State and Federal laws are very strict on issues of attendance. Please review this summary of the laws on attendance, tardies, and independent study.
District Policy: Students with 7 days of any attendance event (tardy, excused or unexcused absence, truancy, or early sign-out from school by a parent) are to have an attendance letter mailed to parent and filed in the student's permanent record. A second letter is to be mailed and filed after the 10th day. Upon the 15th days, the school must hold a School Attendance Review Team meeting with the parent.
Independent Study: Students going out of town or on vacation are to be marked as truant under federal law. Parents are strongly encouraged to request and have their child do the assignments given under an Independent Study Plan. (Independent Studies are only available from periods of 5 to 10 days.) Requests for an Independent Study must be made at least five (5) school days prior to the child leaving. Credit for the missed school days is only permissible after assigned work has been completed and turned in by the deadline. A truant indicates a violation of the laws requiring children be at school every day their school is in session.
Our school district is required under NCLB to monitor student attendance, notify parents of excessive absences, tardies, and truants, and to follow prescribed procedures (School Attendance Review Team, School Attendance Review Board, referral to Riverside District Attorney's office) regarding attendance.
Illness, medical appointments, bereavement, and religious holidays are the only legally excused absences. If your child is absent or going to be absent, please call the school at 736-3308. Our answering machine is on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thank you!
Tardies: Students are to arrive on time and remain in school for the duration of the school day. If a child arrives late, this is recorded as a tardy. If the tardy is for a medical/dental appointment, the school office needs to be notified by the student’s parent for proper coding. Our school is mandated to send letters at threshold points regarding tardies. Parents of tardy students need to say goodbye to their child at the office as instructional time has begun in the classrooms. Parents desiring to walk their children to class may do so prior to the start of school.
Early Dismissals: Please try to minimize pulling your student out of class early. The last 15 minutes of the school day is designated as “homework explanation” for all of our teachers at Highland. Interrupting instructional time is not only a disruption for the teachers but the other students as well.
SART and SARB: School Attendance Review Team (SART-school personnel) and School Attendance Review Board (SARB-school personnel, CPS, law enforcement) sessions are scheduled by the school and District when students are missing too much school as based on state requirement.
Education Code 48260: Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day on three occasions in one school year or any combination thereof, is a truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district.