Attendance Policies and Regulations

Students are expected to be in attendance on the first day of school. If a student is absent on the first day of school, the parent/guardian must contact the school as soon as possible to report the reason for the absence. Extended family vacation/travel is considered an unexcused absence.

A student shall be excused from school for justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, attendance at a funeral service of an immediate family member, 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 student with an excused absence from school shall be allowed to complete all assignments and tests missed during the absence that can be reasonably provided and, upon satisfactory completion, shall be given full credit. The teacher of any class from which a pupil is absent shall determine, pursuant to the regulations of the governing board of the school district, what assignments the pupil shall make up and in what period of time the pupil shall complete those assignments. 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.

Attendance at religious retreats shall not exceed four hours per semester. See “Absences for Religious Exercises or Holidays” below.

Absences due to illness, including a doctor's appointment during the school day, may be considered verified in the following ways:

1. Physician's verification via note, email, or fax (within 5 days of the absence in order to be marked verified)
2. Verifying employee's exchange with parent/guardian via a phone conversation, on-site visit, email or written note
3. A visit to the student's home by a verifying employee or any other investigative method which establishes the fact that the student was absent for the reasons stated

Students are encouraged to always bring a physician's note when possible if an appointment interferes with any part of a school day.

When a student has had seven absences or tardies (late arrival of 30 minutes or more) for illness, which were not verified in the ways listed above, further absences or tardies for illness may require verification by a physician or qualified medical personnel (see number 1). Failure to provide verification may result in unexcused subsequent absences.

Student absence for religious instruction or participation in religious exercises may be considered excused. In order to receive an excused absence for participation in a religious exercise or holiday, an advance written request by the parent/guardian must be submitted to the school site. Failure to provide the advance written request will result in your child receiving an unexcused absence.

Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education who is absent from school without valid excuse three full school days in one year or tardy or absent for more than a 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)

A student who is habitually truant, irregular in school attendance, or habitually insubordinate or disorderly during attendance at school may be referred to, and required to attend a school attendance review board (SARB) program, a truancy mediation program established by the district attorney or the probation officer, or a comparable program deemed acceptable by the district’s attendance supervisor. (Education Code 48263, 28364.5)

1. The potential effects of unexcused absences are:
2. Student report cards may be noted as incomplete
3. Student grades may be affected
4. Students may not be allowed to “make-up” missed assignments
5. Truancy notification letters are sent to families as unexcused absences are accumulated

• A truancy letter will be sent when your child accrues three (3) unexcused absences of 30 minutes or more in a school year
• A habitual truancy letter will be sent when your child accrues five (5) unexcused absences of 30 minutes or more in a school year
• Required attendance at either a District’s Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting or a mediation meeting with the Santa Clara County District Attorney and District staff once your child accrues ten (10) unexcused absences of 30 minutes or more in a school year.
• Failure to comply with the law and education codes (EC 48205, 48260, 48262) may result in an infraction or a misdemeanor.

The District does not support the practice of taking trips/vacations on school days. The District will not hold a student’s seat at a school after a ten-day absence, without pre-approval due to extenuating circumstances. The Student Assignment Office will work with families upon their return to confirm residency and school assignment when an absence is more than ten days and is not pre-approved.

1. To report a student absence due to Illness, tardy, religious holiday, dr. appointment, go to ParentSquare and complete the daily absence form.
    
2. A Report of Absence form should be filled out by the parent/guardian for any FUTURE planned student absences. The school will work with parents to determine if the planned student absence is considered an excused or unexcused absence. Report of Absence forms are available here:
    

   School Name	School Name	School Name	School Name
   Blue Hills	Eisenhower	Lawson	Murdock-Portal
   Collins	Faria	Lincoln	Nimitz
   CMS	Garden Gate	McAuliffe	Sedgwick
   De Vargas	Hyde	Miller	Stevens Creek
   Dilworth	Kennedy	Montclaire	Stocklmeir
   Eaton		Muir	West Valley

3. The Report of Absence form will be filed in the student’s cumulative file.

5112.1 Exemptions From Attendance

5113 Absences And Excuses

5113.1 Chronic Absence And Truancy