Common Challenges & Solutions

• Reach out to your school team to get connected with the school nurse.

• Talk with the school nurse about your child's health condition.  

• The school nurse can work with you to ensure your child's health needs are met at school and that any doctor recommendations are properly documented and shared with teachers or other school personnel who may need to provide accommodations to your child.  The school team may request that you sign a release of information for the school nurse to be able to communicate with your child's provider about how best to support your child's condition at school.

• The school team may also explore with you how best to document any absences related to your child's health condition and related medical appointments so the attendance office knows the reason for your child's absences.

• The school team may develop a plan with you and your child for how to get caught up on missed instruction/classwork from days where your child is not well enough to attend school (unavoidable absences).

• To the best of your ability, please try to schedule travel for when school is not in session.

• If you know your child will miss school due to planned travel, you can request a short-term independent study contract as soon as you know your travel dates.  The farther in advance you notify the school team, the better.  Middle and high schools may need more time to prepare the contract than elementary, because multiple teachers are involved in assigning the work.

• If your child will have limited or no internet access during travel, please let your school team know this when you make your request, and try to give them extra time to process your request since many assignments involve internet platforms.  It is possible that in some cases there may be no way to complete the assigned work without internet access. 

• The State of California limits short term independent study to 15 total school days per school year.   If your travel will extend beyond the 15 independent study days, the additional absent days will be marked as unexcused and may initiate the truancy process.

• Short-term independent study work is due the next school day after the contract ends - even if the student is not at school due to illness or travel delays.  A contingency plan for sending proof of completed work before the deadline is strongly recommended.

• Please submit all of the work your child completes, even if they don't finish everything that was assigned. 

• If travel dates or internet access may be uncertain, a contingency plan for sending proof of completed work before the deadline is strongly recommended.

• If your child will be absent for longer than 15 school days, please consult with your school team to make a plan.  Extended absences may potentially affect your child's school enrollment.

• Be a gentle listener; ask your child to tell you more about what has been happening.

• Please contact the teacher, school counselor, administrator, or another member of the school team to inform the school.

• The school team may ask for more information in order to investigate, and will work with you and your child to develop a plan.

• Please contact your school to let them know why your child is absent.

• State law (Ed. Code 48205) allows schools to excuse absences for observance of a holiday or ceremony of the pupil’s religion, attendance at a religious retreat, and participating in a cultural ceremony or event.  

• The law only allows us to excuse one school day per semester for attendance at religious retreats.  

• Schools track religious holidays for many faiths in our community and generally excuse students who are observing a specific holiday without requiring approval from the school principal.  

• For participation in cultural ceremonies/events or attendance at religious retreats, your school team may ask you to clarify the nature of the absence to better understand it and may need approval from the principal to excuse it.

• If you observe a holiday we are not already familiar with, please let your school office know so we can add it to our collective knowledge!

There are many, many reasons why this can happen, and you may find there is more than one contributing factor for your child:

• Your child may not be going to bed early enough (staying up late doing homework, texting with friends, watching videos on their phone, playing video or phone games, etc.)

  • • Teenagers need much more sleep than they typically get (9 or more hours)

    • Discuss self-management and responsibility with your child; keep in mind their age and developmental stage

    • Try using airplane mode or setting a "Do Not Disturb" period of time at night on devices

    • Model for your child; have the whole family practice responsible device use at night so they don't feel unfairly targeted

    • Consider removing phones and devices from the bedroom before bedtime and using an a traditional alarm clock

    • If your child is unable to manage their own device and internet use, you can explore parental controls for devices and internet

• Your child may need more time to wind down at night before they are relaxed and sleepy

  • • Setting a consistent night-time routine that starts at the same time every day may be helpful

    • Gentle phone alarms/notifications can help remind you and your child it's time to start getting ready for bed

• Your child may be very physically active and need a lot of sleep to recuperate/recover

• Your child may be experiencing a sleep disorder or other health condition impacting sleep

  • • Consult with your child's pediatrician about your child's sleep patterns and needs/concerns 

• Your child may be struggling with mental health challenges

  • • Changes to sleep patterns may be a symptom of depression or anxiety

• Your child may simply struggle more in mornings than other children

  • • Some people just have a tough time getting going in the morning

    • Try preparing at night for the next morning (choosing outfit, packing up backpack, showering, etc.)

