's truancy

(f) That the pupil may be subject to prosecution under Section 48264

(g) That the pupil may be subject to suspension, restriction, or delay of the pupil's driving privilege pursuant to Section 13202.7 of the Vehicle Code

(h) That it is recommended that the parent or guardian accompany the pupil to school and attend classes with the pupil for one day

LEAVING CAMPUS WITHOUT PERMISSION:

The Escondido Union High School District maintains a CLOSED CAMPUS at all times. Whenever a student needs to leave school, during school hours, he/she must first obtain an off-campus pass from the health office, the attendance office, or an administrator. All students leaving campus without prior permission are subject to disciplinary consequences, which may include being searched for contraband. There is no excuse for being off campus without both administrative and parental permission.

CLEARING ABSENCES:

• Parents or guardians may call the attendance office on the day the student is absent:

• If the call is received prior to 1:00 p.m. the school will not call home and the students name will be placed on the excused list. If the student is on the excused list they will not be required to check in at the attendance office. If a telephone call is not made, students are to report to the Attendance Office with a note from a parent or guardian indicating the date or dates the student was absent and the reason for the absence.

• The student’s first and last name should be included in the note. All excuses must be received within 72 hours of the student returning to school. ALL students are to report to the Attendance Office to pick up re-admit slips or check to determine if their name is on the excused list prior to the first bell.

• Students are to get readmits between 7:00 a.m. and 7:40 a.m., at nutrition break, lunch, and after school.

• Students are required to show their readmit slip to each teacher whose class was missed and get the readmit initialed by the teacher. Parents and students should know that excessive absences including excused absences, would adversely affect a student’s grades.

• An unexcused absence is one that occurs with the permission of the student’s parent or legal guardian for reasons other than illness, quarantine, funeral, or medical.

• Examples of unexcused absences are: trips, inclement weather, transportation problems, baby-sitting, work,
  truancy, and suspension.

• If parents or guardians will be out of town or otherwise unavailable, send written instructions to the attendance office containing the names, addresses and phone numbers of those persons authorized to excuse your child from school or provide medical care in the event of an emergency, prior to leaving town.

• Parents should notify the school if their student is diagnosed as having a communicable disease such as strep throat, chicken pox, measles, head lice, hepatitis, etc.