Attendance Office Information
ATTENDANCE
Attending class regularly and being on time has a direct effect on a student’s academic success in meeting course requirements for high school graduation. We ask parents to encourage their students to be present and punctual everyday, unless they are ill, and to schedule vacations during student non-attendance days. Dialer calls go out each night as a parent reminder for students who have not been excused prior to the office closing each day or who have been tardy to 1 or more classes.
Please call to excuse your student’s absence promptly. District policy states the following: “Absences due to illness and medical appointments are considered excused absences as long as the school receives a phone call and/or documentation from a parent or guardian clearing the absence within 72 hours of the occurrence. Failure to excuse the absence may result in notification of Truancy letters, a School Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting with a Child Welfare and Attendance Specialist and school staff, or a referral to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).”
REPORTING AND CLEARING ABSENCES
All-Day absences: Please call (925) 461-6186 and press option 1. Please leave the following information: student’s name (spelling it clearly), their ID#, your relationship to the student, the reason for the absence and the date of absence. Saying “appointment” will default to “personal business” unless it is specifically stated it is a medical appointment.
Partial-Day absences: If your student will be arriving late to or leaving early from campus, we would like at least two hours advanced notice. Please call (925) 461-6186 and press 2. Please leave the following information: your student’s name (spelling it clearly), their ID#, your relationship to the student and the reason for the absence. Saying “appointment” will default to “personal business” unless it is specifically stated it is a medical appointment. Please make sure your student receives a pass from the attendance office to leave and return for an appointment.
State the approximate time your student will be arriving late or leaving early from campus, if they will be returning and the approximate time of "return."
If the actual attendance differs from the parent call, we ask that the parents call back with correct/updated information.
PRE-APPROVED PERSONAL NECESSITY ABSENCES
Students who will miss one to four days for personal necessity (NOT due to medical reasons or vacation) require an advance written request by the parent/guardian and approval of the administration. Please click on the link below to download the Request for Pre-Approval of Absence form, and submit the completed form to Linda Hollie at [email protected][email protected] at least two days PRIOR to the absence. Attendance will then obtain a signature from the administration. See form above.
SHORT-TERM INDEPENDENT STUDY CONTRACT for HYBRID LEARNERS
Students who will miss 4-15 days may fill out an Independent Study Contract. Attendance MUST be notified at least 14 school days before the absence. Contracts will not be issued the first 20 days or the last 20 days of the school year. Please email Linda Hollie at [email protected] for the contract.
Truancy Letters
The state mandates that school districts send a truancy letter to parents if a student has three unexcused absences of 30 minutes or longer. Please understand that an unexcused absence does not necessarily mean that the absence was not cleared by a parent or guardian. According to the California education code, an absence may be recorded as excused for the following reasons only:
- Illness
- Medical appointments
- Court appearances
- Religious holidays
- Funerals
- Pre-approved independent study contract.
An absence for any other reason is noted as unexcused and could result in the student receiving a truancy letter.
Truancy & Excessive Absences
An important part of academic success is good attendance. The school district has an attendance protocol to track truancy and excessive absences. Parents will be notified if students have a certain number of unexcused absences or an excessive number of excused absences.
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You’ve received a Truancy letter. What does that mean?
This is to help explain what it means if you have received a truancy letter. While “truancy” appears to sound negative and accusatory, it is simply meant to be a notification that, for various reasons, your student has missed important instructional minutes during their absence from school. An “absence” can be a single period OR all day. It takes 3 instances of absence to issue a truancy letter.
Please note that no truancy information is included on student transcripts.
An “absence” can be a single period OR all day.
|
3 instances* of unexcused absences |
1st Truancy Letter |
|
2 additional instances* of unexcused absences (5 total absences) |
2nd Truancy Letter |
|
2 additional instances* of unexcused absences (7 total unexcused absences) |
3rd Truancy Letter (Habitual) |
*Instances = any absence that is between 1 period through 1 full day OR a tardy of 30 minutes or more.
The State of California defines what is considered an excused absence. Absences that are medical in nature or for bereavement are the ONLY reasons the state considers valid.
All other absences are considered non-excused, even if a parent or guardian called to report the absence. It is still important that you call in the absence, even if the reason is not one recognized by the state. The following are examples of non-excused absences:
· Personal reasons or business
· DMV or Passport appointment
· Going out of town
· College visits (unless you have completed a Pre-Approved Absence form)
· Unspecified appointment
· No reason given at the time absence was reported
· Sleeping in
· Studying at home
· Working on college applications
If your student believes they have been marked absent in class IN ERROR, before contacting their vice principal, they must pick up an attendance correction slip at the Attendance Office and take it to their teacher for correction. Teachers are “locked out” of Q after a certain length of time and are unable to go back and make any updates or changes. Students then bring this correction slip back to the Attendance Office for processing. Please have them do this as soon as you get a notification that your student has been absent or tardy to a class, but they were actually present the entire period. If you are unsure what period the absence notification refers to, please check Q, go to “Attendance Detail” to view the absences. Please have your student fix the absence even if they believe it was an error, so that it is reflected correctly in the system.
For PUSD’s full attendance policy, please click on this link: https://www.pleasantonusd.net/departments/student-support-services/student-services/student-attendance