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Attendance

Image: Attendance Matters - Missing just two days a month can have academic impacts

Reporting Absences Procedure

Please report all absences immediately. Please call our attendance line at (510) 537-9558 ext 4860 to report an absence the same day of the absence. When prompted please leave a message stating:
  1. Your child’s name,
  2. Teacher’s name and Room #
  3. Date of absence
  4. Reason for absence
  5. Who is calling
If your child attends Adventure Time, please let them know as well at (510) 733-9134.
 

Absences and tardies are EXCUSED only for...

  • Illness/medical verified within 48 hours by parent/guardian (e.g., personal illness, injury, medical/dental/optometry appointment). Absences due to illness that are more than 3 days should be verified by a doctor note or the 4th day will be considered unexcused.

  • Bereavement verified within 48 hours by parent/guardian (e.g., funeral service-immediate family member)

  • Prior approval from principal/designee (e.g., religious holiday, family emergency, extended bereavement, court

    appearance). A written request must be made in advance and approved in advance in order for it to be excused.

    Absences can be excused by note or phone call from a parent or guardian that includes the name of the student; teacher name and room number; the date of the absence; the reason; and name and relationship of the person providing the excuse. If your child attends Adventure Time, please let them know as well at (510) 733-9134.

    Every day a child is absent from school a parent/guardian must verify the absence within 48 hours. An unverified absence is considered unexcused after the 48 hour period. You must call in every day your student is absent.

 

➢ NOTE: Typically AFTER 10 EXCUSED ILLNESS ABSENCES DURING THE COURSE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A DOCTOR’S NOTE FOR ALL FUTURE ABSENCES. This is a district policy. 

 

Absences and tardies are NOT EXCUSED for...

  • Parent/guardian notifies school of absence that are not allowable by law (e.g., vacation, work, oversleeping, visiting relatives, take your child to work day, failure to leave reason for absence)

  • Traffic/car issues

  • School directed exclusion (e.g., suspension, lack of immunization)

  • Childcare conflicts

  • Absence verified by parent/guardian after 48 hour time limit.

     

 

Education Code section 48260 – Any pupil subject to full time education or compulsory education who is absent from school and/or Tardy in an excess of 30 minutes or more without valid excuse for 3 or more days in one school year is truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or the superintendent of the school district.

 

 

Tardiness:

Students are expected to be in their seats by the second bell at 8:10am (Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten times vary please refer to the bell schedule). It’s required to come by the office to obtain a tardy slip if the student is late. They will then turn this tardy slip into their teacher. Without this slip they will be marked as absent and you will receive an absence call. You will be notified if you child accumulates unexcused absences and/or tardies. Should your child accumulate unexcused absences and/or tardies in the excess of the state guidelines, you will receive a letter identifying your child as truant. A copy of this letter will go into your child’s school records and a copy will be sent to Pupil Services at the District Office. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please call the attendance office. There are no grace periods for tardies, a minute late is still late and every minute counts towards student’s success!

 

Medical/Dental Appointments:

If arriving after school has started, students are to go to the office with a note from the Doctor/Dentist to excuse the tardy. If a note is not received it will result in an unexcused tardy.

 

Early Release Information:

To pick up a student early from school a parent or guardian must come to the office and sign their student out. Students will not be pulled out of class prior to parent arrival. Please give enough time to call your student out of class and for them to come to the office with their things. Please refrain from pulling your students out during their lunchtime as classrooms are locked and students are on the playground. Please refer to the bell schedule and call them out after lunch, unless it’s an emergency. Remember that all appointments that require a student to leave early from school MUST provide a doctor’s note in order to excuse the early release.

 

Late Pickups:

Students are to be picked up promptly after school. A meeting will be required with our principal for excessive late pickups. Pickup should be within 15 minutes of school being released.


Testing:
CVUSD continues to partner with National Labs where students and their families can test.  Castro Valley Unified currently offers weekly testing at the Center for the Arts, 19501 Redwood Road - Monday through Friday from 12:30 - 6:30 p.m.  Link to make an appointment here. 
 
Vaccinations:
The California Department of Public Health strongly urges all eligible students to get vaccinated. This is an important way to protect student’s individual and our community’s health and avoid lengthy quarantines at home in the event of a positive COVID case on your child’s campus. We are working on scheduling vaccination clinics in the district to make it easier to receive the vaccination. Currently you may receive vaccinations at the following locations:

  1. Safeway (20629 Redwood Road) - Appointment Link
  2. Alameda County Public Health - Appointment Link
  3. California Department of Public Health MyTurn - Appointment Link

Will your child be absent for 3 or more days?

