Attendance Procedures
Absence notes are to be received from the parent for each absence. Telephone contacts from the office and verification forms may be
accepted in lieu of parent notes. Absent notes/telephone
verification forms are kept by the teacher for each month and turned
into the clerk as part of the track off/end of year checkout
procedure.
Attendance calling is done daily in the office. Attendance is
completed, using Zangle, each morning by 9:00 am. Students are
expected to be in their seats and ready to learn at the start of
class (8:40 am) every day. Students will be considered tardy if
they arrive to class after 8:45 am. The students will be tardy at
8:46 am. Please write down the number of minutes that the students
are late for SART purposes. If students arrive to your class before
9:00 am, please record their attendance on Zangle. SART attendance
forms and meetings with the principal/assistant principal/designee
will be used to monitor students with chronic attendance problems,
including tardies and late/early pick-ups.
Absences
Our school only receives funding for the days your child
is in school. Though we require notes when students are absent, we
lose funding for the day regardless of it is an excused or unexcused
absence. Please be sure your child attends school every day.
Important: Whenever your child is absent please call the school
at (909) 357-5700 or send a dated note on the day of the child's return stating
specifically the reason for the absence. If your child must be
absent for more than five (5) days, you may contact his/her teacher
to fill out an Independent Study Contract. The teacher needs to be
given 3 days notice. Upon the child's return and the successful
completion of that contract (as verified by the teacher), those
absences will be changed from "unexcused" to "excused" on the school
records. Continuous absences may result in a SARB (School Attendance
Review Board) referral.
Tardies
Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to
learn at the start of class (8:40 am) every day. Students who are
tardy must report to the Attendance Clerk. Parents should be aware
that if a student is tardy in excess of thirty minutes on three or
more days during the school year and such tardiness is not excused,
it shall be classified as a truancy and shall be reported to the
Department of Child Welfare and Attendance and to the parent. Continuous tardies may result in a SARB (School Attendance Review
Board) referral.
Early Dismissal
Students who leave the school before the regular
dismissal time of 3:14 (12:45 on Tuesdays) must be checked out
through the office. We cannot dismiss a child early by a telephone
call. In addition, to avoid interruptions, students will not be
dismissed 15 minutes before the end of the instructional day, unless
it is an emergency. Please schedule appointments during off-track
time. Because we value your child’s instructional time, please help
us keep interruptions to a minimum by not calling to leave personal
messages for your child. Checking out your child before the end of
the school day will result in a reverse tardy, which will affect the
receiving of attendance awards.
Truancies
Parents will be notified of absences. If you do not recognize an
absence, contact the school immediately.
CalWORKs
The law AB1542, CalWORKs, became effective January 1, 1998. CalWORKs
emphasizes personal responsibility. CalWORKs has rules that require
regular school attendance by children ages 6 through 17, who receive
CalWORKs cash aid. Schools are required to verify the attendance of
children receiving CalWORKs cash aid. If the child is not regularly
attending school, the family’s cash aid will be decreased.
The purpose of CalWORKs school attendance verification is to
encourage parents and children to maintain school attendance levels
that support academic achievement and the socialization process.
These results would better prepare children as future adults to
successfully enter and maintain a self-supporting lifestyle.
Excused absences will no longer be allowed for apportionment (ADA).
Attendance focus will now be on compulsory attendance. “No student
present, no money.” A Valid excuse for compulsory education means
there exists a justifiable personal reason for being absent. None of
these will be used for apportionment as in the past. Since the focus
has shifted from getting the absences excused (no such thing any
longer for apportionment) to actual attendance, strategies must be
developed to get students in school. Excessive justifiable absences
will be scrutinized! If not, ADA will decline and so will our
funding.
- SART 1: Letter to the parent (copy to the teacher) when the student
has three (3) unexcused or unverified absences and/or three (3)
tardies of 30 or more minutes. The teacher confers with the parent
and student and keeps documented information in the SART folder.
- SART 2: Letter to the parent for further excessive absences and/or
tardies. The parent is requested to set up a meeting with the
principal to discuss the attendance problem.
- SART 3: Letter to the parent for still-continuing absences and/or
tardies. A meeting time and date will be scheduled for the parent to
meet with the principal.
- LAMP (SART 4): Letter to parent with a meeting time and date at the
Office of Child Welfare & Attendance, if there is still no change.
- SARB (School Attendance Review Board): Letter to the parent with a
date and time for a formal SARB Hearing Board meeting at the
district. The board can consist of school administrators, legal
personnel, nurse, CPS, Welfare and other community members who
encourage the parent to resolve attendance problems.
- CalWorks Notice (TAD) to the appropriate agency for the parents of
students who receive public assistance is also sent when absences
exceed 20 in any given school year. The family’s public assistance
could then be reduced.
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