    • Identify some small morning ritual your child enjoys that might help motivate them to get up (hot cocoa, favorite breakfast, etc.)

    • Explore using smart light bulbs, programming them to turn on at a specific time 

• Some SRVUSD schools are served by Traffix buses to reduce traffic congestion.  You can purchase a pass on their website.  If your family is experiencing financial hardship and cannot afford a pass, please reach out to your school team.

• Public transportation is available through County Connection.  You can consult their route map to see which bus route runs past your school.  Youth fares are discounted 50% if purchased using a Clipper Card.  You can apply for a youth Clipper Card by completing this form and sending it via mail, email, or fax as directed on the form.

• You may wish to collaborate with other parents in your neighborhood or parents of your child's friends to organize an informal carpool.

• If your family is experiencing financial hardship and you would like to try to locate a donated bike for your child to ride to school, please reach out to your school team or the school social worker serving your school.

• For younger children, you may want to collaborate with other parents in your neighborhood to organize a "Walking Schoolbus".  This can be a fun way for students to make friends and socialize on the way to school!

• Ask local friends, family, or neighbors if they are willing to drop off or pick up your child from school as a backup plan.  Please be sure to list them in your child's school Emergency Contacts so the school team can release your child to that person.

• SRVUSD provides transportation for some students receiving Special Education services if transportation is specified in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

• If your child will be riding an e-bike, please review SRVUSD guidelines and state laws related to e-bikes here.   

• If you are new to the district or your housing situation has changed since you completed the Annual Update for this school year, please let us know about your current situation on this form.  It will be sent electronically to the SRVUSD designated homeless youth liaison and the liaison or the school social worker serving your school will reach out to check in with you once they receive the form.

• The McKinney-Vento Act ensures students experiencing housing instability have access to all their educational rights and opportunities.  In addition, the school district may be able to assist you with accessing resources or transportation.  More information on your child's educational rights can be found in this booklet and this brochure. 

• Students who are eligible under the McKinney-Vento Act retain this status through the end of the current school year, even if they move into stable housing or change schools/districts during the school year.   

• Students must re-establish their McKinney-Vento status if they qualify again the following school year; it does not automatically continue.

• Please reach out to your school team to collaborate on a plan for how your child's mental health needs can be supported at school and develop a plan for your child to catch up on missed instruction/classwork after an absence.

• SRVUSD schools offer several options for providing mental health support to students at school, at no cost to families. These options may include  counseling/therapy provided by a SRVUSD counselor, school social worker, or drop-in support available at one of the high school Wellness Centers, or referral to our community partner, Discovery Counseling, to meet with one of their interns providing services through the School Counseling Intern Program (SCIP).

• The new California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) helps support mental health services provided at school.  

• If your child has a mental health provider outside of school, it may be helpful to sign a release of information allowing your school team to communicate with that provider in order to collaborate on support for your child and provide a continuum of care that is consistent both at school and outside of school.

• Your school team may discuss with you whether it would be appropriate to begin an evaluation to determine if your child has a qualifying disability that could be supported at school through a 504 plan or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).  If you'd like someone to help you navigate this and help you understand your child's needs and options, the SRVUSD Special Needs Liaison is an excellent resource.

• We want to collaborate with you to support your child's health, mental health, and well-being.  Please reach out to your school team to discuss whether Home/Hospital Instruction may be an appropriate option to consider so that your child does not fall behind academically.

• If your child will be attending an inpatient program located outside of the SRVUSD attendance area, please notify our Director of Student Services as soon as possible so we can determine which school/district will be providing Home/Hospital instruction and whether this might affect enrollment.

