Attendance Information
REMOTE/HYBRID In-Person LEARNING ATTENDANCE (starting March 29,2021)
State requirements for the 2020-2021 school year (SB98 and EC4503b) require that all students receive “daily, live interaction with certificated staff members and peers.” Additionally, the State of California requires that students engage in learning that is comparable in rigor and volume to a regular school day (click HERE for instructional minute requirement). We also are required to provide “evidence of participation in online activities, completion of regular assignments, completion of assessments, and contacts between employees.” Most of this evidence will be provided through the learning platforms and attendance records. Below is an explanation of the appropriate attendance codes to document student participation in distance learning, as well at daily live interaction.
Click here for our district's Coronavirus update.
PARENTSQUARE is our Automated absence notification system please be aware that you will receive notification via TEXT message, PHONE call or EMAIL for student absences that have not been cleared for the day.
Parent square allows you, the user, to set up your preferences for notifications and language preferences on line or in the app. Another feature is that parents/guardians can reply to messages in the app or by text to respond to the attendance office to let us know the reason the student was absent for a valid reason.
NOTE: Absences posted in error must be resolved by THE STUDENT contacting the teacher who marked the student absent. OFFICE STAFF will not contact the teacher as a result of parent email reply to absence notifications.
If you are not yet familiar with Parent square, please review this get started video:
How to set up Parent Square video
How to update Notification Setting
Attendance Codes In AERIES (effective 3/29/21)
Students shall be marked one of three codes by teachers in Aeries Attendance:
- 1 - DLE/Present - Students who engaged in Distance Learning Synchronous or Asynchronous Instruction.
- 9 - Present- Students who are present to IN-PERSON Instruction (On-campus)
- 2 - DLN/ABSENT-Students who are absent From In-Person Instruction and did not engage in remote learning either asynchronous or synchronous instruction.
REPORTING AND CLEARING ABSENCES:
If your student misses school for any of these reasons, you must call or send a note within 48 hours of the date of absence to excuse them. Other personal reasons such as observation of religious holidays & college visits may be excused with advance written approval. If you are calling to report your student(s) absent due to illness, please include the nature of the illness and whether or not they have been exposed to anyone in the past 14 days who tested positive for COVID-19.
All Day absences: Please call or email the appropriate House Office and be sure to include the following information:
- Name of Person calling, including relationship to student (parent, guardian, etc.)
- Please state and spell student’s name, ID#, if known.
- Student’s grade.
- Date of absence.
- Period(s) absent, or the times of the absence, and please be specific.
- Reason for absence-must state specific reason for absence.
- Daytime telephone number.
LATE ARRIVAL OR EARLY RELEASE (On Campus students):
Students who arrive to campus after 9:00am will need to enter at GATE 6 (600 Hall) or GATE 10 (Library). All students will be checked for completed Health Screener prior to being admitted to campus & directed either to class or House office to obtain a late pass.
- Excused Tardy: If the student has an excused reason for arriving late, please notify the House Office Secretary and provide appointment verification slip or other supporting documentation to excuse the tardy or partial day absence.
- Early Release Any student who must leave campus early for a medical appointment or other reason should obtain an off campus pass from their House Office in the morning of the day of early release. Please call or email the House Office secretary at least 2 hours in advance to request early release. The message must include:
- Your name and relationship to the student
- Student’s first & last name (include spelling)
- Student ID number (if available)
- Phone number to reach you in the event that we must contact you regarding the message.
- Reason for the need to be released-be specific.
- The exact date and time the student must be released from school.
What type of absences are EXCUSED? Cleared absences are excused when reported within 48 hours of the absence and as defined by California Education Code 48205. Absences that are considered excused are:
- Medical/Dental Appointments
- Personal Illness
- Funeral Services for an immediate family member.
- Court Appearances
- Religious Holiday Observance when approved by the Principal or designee upon receipt of prior written request.
