NEW ATTENDANCE NUMBER : (415) 485-2335
 

Students are required to attend classes in accordance with compulsory full-time education laws as defined in Ed. Code 48200. The three categories for attendance accountability are the following:

1.  EXCUSED ABSENCES: An excused absence shall be granted for the following:

• Personal illness
• Quarantine under city or county direction;
• Medical, dental, therapy, or chiropractic services. 
• Attendance at funeral services of an immediate family member, limited to one day if the funeral is in California and three days if it is outside of California.
• Exclusion for not having been properly immunized.  Such absences are excused for not more than five school days.
• For students who are the custodial parent of a child who is ill or has a medical appointment during school hours.
• Jury Duty
• Participation in religious instruction or exercises in accordance with District policy

2.  UNEXCUSED ABSENCES: Per Education Code 48913 and Board Policy 6154, students may be permitted to make up any missed work for an unexcused absence.  The decision to allow students to make up missed work is at the discretion of each teacher. Unexcused absences include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Unwarranted absence, oversleeping, car trouble or other transportation problems, truancy, and an absence not cleared within three days after a student returns to school.

• Days students are suspended are considered unexcused absences.
• Students who participate in Senior Cut Day receive an “unexcused absence” since it is not a school-sponsored event.
• Family vacations and other reasons not listed in the Excused Absences section above are generally considered unexcused absences.

3.  WARRANTED ABSENCES:  A warranted absence may be requested for justifiable reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Appearance in court
• Employment conference or interview
• School meetings which must necessarily be held during school hours
• Religious holidays or celebrations
• College visits (limit of three days per year)
• Bereavement beyond excused absence days

A warranted absence must be requested in writing; generally a week prior to the absence, and must be approved by a site administrator.  Any absence under this section which was not requested in advance, and in writing, is considered unexcused.

• Warranted absence forms are available in the Attendance Office. 

• The teacher of any class from which the student receives a warranted absence shall determine what assignments may or may not be made up and in what period of time the student shall complete such assignments. 
   

ABSENCES DUE TO FAMILY VACATIONS/TRIPS

Family trips and vacations are not considered warranted absences, and are strongly discouraged because of the negative impact extended absences may have on a student’s academic performance. (Parents and guardians are encouraged to plan family trips and vacations outside the school year). 

ABSENCES DUE TO MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS

• Please respect instructional time by not scheduling appointments during your student’s school day.  Students are strongly urged to make appointments during non-school hours.
• Appointments during School Hours:  If the student has an appointment during school hours, the parent/guardian must notify the Attendance Office by note or telephone prior to the appointment.  The student will be issued an Off Grounds Pass and may leave campus. The student must present the pass to his/her teacher before leaving, and the teacher must sign the pass. The student must have the pass in his/her possession when leaving campus. The student must have the pass signed by his or her doctor, dentist, etc. and must return it to the Attendance Office upon returning to school, before going back to any classes. 
• Teachers are to allow students to make up work missed during excused absences, to the degree that it is possible for such work to be completed. Students may be asked to submit written verification of their illness or injury from a health care professional if they are absent for more than 3 consecutive days. Failure to submit such verification may result in the absence being recorded as unexcused.  After 14 absences for illness, each subsequent absence will need to be excused by a doctor’s note (AR 5113)

CONTACTING THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE TO EXCUSE ABSENCES:  It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian (and the responsibility of the student to remind the parent/guardian) to clear all absences using the procedures described below within three school days of the student’s return to school.  If an absence is not cleared within three days, it will be considered unexcused regardless of the reason for the absence. 

Parents/guardians must make sure that they have called the school or provided their child with a note explaining each absence within three days of the absence. The Attendance Office has voice mail that records messages 24 hours a day. Call 485-2335 to leave a message. If the Attendance Office receives a call, the student may go directly to class when he/she returns to school. 

If the parent/guardian does not call, the student must bring a note to the Attendance Office, signed and dated by the parent/guardian, which explains the reason for the absence upon return to school. Students can only deliver their notes before or after school or during brunch and lunch. The Attendance Office will not help students during class periods or passing times unless they arrive late for school. The Attendance Office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Parents/guardians can call the Attendance Office at any time for information regarding their child’s attendance.

If a student has an objection to the official status of a particular absence, he/she must promptly discuss the matter with the teacher and/or the Attendance Office, outside of class time.  Excessive unexcused absences can result in Loss of Privileges, or referral to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

ATTENDANCE CODES IN AERIES:  Using Aeries is an effective way to monitor your student’s attendance.  Below are descriptions of the attendance codes used by the school.   

