Attendance Policy

STUDENT ATTENDANCE/TRUANCY POLICY

It is the expectation that all students arrive everyday on time, ready and eager to learn. When students are absent they miss out on instruction and other activities that make up our modern and strong educational program.

Absence

Absence is defined as non-attendance or non-participation in school provided Learning Period Requirements.

Learning Period Requirements:

• Work with your assigned CST on a lesson plan for the upcoming learning period

• Submit attendance using the provided form for each enrolled student

• Submit the required work samples, your CST may request a work sample from a particular subject list on the master agreement. All high school students must submit 1 work sample per course listed on their master agreement to receive full credit

• The parent/guardian and the student must attend the LP meeting (students in grades TK-2nd are not required to attend but they are encouraged to).

Excused Absences

Parents are to administer or monitor the student’s education plan guided by their CST on all scheduled school days. Please find this list of examples of excused absences :

• Student has been vomiting.

• Student’s temperature is above normal.

• Student has been exhibiting uncontrolled coughing or has a runny nose.

• Student has been diagnosed with a contagious disease, illness or rash.

• Students who have been diagnosed with a contagious illness or who return with splints, casts, or crutches must have a doctor’s release to return to school.

• Medical/Dental/Court Appointments

• Religious Holiday

• Funeral of immediate family member (extended travel beyond 3 days will require the parent to request an Independent Study Contract).

• Family emergencies such as house fires, house floods, or other verifiable family emergency with the approval of the Site Administrator.

Absences will be recorded as unexcused on the 3rd day following a student’s absence unless

the parent/guardian provides verifiable documentation of the student’s absence.

Unexcused Absences

As an independent study program education can be provided in many arenas, therefore if a parent or student chooses to refrain from providing an education for the following reasons it is considered unexcused and needs to be reported on the attendance sheets at the end of every learning period:

• Out of town for family trips, reunions, vacations

• Illness/doctor or dental appointment of a family member.

• Suspension from class, or being sent out of class.

Regulations

• When a student has acquired three (3) unexcused absences, a warning letter will be issued to the parent. The parent and child will be required to meet with the administrator.

• When a student has accumulated five (5) unexcused absences or seven (7) excused or unexcused absences, a second conference will be held with the parent and child. Parents will receive written notification that a referral is being made to the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) or the School Attendance Review Team (HAT).

• Upon reaching ten (10) unexcused absences, the student will be referred to a Student Success Team (SST) and the School Attendance Review Team (HAT). The HAT panel will discuss the absence problem with the Parent/Guardian to work on solutions, develop strategies, discuss appropriate support services for the student and his/her family, and establish a plan to resolve the attendance issue.

Heartwood Attendance Team Panel (HAT)

• The HAT panel shall direct the parent/guardian that no further unexcused absences can be tolerated.

• The HAT panel will identify the corrective actions required in the future and shall have the authority to order one or more of the following consequences:

  • • Loss of field trip privileges

    • Loss of school store privileges

    • Loss of school event privilege

    • Required plan as set by the HAT

    • Notification to the District Attorney

• The HAT panel may discuss other school placement options.

• Notice of action recommended by the HAT will be provided in writing to the parent/guardian.

For all communications set forth in this process, the Charter School will use the contact information provided by the parent/guardian in the registration packet. It is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility to update the Charter School with any new contact information.

If student is absent ten (10) or more consecutive school days without valid excuse and parent/guardian cannot be reached at the number or address provided in the registration packet and does not otherwise respond to the Charter School’s communication attempts, as set forth above, the student will be deemed to have voluntarily disenrolled and notification of the disenrollment will be sent to the Student’s district of residence.

It is the Charter School’s intent to identify and remove all barriers to the student’s success, and the School will explore every possible option to address student attendance issues with the family. For any unexcused absence, the School may refer the family to appropriate school-based and/or social service agencies.

If a child’s attendance does not improve after a HAT meeting, or if the parents fail to attend a required HAT meeting, the parents and the child may be referred to the District Attorney’s office for prosecution through the court system. Students 12 years of age and older may be referred to the juvenile court for adjudication.

Truancy Policy

California Education Code (E.C.) section 48200 states that each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years shall attend school for the full length of the school day. E.C. section 48260 defines truancy as absence from school without a 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. E.C. section 48260 also mandates that school districts notify a pupil’s parent/legal guardian upon a pupil’s initial classification as a truant. To comply with state law, Heartwood Charter School has automated the mandatory Initial Notification of Truancy (1st NOT) and schools are responsible to manually generate the 2nd and 3rd NOT letters.

Students are required by law to attend school on an average basis. Truancy at Heartwood Charter School is defined by the absence of any and/or all learning period requirements

Learning Period Requirements:

• Work with your assigned CST on a lesson plan for the upcoming learning period

• Submit attendance using the provided form for each enrolled student

• Submit the required work samples, your CST may request a work sample from a particular subject list on the master agreement. All high school students must submit 1 work sample per course listed on their master agreement to receive full credit

• The parent/guardian and the student must attend the LP meeting (students in grades TK-2nd are not required to attend but they are encouraged to).

Notification #1 will be sent to the parent/guardian on record 3 days after the end of the learning period, initiated by CST reporting.

Notification #2 will be sent to the parent/guardian 7 business days after the initial report made by the CST if communication is not received by a member of the Heartwood Charter School Enrollment Team or CST

Notification #3 will be administered by the Heartwood Charter School Management team by certified mail 14 business days after the learning period ends. This notification provides information of immediate withdrawal from Heartwood Charter School.

*All notifications will be saved in the student's folder and transferred in their CUME folder if they are moved to another program or school.