• If your child is in high school, you and your school team may also explore whether long-term independent study through Venture Independent Study could be a good fit for your child.

• Please reach out to your child's school counselor and/or site administration team!  Schools usually have a list of student clubs, lunch/afterschool activities, and/or athletics that provide opportunities for your child to connect with other students who share their interests.  

• If you know your child has particular interests, please share them with the school team as a starting point.  They may be able to go through the list of clubs and activities with your child to identify possible other interests, or consider alternative options for course scheduling. 

• Please reach out to your child's school counselor and/or site administrator. 

• The site administrator may ask additional questions so they can investigate and determine what options might be most appropriate to respond to the concern.

• Please reach out to your school team to explain exactly what is happening and what your child seems to be concerned about.  The team will collaborate with you to develop a plan for how to support you and your child at drop-off.

• Based on the reasons for the difficulty, the school team may work with you to explore a behavior plan/ incentive plan to help your child feel rewarded for getting out of the car and coming into the school.

• Sometimes children don't want to go to school because schoolwork feels more demanding and less fun than what they would do if they stayed home.  Think about what your child is usually doing at home when they do not attend school.  Is there something at home that they prefer doing instead of going to school?  For younger children, sometimes they simply want to spend more time together with you!

• In extreme cases, your school team may collaborate with you to develop a re-entry plan to increase your child's capacity and stamina at school by starting with a partial day and incrementally increasing until they are attending a full day, every day.

• If you know your child will miss school due to an upcoming competition, but will have time to complete school work while traveling, you can request a short-term independent study contract as soon as you know the travel dates.  The farther in advance you notify the school team, the better.  Middle and high schools need more time to prepare the contract than elementary schools, because multiple teachers are involved in assigning the work.

  • If your child will have limited or no internet access, please let your school team know this when you make your request, and try to give them extra time to process your request since many assignments involve internet platforms.  It is possible that in some cases there may be no way to complete the assigned work without internet access. 

  • The State of California limits short term independent study to 15 total school days per school year.   

  • Short-term independent study work is due the next school day after the contract ends.  Even if the student is not at school, the work is still due - please develop a contingency plan for providing proof of completed work in case of illness or other delays returning to school.  

  • Please submit all of the work your child completes, even if they don't finish everything that was assigned. 

• If your child will not have time to complete work while traveling and competing, please notify your school's site principal or assistant principal of the reason for your child's absence and the dates they will be absent.  Under state law and district policy, school administrators have discretion to decide whether or not to excuse absences for justifiable personal reasons when given advance notice or based on a student's specific circumstances.  Please be advised that school administrators at different sites may disagree on what they consider justifiable to excuse.  (EC 48205, EC 48260(c), AR 5113)

• Students working in the entertainment industry should apply for an entertainment work permit from the California Department of Industrial Relations.  Under state law, during the school year, students can work "not more than five consecutive days in the entertainment or allied industries... for a maximum of up to five absences per school year".  Your child is allowed to make up any schoolwork or tests they miss during this time.  (EC 48225.5)

• Your child may also be excused in order to participate with a non-profit performing arts organization in a performance for a public school student audience for a maximum of up to five days per school year, as long as you provide a note to the school explaining the reason for the absence. (EC 48225.5)

• Please reach out to your school team to let them know your child's living arrangement and provide a "filed" court copy of the most current custody order.

• Consider seeking support from other parents, whether through an informal parent community or topical parent groups.  C.O.P.E. is one of Contra Costa County's community partner agencies.  They offer various types of parenting support, counseling (including co-parenting counseling), and coaching, usually at low or no cost. 

• Reach out to your school team to find out if they will allow you to go on campus with your child to walk them to their class.  If not, they may be able to develop a plan with you for a staff member to meet and walk with your child to class when you drop them off.

• If your child is going to class but leaving campus in the middle of the day, talk with your school team to collaborate on a plan.

• Please communicate with your school team about what is happening.  They may talk with you about whether your child may benefit from a mental health evaluation by the school team.  If your child is unable to participate in a school-based assessment, you may want to explore an evaluation through your child's primary health care provider.