 

The Board of Education authorizes independent study as an optional alternative instructional strategy for eligible students whose needs may be best met through study outside of the regular classroom setting. The minimum period of time for any independent study option shall be three consecutive school days with a maximum of 10 consecutive days. No Independent Study agreements are not allowed the first 10 days of the school year, nor the last 15 days of the school year.

 

Elementary students are eligible for independent study if:

  1. They require a more challenging educational experience due to extraordinary accelerated academic abilities, or
  2. Their health or other personal circumstances make classroom attendance difficult. 
    1. Temporarily disabled students requiring support greater than 3 weeks must defer to Home & Hospital care (AR6158)
    2. Personal circumstances that meet these requirements are determined by principal, teacher, and parent collaboration and will require evidence that they are unavoidable. Vacations are generally not accepted as unavoidable personal circumstances.  

 

Parents/guardians of students who are interested in independent study shall:

  1. Contact the Attendance Clerk and request an independent study form a minimum of 10 working days prior to the proposed contract. The guardian must provide the rationale and dates for this proposed contract.
  2. Depending on the given rationale, the guardians may need to meet with the principal, attendance clerk, and teacher to determine appropriateness of the personal circumstances. 
  3. The Principal shall approve independent study for an individual student only upon determining the appropriateness of the rationale and that the student is prepared to meet the district's requirements for independent study and is likely to succeed in independent study as well as or better than he/she would in the regular classroom setting.
    1. If the independent study is not approved, all related absences will be marked as unexcused and corresponding consequences will follow.
  4. Upon approval, the teacher completes the Plan section of the form, detailing everything the student is to complete while out on Independent Study. This work is given to the student on the day before the contract begins.
  5. During the contract time, the student completes assigned work.
  6. Upon completion of the contract, all work must be turned in on the first day back. The teacher will evaluate completeness, which will determine the number of days of credit to be given to the student.
    1. If the work is evaluated as incomplete, the days of credit not given will be marked as unexcused and corresponding consequences will follow.

 

Please see BP 6158 for more information

 

Note: If a student with an I.E.P. is requesting an independent study contract, the program specialist must be notified immediately so that appropriate I.E.P. documentation can be determined.

Excessive Absences:

  1. Students who reach 3 unexcused absences will be mailed a formal letter informing you of the need to improve your child’s attendance. This letter will also be placed in your child’s cumulative folder

  2. Students who reach 6 unexcused absences will be mailed a second formal letter and you will be required to attend a Student Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting with the principal, attendance clerk, and school counselor. The letter and meeting documentation will be placed in your child’s cumulative folder.

  3. Students who reach 9 unexcused absences will be mailed a third formal letter and will be required to attend a Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting at the district office with the Director of Student Services, the district counseling team, and representation from the School Resource Officers.

  4. Further attendance issues will be forwarded to the District Attorney.

Tardies:

Students must arrive to school and to all classes on time. Students are tardy if they are not in their classrooms at the start times designated in the current bell schedule (can be found on our school website). When a student arrives to school late, she/he must check in and get a tardy slip from the office. This ensures that the attendance is updated in the student record.

Excessive Tardies Procedures:

  1. Students who reach 10 minor tardies (less than 30 min) or 3 major tardies (greater than 30 min) will be mailed a formal letter informing you of the need to improve your child’s attendance. This letter will also be placed in your child’s cumulative folder

  2. Students who reach 15 minor tardies (less than 30 min) or 6 major tardies (greater than 30 min) will be mailed a second formal letter and you will be required to attend a Student Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting with the principal, attendance clerk, and school counselor. The letter and meeting documentation will be placed in your child’s cumulative folder.

  3. Students who reach 20 minor tardies (less than 30 min) or 9 major tardies (greater than 30 min) will be mailed a third formal letter and will be required to attend a Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting at the district office with the Director of Student Services, the district counseling team, and representation from the School Resource Officers.

  4. Further attendance issues will be forwarded to the District Attorney.

For more information on Attendance, please read our Parent-Student Handbook or call our main office (510) 537-9558

Attendance Policy:

Every day a child is absent from school a parent/guardian must verify the absence within 48 hours by calling the Attendance office voicemail at (510) 537-9558 x4860.

A written verification signed by a parent/guardian may also be used to report absences to the attendance office.

FYI: You will be notified if you child accumulates unexcused absences and/or tardies. Should your child accumulate unexcused absences and/or tardies in the excess of the state guidelines, you will receive a letter identifying your child as truant. A copy of this letter will go into your child’s school records and a copy will be sent to Pupil Services at the District Office. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please call the attendance office.
Education Code section 48260 – Any pupil subject to full time education or compulsory education who is absent from school and/or Tardy in an excess of 30 minutes or more without valid excuse for 3 or more days in one school year is truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or the superintendent of the school district.