WHY DO WE TRACK STUDENT ATTENDANCE SO CLOSELY?
ATTENDANCE LAWS IN CALIFORNIA:
Students 6 to 18 years old are required to attend school on time and regularly. Cal. Ed. Code § 48200.
A child is habitually truant if, without an excuse, they are:
- Absent for three days in a single school year,
- Absent or tardy more than 30 minutes three times in a year,
- Any combination of the above. Cal. Ed. Code § 48260(a).
A child is chronically absent if they have missed 10 percent of the school year. Cal. Ed. Code § 48263.6.
CONSEQUENCES OF MISSED LEARNING TIME:
- Students who miss 9 days per school year (excused or unexcused) are two times more likely to drop out of high school.
- Students and families can face serious repercussions for truancy.
- Truant families may be referred to the district School Attendance Review Board (SARB). Cal. Ed. Code § 48263.
- SARBs have wide discretion, and a contract is developed. They can change school placement, refer to community agencies, and potentially escalate to truancy court. The school district can fine a student up to $100 and their family up to $500. Cal. Ed. Code § 48264.5; Cal. Ed. Code § 48293(a).
TRAVEL SHOULD BE SAVED FOR SCHOOL BREAKS:
While vacations are important for family bonding and development, it's crucial to consider the impact on your student’s education as well. Please plan all travel during designated school break time. There are more non-school days in a year than school days. Every minute counts!
ABSENCES EC 46014, 48205; BP 6154; AR 5113:
Each FCUSD student is granted ten (10) parent-verified excused absences for mental or physical health reasons. Once a student has surpassed their ten (10) excused absences, we require a doctor’s note (note on medical letterhead signed by a licensed medical professional). We require that for each day a student is absent, there is a corresponding note. Otherwise, additional absences will be marked “unexcused".
WHY?
Attendance is the #1 indicator of high school graduation! Every minute counts. If your student and family are experiencing an excessive number of absences, we want to meet with you to discuss a plan to keep your student in the classroom as much as possible.
DID YOU KNOW?
Being 30 minutes late each day equals three full weeks missed per year. In 13 years of schooling (K-12), that is just over one full school year missed.
LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF MISSING SCHOOL:
- 1 day per month = 10 days per year = 2 weeks per year; in 13 years of schooling is 3/4 of 1 school year
- 1 day per week = 36 days per year= 2 week per year; in 13 years of schooling is 2.5 years
- 2 days per week = 72 days per year = 14 weeks per year, in 13 years of schooling, is just over 5 years
A NOTE ON IMMUNIZATIONS AND ATTENDANCE:
Students enrolling with incomplete or non-compliant immunization records may not start school*. The school site will retain the non-compliant enrollment packet for 10 school days. During this grace period, families will receive information on how to obtain the necessary immunizations to comply with California School requirements (more information here: Immunization Requirements
If compliant immunization records are not submitted within these 10 school days, the student will be disenrolled until the required immunizations are obtained. We will continue to work with the family in every way possible to ensure that students are compliant and attending school in a timely manner. If a family remains non-compliant with our immunization policy, and their student is not enrolled elsewhere, they may be required to participate in a School Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting.
*McKinney-Vento and Special Education Students are exempt