• T - Tardy: This code is used when a student arrives to class after the bell rings, without a pass, less than 30 minutes late. 
• I - Illness: This code is used when a parent informs the attendance office that the student is out sick. 
• X - Excused: This code is used for doctor appointments without a medical note, college visits (refer to attendance policy for more information), religious holidays, court, jury duty, etc.
• H - Here: This code is used for school activities, such as field trips, assemblies, standardized testing, etc. 
• U - Unexcused Absence: Student is absent without a valid excuse or more than 30 minutes late. The UNX code will trigger a truancy notification.
• P - Parent Unexcused:  This code is used when a parent/guardian contacts the attendance office, but the reason does not fall within one of the ‘excused’ categories. For example: vacation, DMV appointments, unspecified “personal reasons” or “family emergencies”, transportation problems (bus was late, car broke down, etc.). The UNX code will trigger a truancy notification.

Below is an example of a table you would see to help you monitor your student’s attendance.  The numbers on top refer to the class period.  0 period is for zero period (before the normal school day), period 8 is for advisory class, and period 9 is for evening or weekend classes.  The letters indicate the attendance code.  Since SRHS has an alternating block schedule, you only see attendance codes marked for the classes 1-3, and 8 on the “A” day, and periods 4-7, for the “B day”. The “--” indicates that the student is marked present.

For example, on Monday, 9/1, the student above was marked absent unexcused for the entire day, periods 1-3, and advisory (8).   On Tuesday, 9/2, the student was late to 4th period, present for 5th and 6th, and had an excused absence, 7th period.

EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD STUDENTS:  Eighteen-year-old students may write their own attendance notes, up to 10 a year, and only after completing an 18 year old form with administration recommendation and parent permission.  The form is available in the counseling office and will be approved based on good attendance, grades, and behavior.  

TEMPORARY GUARDIANSHIP: Should the parent/legal guardian be unavailable to excuse a student’s absence, please inform the Attendance Office, in writing, of the name and contact information for the person who will be responsible for the student temporarily. A signature must also be on file prior to any excused request.
 

CLASS ABSENCES WITH A DOCTOR’S NOTE:  Students who have a medical note excusing them from Physical Education or any other class must be given an alternative assignment.  The purpose of the assignment is to create an alternate opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of the material.  In PE, if students are unable to participate in the regular PE program for 5 weeks or more, they may be dropped from the course and be required to complete the quarter later in their school career.  Students who are completing the alternative assignment are still required to attend the class daily for attendance purposes.  At that time the teacher will assign them a desk space where they will work on their alternative assignment or project.  

CLOSED CAMPUS POLICY: With the exception of lunch, students must remain on campus in approved areas at all times during the school day. This also means that students are not allowed to be in the parking lot or leave campus during brunch.  During lunch, sophomores, juniors, and seniors may leave campus, but must return to their next class on time. All freshmen are required to stay on campus for the first semester.  Freshmen who violate this policy are subject to disciplinary disciplinary consequences.  Specific areas always closed to students are the parking lot, the hill on the east side of campus and other areas specified by administration. This information is shared with students at the beginning of the year in their meeting with the administration and with their advisory teachers.

OFF GROUNDS PASSES: No student may leave school grounds during the school day (except at lunch) without an Off Grounds Pass, even when accompanied by a parent/guardian.  Leaving campus without an Off Grounds Pass will result in an unexcused absence in each class the student misses. Off-grounds passes may be obtained in the Attendance Office. The Attendance Office is open to request Off Grounds Passes before school, during brunch and lunch only.  The Attendance Office will not help students during class periods or passing times unless they are returning with an Off Grounds Pass or leaving in an emergency. 

Off Grounds Passes are available for the following reasons:

• Illness/Injury at School: The student must notify his/her teacher and see the Attendance Office regarding the illness or injury. The Attendance Office will contact the parent/guardian for permission for the student to leave campus and issue an Off Grounds Pass.  Only then is the student allowed to leave campus.

• Media Academy Off Campus Production:  Students must have the Media Academy Off Campus Production forms completed and signed off by parents and administration at least 24 hours before leaving campus.  Teachers and administration may require parent/adult supervision before approving the off-campus pass.

REFERRAL TO THE STUDENT ATTENDANCE REVIEW BOARD (SARB): According to Ed Code 48260, a student is considered truant “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 day without a valid excuse on any three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof.”  

The SARB process is as follows:

• SARB 1 - students with three or more unexcused days of absences or 12 missed class periods will receive a 1^st letter notifying the parent/guardian.  In addition, a meeting between the student and an assistant principal may be scheduled.  
• SARB 2 - students with five or more unexcused days of absences or 20 missed class periods will receive a 2nd letter notifying the parent/guardian.  In addition, the school will schedule a parent/guardian-student-administrator Student Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting and place the student on an attendance contract. 
• SARB 3 – students with ten or more days of unexcused absences or 60 missed class periods will receive a 3rd letter notifying the parent/guardian.    The school may make a referral to a SARB hearing which could result in the student being transferred from SRHS to Country Community School or an alternative educational placement.