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Absence/Attendance

Excused Absences from Compulsory Attendance

Education Code Section 48205 permits a pupil to be excused from school under certain circumstances.

  • Illness
  • Medical, dental, optometry, chiropractic services
  • Quarantine
  • Funeral of immediate family, limited to one day in State, three days out of State.
  • Court Appearance*
  • Illness of custodial child*
  • Religious holiday or ceremony*
  • Religious retreats limited to 4 hours per semester*
  • Employment conferences*
  • Other reasons pursuant to board policy*

*Must be requested in writing by parent/guardian and approved by an administrator prior to absence.
*All absences MUST be cleared within 72 hours (AR 5113)

LVUSD Philosophy

The primary responsibility of the student is to be in class to maximize his/her opportunities for success. Excessive tardiness and absences have a direct correlation to poor student performance and are detrimental to the learning environment. Parents, students, teachers, and administrators all have a shared responsibility to ensure that a quality education is a priority. Las Virgenes Unified School District's attendance policy is directed toward achieving that goal.

Full Day Absences:

A student can clear an absence by having a parent or guardian call the school to report the full-day absence within 72 hours*. Please include your student's name, date(s) of absence and the reason for the absence when you call. If the absence is one that needed to be pre-approved (see list below) please bring a copy of the signed/approved form.

Upon his/her return, the student can bring a note to school signed by the parent, clearing the absence. Students returning to school after an absence with a note from a parent/guardian, can drop off the note at the Attendance Office for verification. Please include your student's name, date(s) of absence and the reason for the absence in the note.

All absences* must be cleared within 72 hours or the absences will be considered truant absences (unexcused) and assignments may not be made up for credit. Parents will be notified by phone and/ or mail regarding unverified or unexcused absences.
Students are deemed truant(in violation of compulsory attendance law) if they have three or more unexcused absences and/or tardies (30 minutes or more in duration)within one school year. (Education Code Section 48260)

Part Day Absences:

Students leaving campus for any reason throughout the normal school day must check out in advance through the Attendance Office. A student may check out during the day if:
They have a signed note by the parent stating the reason for leaving and time required to check out. The note must have a parent signature and a phone number to verify the reason. If the student is leaving for medical reasons, (i.e. doctor, dentist, etc) the note must have the doctor's name. The medical absence must have a stamp from the doctor's office with the date, for the absence to be excused.

Students should bring a note from their parent to the Attendance Office first thing in the morning before going to class. Students must sign out before leaving campus.

Students leaving campus for any reason must check out at the Attendance or Health Office. Students must sign in at the Attendance Office when they return to campus. Students leaving campus for any reason and not checking out through the Attendance or Health Office will be considered truant for that particular day. A parent phone call will NOT clear a truant or unverified absence when a student has left campus without authorization.

Students Arriving Late to School:

All students must sign in (signature and arrival time) at the Attendance Office before going to class. A note signed by a parent/guardian or a phone call must be received within 72 hours in order to clear the absence*. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school within 72 hours of an absence* by either a telephone call or a note to the Attendance Office.

Tardiness:

It is the responsibility of the student to be on time to all classes. Each secondary school has a specified time between classes before they are counted as tardy. Please refer to your schools tardy information. Teachers will make the determination regarding excused or unexcused classroom tardies. . (Applies to Secondary Schools Only) Exceptions will be made by administration decision only.
EC Section 48260 (a): Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse (EC48205) three full days or tardy or absent more than any 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 the Superintendent of the school district.

Truancies:

A student is truant when absent from school or a class without permission of the school or parent If a parent removes a student from class for any other reason other than those legal reasons stated above, the student will be truant per EC Section 48260(a).

Discipline for habitually tardy elementary students will be addressed by the Principal or his designee.

Students may not leave school without being checked out in advance by the Attendance or Health Office.

Absences:

All unexcused tardies and absences will be dealt with in the same manner as truancy. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school within 72 hours (AR5113) of an absence by either a telephone call or a note to the Attendance Office. Absent students are not permitted on campus to attend a class, take a test or turn in paper/homework. Absent students who are seen on campus are considered truant.

Absences, Excused:

Illness normally will be excused with parent verification. A verification of an appointment by the doctor or dentist (i.e., doctor's stamp, receipt, etc., but NOT a doctor's signature) must be presented when the student returns to school. Full credit in the class will be given upon completion of make-up work or tests. The time limit for make-up work is one day for every day absent plus one day after returning from absence.

Absences, Excused (not ill): ED Code 48205

Absences due to death* in the family, religious observances*, court appearances*, illness of custodial child*, religious retreat* (4 hours per semester only), employment conference or other reasons pursuant to board policy MUST have prior approval from an administrator. Notice must be received no later than two weeks before the absence begins. Full credit will be given upon completion of make-up work or tests. The time limit for make-up work is one day for every day absent plus one day after returning from absence.

*This is the link on the District web site for the approval form.

Independent Study should be requested prior to the absences if your student will be absent for 5 days or longer. Please inform the office manager or attendance person at your school as well as the teacher. The office manager or attendance clerk will have the appropriate forms.

You cannot request Independent Study after the student returns.

Illness or Injury During School:

A student who feels too ill to continue school must obtain a pass from their teacher to report to the Health Office. Failure to report back to class or the Heath Office will be considered truancy, unless the student has received permission to go home.

Make-up Procedure:

Students shall "make-up" assignments and tests during the time allotted by the make-up procedure. Students will have only one opportunity to do so unless extreme circumstances, as verified by the Attendance Office, cause further absence on the "make-up" deadline date. Make-up work shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the work missed during the excused absence. Student must initiate the process.

Off-campus Passes:

Requests by a parent for a student to visit a doctor, dentist, or other appointment should be made prior to the appointment time. The student must bring a note, stating the time it will be necessary for him/her to leave, to the Attendance Office. The note must be submitted to the Attendance Office before school or during lunch. When returning from the appointment, verification from the doctor/dentist (doctor's stamp or receipt but not a doctor's signature) will be required.

*Prior approval of these absences must be requested in writing by parent/guardian and approved by an administrator.

Change of Address/Telephone Numbers

In order to process an address change you must provide the counseling office or attendance clerk with a copy of a current utility bill (gas, electric or water.) Telephone number changes must also be requested in writing from a parent only.