• Contra Costa County has a Mobile Crisis Response Team  (844) 844-5544 for youth or adults experiencing a mental health or behavioral crisis that is not life-threatening.   Mobile crisis team members are trained specifically to evaluate mental health crises.  Depending on the severity of the situation, they may be able to help you via the phone to try to resolve the concern with your child.  If that is not successful, they may send their team to you in order to evaluate your child in person and determine the most appropriate next steps, which may include referrals and connection to continuing care. 

• Please call 911 if your child is in imminent danger of harming themself or others!

• Please reach out to your school team to develop a plan together.  If your child is experiencing similar behavioral dysregulation at school, the school may be able collaborate with you on a plan that will work both at school and at home.   School staff also may be able to share information with you about resources outside of the school district that could help support behavior at home.

• Consider seeking support from other parents, whether through an informal parent community or topical parent groups.  C.O.P.E. is one of Contra Costa County's community partner agencies.  They offer various types of parenting support, counseling, and education, usually at low/no cost. 

• If your child has a developmental disability (including Autism Spectrum Disorder), they may qualify for services through Regional Center of the East Bay.   If RCEB finds that your child is eligible for services, they may be able to help connect you with behavior support services at home.

• Please contact the school and share your concerns with the school principal.

• Please contact your child's school team to discuss your specific concerns and let them know what difficulties your child is experiencing.  

• You can find more information on the district web pages for English Learner assessments and support options, as well as the criteria for students to be reclassified as "fluent" in English.  We welcome your thoughts and ideas for our school English Learner Advisory Committees (ELAC) and District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)!   Information about these committees is also included on the English Learner web page.

• The California Department of Education believes that with appropriate accommodation, most disabilities should not prevent a child from attending school on a regular basis. Some disabilities may require a shortened school day. It also is possible that a school phobia, emotional disturbance, or low incidence disability may make attendance at a regular comprehensive school setting inappropriate.  Compulsory school attendance is required even if a family is contesting the school’s offer of placement and services. To the extent possible, students with disabilities should have the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers. 

• You can find more information on the district web pages for Section 504 and Special Education.  Our district Special Needs Liaison and/or School Nurses may be able to help you navigate these options and offer support when talking to your child's school team about your child's disability-related learning needs.

• If your child has a developmental disability (including Autism Spectrum Disorder), they may qualify for services through Regional Center of the East Bay.   If RCEB finds that your child is eligible for services, they may be able to help connect you with services at home or in the community.

• Please reach out to the SRVUSD designated foster youth liaison to develop a plan to support the needs of your child.

• The SRVUSD school social worker assigned to serve your child's school may also be able to assist with connection to resources and information.

• If your child is living with a family member or another trusted adult who is not the legal guardian, you may want to explore legal options that allow the caregiving adult to have some decision-making authority for your child.  Depending on the situation and how much you want them to be able to decide for your child, you might consider a Caregiver Affidavit or a Power of Attorney document as an alternative to asking the court to formally designate someone as your child's legal guardian.

It depends on the specifics of your situation:  

• If only one parent moves and the other parent is still living at the address of record, and the child is living at least 50% of the time with the parent residing in the district, your child does not need to change schools.  Please let the school know the address for the second household so we can update your family's contact information in our systems.

• Check the SRVUSD school site locator map.  If you are still living within the attendance area for your child's current school, your child does not need to change schools.  Please update your address for the school's records.

• If you moved out of your school's attendance area but you are still within the school district, you can request an intra-district transfer for your child to continue attending at their current school.  Please update your address for the school's records.

• If you moved out of the school district, you can request an inter-district transfer for your child to continue attending at their current school.  Be aware that inter-district transfers may have conditional requirements for attendance, grades, and behavior.  Please update your address for the school's records.

• If you moved out of the area, you will need to change your child's school enrollment to the district where your new home is located, unless it is still close enough for you to transport your child to school on time every day and your inter-district transfer request is approved.