- Religious Retreats when approved by the Principal or designee upon receipt of prior written request. Attendance at retreats cannot exceed four hours per semester.
- Participation in school approved activities.
Contact the Attendance Office or House Office Secretary if you have any questions regarding student attendance.
Every Day Counts! Every day counts in a child’s education. Every day a student misses school, he/she gets more than two days behind his peers, because he must make up missed learning and catch up with new learning at the same time. Every day a student is in school, he/she benefits from direct instruction and raises his or her chances to score well on fundamental testing while learning a valuable lesson in the life skill of responsibility. Absences, excused or not, also take away valuable funding from our school. Attendance is compulsory by law and is the responsibility of all students and parent/guardians.
What if my student is going to be absent from school? Parents/legal guardians must contact the school whenever a student will miss his/her assigned classes. Absences must be cleared within 48 hours by the parent/legal guardian or the absence will be permanently changed to an “un-excused cut.” How do I clear my student’s absence?
- Absences can be cleared by telephoning or sending a note with the student. All notes and messages related to absences or tardies must be processed by the House Secretary.
House 1 (A - Ev) - Press 1 (x9342)
House 2 (Ew - Lip) - Press 2 (x9343)
House 3 (Liu - Roy) - Press 3 (x9341)
House 4 (Ru - Z) - Press 4 (x9344) - The following information is required for messages and notes:
- Name of the Student (please include spelling if leaving voice message) and grade level.
- Name of the person calling and relationship to student.
- Date(s) of the absence. If clearing partial day, include period or time student will be absent from school.
- Specific reason for absence. PLEASE INCLUDE IF YOUR STUDENT HAS HAD A FEVER RELATED TO THIS ABSENCE.
- Daytime telephone number
What absences are excused? Cleared absences are excused when reported within 48 hours of the absence and as defined by California Education Code 48205. Absences that are considered excused are:
- Medical/Dental Appointments
- Personal Illness
- Funeral Services for an immediate family member.
- Court Appearances
- Religious Holiday Observance when approved by the Principal or designee upon receipt of prior written request.
- Religious Retreats when approved by the Principal or designee upon receipt of prior written request. Attendance at retreats cannot exceed four hours per semester.
- Participation in school approved activities.
What if my student will be Tardy or needs to leave early? Tardy students must report to their House Office to sign in and obtain a pass to be admitted to class. If a student must leave early, they may take a note to the House Office in the morning to obtain an off-campus pass for the time they are to be released.
Independent Study Contracts
In order to maximize student achievement and social/emotional growth and in accordance with California Education Code, it is expected that students will attend school every day. However, family situations do arise which necessitate emergency travel. When these rare situations arise, families may arrange a Short Term Independent Study Contract with the school. These contracts are appropriate for unavoidable emergency absence of no fewer than 5 consecutive school days and no longer than 10 consecutive school days.
A completed Short Term Independent Study Contract request must be submitted to the House Office or Assistant Principal, signed by the student and parent/guardian and all teachers on the student schedule at least 10 school days prior to the absence. The contract must include the dates of absences, return to school date, and reason for the request. The absence duration should
be as brief as possible, as absences of more than a few days will negatively impact student learning. Independent study for family vacations or leisure travel that can occur during schools breaks is strongly discouraged, since independent study cannot replicate the classroom instructional experience.
All requests must be approved by site administration. If approved, students should pick up all assigned work on the last day of attendance prior to the first date of the contract. Once the student returns to school, all completed work must be turned into the House Office or Attendance Office before the student returns to class. If the student does not complete all assigned work, future requests may be denied. Independent Study contracts at the end of the school year must be completed no later than fifteen school days prior to the last day of school. Independent Study contracts cannot be established during the first 10 days of the school year nor are they allowed the last 15 school days of the year.
Note: If a student on an IEP is requesting a Short Term Independent Study Contract, the Program Specialist must be notified immediately so that appropriate IEP documentation can be determined.