School Attendance and Absences
• School Attendance Law
• Transportation and Valet Programs
• Reporting Absences
• Excused Absences
• Unexcused Absences
• Truancy
• Intervention
• School Attendance Review Board (SARB)
• District Philosophy
School Attendance Law
California State Law requires all children between the ages
of six and eighteen years to attend school daily. Education Code section
48200 states that no student is permitted to leave school at recess
or any other time before the regular hour of closing without the approval
of the school principal or designee. Violations of this code section
will be considered truancies.
Transportation and School Valet
In an effort to provide the best education to the students
of our District, the Placentia –Yorba Linda Unified School District
is committed to helping any pupil that requires assistance in arriving
at school. Busing is available and may be arranged through the P.Y.L.U.S.D.
Transportation Department (some restrictions on distance do apply).
Click here for information on Bus
Passes.
Many schools have adopted the Student Valet Program that has streamlined
access for arriving and departing parents who transport their children.
School crossing guards have also been deployed throughout the District
for the safe crossing of students that walk to school.
Should a student encounter a problem that is not addressed by the aforementioned measures, they should contact their school principal for any additional assistance.
Reporting Absences
Parents of elementary school and middle school students are
expected to notify the school office at least one-half hour prior to
the beginning of school. Notification of a child’s absence is
required for each day that the student is not in attendance. At the
secondary school level, parents should send a note with their student
on the day of the student’s return. The note should include an
explanation for the student’s absence.
California Education Code section 48200 defines excused absences
as:
1. Due to Illness
2. Attendance at a medical doctor’s appointment
3. Attendance at a funeral of an immediate family member
4. Quarantine by the county or city health officer
5. Jury duty
6. Justifiable personal reasons including (but not limited to):
a. religious holidays or celebrations
b. appearance in court
c. attendance at a funeral
d. illness of a child where the student is the child’s parent
e. attendance at an employment conference (requires previous
approval by the school principal)
f. working at an election precinct
All students absent from school under any of the above stated reasons
are entitled to complete all assignments and tests missed during the
period of absence. Completion must be within a reasonable period of
time and shall be given full credit.
Unexcused Absences
Unexcused absences are those absences that do not meet the
above listed criteria. An unexcused absence is an absence that occurs
with the approval of the parent or guardian, without a prearranged agreement
with a school administrator.
Truancy
Any full-time or continuing-education student who is absent
from school without a valid excuse for three full days in one school
year or tardy or absent for 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 (Education Code 48260).
Intervention
After a student is identified as “truant,” the
school will mail a letter to the parent or guardian informing them of
the student’s attendance situation. Should the problem persist,
an additional letter will be sent followed by a meeting of the School
Attendance Review Team (S.A.R.T.). In addition to school personnel,
this meeting requires that the student and the parent/guardian must
be present. Failure to comply with the direction of S.A.R.T. will result
in the student’s referral to the School Attendance Review Board.
School Attendance Review Board (S.A.R.B.)
Although voluntary compliance with mandatory school attendance
laws is expected, the Placentia – Yorba Linda Unified School District
has teamed with local law enforcement agencies to form the District’s
School Attendance Review Board, or “S.A.R.B.” This board
is committed to actively enforcing state laws relating to school attendance.
The District’s School Attendance Review Board meets bi-monthly
in order to intervene with students that are defined as habitual truants.
This collaborative effort of the District and law enforcement in the
S.A.R.B. process has proven to be an effective tool in correcting the
troublesome problem of truancy. Students that fail to comply with the
directives of this Board are referred to the Orange County District
Attorney’s office. In 2004, one student was incarcerated for not
attending school.
The Placentia - Yorba Linda Unified School utilizes the S.A.R.B. process as the last effort in a series of measures aimed at correcting a student’s unacceptable school attendance. It is hoped that all students would voluntarily comply with school attendance laws.
District Philosophy
It is the desire of the Placentia – Yorba Linda Unified School
District that all students attend school everyday. Some circumstances
may necessitate a student to be absent, and those situations are certainly
understandable. Before allowing a student to miss school it is hoped
that parents/guardians will carefully evaluate the reason for the absence
and consider the loss of important teacher to student interaction.
The district encourages parents/guardians to help their child develop good attendance habits. Here are a few suggestions:
Remember, today’s practices become tomorrows habits
