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Absence/Attendance

ATTENDANCE POLICIES

Regular attendance, arriving on time, and remaining in school for the entire school day are direct links to school success.  Inconsistent attendance not only means lost learning time, but also causes children to develop poor attitudes towards attending school.  Make-up work in the form of worksheets or packets does not take the place of teacher-designed lessons in the context of an organized classroom.  The interchange between teacher and student as well as student to student is invaluable and both are lost when students do not regularly attend school.  According to Ed Code, students are considered truant if they have three or more unexcused absences.    **It is now board policy that all student absences need to be verified within 72 hours (3 school days).  Absences that are not reported within this timeline will remain unexcused.**  

Arrival

Students should arrive at school between 7:30 a.m. and 7:55 a.m.  There is no school supervision before 7:30 a.m. and instruction begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. (7:55 a.m. for Journeys/Kindergarten).  Upon arrival, students go directly to the upper blacktop area for supervised play time.  On rainy days, students will report to the multi-purpose room.  At 7:55 a.m., all students wait in their assigned class lines and their teachers will escort them to class at 8:00 a.m.  The 8:00 a.m. start time applies to Fridays as well and the gate will be locked during our morning assemblies.

Late Arrival

Students in grades 1-5 are expected to be in their class lines no later than 7:55 a.m.  Parents/guardians who are late getting their student to school, must accompany their student to the office prior to their student being admitted to their class with a tardy slip.  Families of students with excessive tardies will need to meet with the teacher, principal, and/or attend a State Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting at the Lost Hills Sheriff station.  If your student arrives at school after 8:45 a.m., please bring them a sack lunch as school lunches cannot be ordered after 8:45 a.m.  According to Ed Code, three or more unexcused late arrivals (more than 30 minutes) are considered truancies.     

Absences

Aside from the instructional advantages to attending school every day, public schools are funded based on the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) of the school population.  ADA is calculated on the actual number of students attending school (or placed on Independent Study for pre-arranged absences over five days) on any given day.  In order to properly account for absences and report to the state government, absences may be cleared in one of two ways:

  1.       Reporting the absence to rmesattendance@lvusd.org  
  2.       Students may return to school with a signed note indicating the student’s full name, date(s) of absence, and the specific reason for absence.

* It is now board policy that all student absences need to be verified within 72 hours (3 school days).  Absences that are not reported within this timeline will remain unexcused.*

Please note that even when a note is given or an email is made for a student’s absence, the absence may still be considered an unexcused absence.  According to the state of California, only the following types of absences may be excused (although the school still loses funding for these types of absences):

  1.       Medical: illness, surgery, medical/therapeutic appointment.  Medical/dental absences and/or tardies must be verified with a note or stamp from the practitioner’s office.
  2.       Bereavement: includes immediate family (father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, sister, brother) of the student
  3.       Non-medical (pre-approval required): court appearance, legal appointment, or religious observation.

Five or more excused absences and/or three or more unexcused absences will result in a formal notice of parental obligation to assure student’s regular attendance at school.  Continued excessive absences will require a SARB meeting.  Proof of doctor’s care or prescribed convalescence may be required for excessive absences reported as due to illness. Report all absences using to rmesattendance@lvusd.org.

Pre-Approval of Absence

Advance written request by the parent/guardian and approval of the principal or designee shall be required for absences for: (Education Code 48205) 1. appearance in court, 2. attendance at a funeral service for a non-immediate family member, 3. observation of a holiday or ceremony of his/her religion, 4. attendance at religious retreats for no more than four hours during a semester, 5. employment interview or conference, 6. a pupil, as the custodial parent of a child, when the child is ill or has a medical appointment during school hours, (Education Code 48205) 7. family necessity of less than 5 school days provided the pupil makes up all work missed during the absence.  A pre-approval of absence form must be completed and submitted for principal approval prior to the day of absence.  You can download the form by clicking this link.

Extended Absences

If a parent/guardian anticipates an extended absence for a student, they should contact the student’s teacher regarding the various options.  An Independent Study contract may be available for absences lasting five days or more.

Dismissal (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday)

Students in grades 1-3 are dismissed at 2:07 p.m.  Students in grades 4-5 are dismissed at 2:35 p.m.  At least one staff member will be on duty in the front of the school at 2:07 p.m.  Students in grades 1-3 who are not picked up in a timely manner will wait by the lunch tables until 2:35 p.m. at which time they will return to the front of the school.   Supervision (The Sibling Club) is provided on the playground from 2:07 p.m. until 2:35 p.m. solely for the younger siblings of students in grades 4-5.  Students in grades 1-3 are not permitted to play on the playground if their parent/guardian cannot pick them up at the proper time.  These students will wait out front with the rest of their classmates.  Additionally, parents need to pick up their children and take them with them promptly rather than allowing them to play on the playground and/or socialize.

Parents/guardians may arrange for students to participate in the YMCA afterschool program or various PFA enrichment programs.  If a student is not in attendance at one of the designated afterschool programs, they are to leave the school grounds promptly at 2:35 p.m. as there is no other adult supervision after school.  Students who ride the bus should immediately report to their bus after dismissal.

Students who are not picked up by 2:45 p.m. will wait for their ride in front of the office.  Families who repeatedly fail to pick up their student on time will attend a conference with the principal or principal’s designee and/or the Lost Hills Sheriff Department.

Dismissal (Wednesday)

Wednesday dismissal times for students in grades 1-5 are 12:10 (before supervised lunch period) and 12:55 (after supervised lunch period).  Journeys and Kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays.

Early Check-out

If you must take your student out of school prior to regular dismissal, you must come into the office to sign them out.  DO NOT go directly to your child’s classroom.  There are no exceptions to this policy.

Checking Students Out of School During School Hours

Parents must report to the office and sign their child out when leaving during the school day.  The Office will call the student to the office to be signed out.  It is helpful if the parent sends a note to the teacher so that he/she can remind the child to be ready.  

Please remember that checking a child out of school during the school day is discouraged and should only be done in extenuating circumstances.

For further information, please see the LVUSD Attendance Policy at www.lvusd.org or contact the school office.